Beef Tenderloin...

[Julian]

I BBQ'd a 6lb beef tenderloin for the first time for Christmas....was seriously YUMMY! Used a remote control meat thermometer and took it off once it hit 135...and it was awesome! Just rubbed it with a little ground pepper and garlic powder. I think I'm hooked!

 

[txav8r]

What kind of grill did you use @Julian ? I use a remote probe too, called a Maverick ET-732. It is a dual unit model with dual probes. One probe for the grid (grate) temp and one for the meat. I cook to a temp 5-10 degrees under my target and then pull it off after I probe it in several places with my Thermapen instant read handheld, wrap in foil, wrap in a towel, place it in a heavy styrofoam cooler, and let it rest up to an hour before I carve it. I did a prime rib for Christmas day, and it too was awesome. Doing a whole tenderloin as a Chateau is something I want to do too. I am glad to hear of your success at it, it is truly all about temperature. Here is my maverick and my thermapen. Thermoworks sells the thermapen, a staple in any kitchen or outdoor arena IMO.

 

[Julian]

Mine is a redi-check also (but different than the one pictured). My target temp was 145, and I took it off at 135 as like you said, it will climb some more even after you take it off. I left the probe in it, and it climbed to 139 then stopped, so next time I may leave it on until 139ish.

I was using my natural gas Weber S330 to grill with. I seared the meat first, then moved it to one side of the grill with no burner on, and cooked with indirect heat from then on.

 

[MikeyL]

A few comments from the Peanut gallery:

1) Beef Tenderloin ???? @ $13 - $20 a lb ? I am glad most of us run with the Kardashians (@Julian) here @ jetboaters.net !

2) I wooda taken mine off @ 120, 125 MAX. WE don't like overcooking our beef. And tenderloin does not "need" a lot of cooking. In my humble opinion, of course.

3) ANYONE, YES ! ANYONE !< who cooks needs a Thermapen. It is the ONLY legitmate cooking thermometer available. You will see it used on virtually EVERY TV cooking shows.
You can complain about its initial cost, but after you have thrown out a dozen Polders thermometers, a couple Mavericks, and several Taylor cooking thermometers, the price of a Thermapen is CHEAP !!!

AND !~~!!!!!!!!!! Great news - Right now it is ON SALE !!!!!!!!!!!
It NEVER goes on sale. The SALE is Only for the next couple days !

You can even get it on Amazon ! http://www.amazon.com/ThermoWorks-Splash-Proof-Super-Fast-Thermapen-Thermometer/dp/B002GIZZWM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419792282&sr=8-1&keywords=thermoworks thermapen

or here:
http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/

Price is the same. ALL colors available thru Thermoworks.

Good Luck to all. By the way, I have no financial interest in this company nor its products.
Happy New Year, Humbled by a teriffic Holiday Season - Mike Lulejian

 

[Julian]

1) Beef Tenderloin ???? @ $13 - $20 a lb ? I am glad most of us run with the Kardashians (@Julian) here @ jetboaters.net !

This is why this is the first time we've bought one, and we had it for Christmas Dinner! Not something we will be doing often! It was 11.99/lb trimmed. We aren't fond of rare meat, and at 135 degrees it was indeed quite rare....so we'll be shooting for a medium rare next time I cook one.

This thermapen....is it really necessary if I have a decent electronic thermometer that appears to work well?

 

[MikeyL]

@Julian :Nothing I know of is "necessary" - But if you are serious about your cooking, and I feel you are, then after you use a Thermapen once, you'll understand our enthusiasm.

It gives you an accurate and lab-correct temp in 3 secs or less. Nothing else on the market does that.

It's kinda like when you think back about your first boat, and then compare that to your YAMAHA. Same diff ......... LOL.

By the way, glad the 135 worked out better for you. It's been awhile since we have grilled beef. OH YEAH @ - Happy New Year !

 

[txav8r]

You would enjoy the instant temp check @Julian, of the thermapen. It stated
To be 3 Seconds, but faster. A monitor probe is necessary IMO, and the more accurate thermapen for double checking.

 

[4x15mph]

@Julian, glad to hear the tenderloin worked out and I am sure all of the guests enjoyed it. The Thermapen is the real deal as far as a thermometer although I use the following since it was what I had when I started to get into the smoking and BBQ'ing: http://www.amazon.com/Comark-Instrument-Digital-Thermometer-Accuracy/dp/B001U59MDA

Tenderloin is done at 135 but there are some that like it Rare/red and others that like it more well done. In our large groups, I will half the loin or rib and leave one of them on a bit longer so that I can cover the Medium rare to Medium crowd. Either way... you can explain that it isn't blood on the plate since blood would be purple. The red liquid is Myoglobin and refer to it as juice.

 

[Julian]

@4x15mph that thermometer looks more in my price range! I gather you've had it a while and are happy with it?

 

[4x15mph]

@Julian, I have had it for about 2 years and it hasn't let me down. I use that along with an iGrill mini remote thermometer that hooks up to my iPhone, iPad, or droid. The cc mark is waterproof which helps with the durability of anything digital.

 

[OCMD]

I know I'm the the odd one out, but there is only one rare meat worth eating (and even that comes with problems)....the rest better be at worse, medium well. Jeez I can't stand a raw, myoglobbiny steak! Must have been ingrained in me from an early age, having a mom that, when she cooked, served everything up nice and burnt to a crisp! I was at a steak house in KC a few weeks ago and ordered up a nice sirloin, medium well. You should have seen the looks from my comrades. I certainly enjoyed it! To each his own! Just like fins, I guess I'm in the minority once again!

 

[Gumbeaux]

Did a couple large tenderloins for a Christmas Eve Eve party. 11.99 untrimmed. each was about 7 lbs. I trimmed them myself versus paying $19.99 per pound for a trimmed piece. Plus, I got to keep the chain for tips. Only took about 1/2 hour. I rarely marinate these, but for this one, I marinated overnight in a little lime juice, garlic, bourbon, a touch of worcestershire, soy, brown sugar and lots of different spices. Rubbed it with a homemade rub with coffee, oregano, white pepper, black pepper and assorted other spices just prior to cooking.
I like the idea of cooking these whole, but we had a lot of meat and a lot of people to feed (40 or so) so I cut them in half. This worked out well to get an even temperature.

I used this method on the big green egg: Heat egg up to about 500. Sear the meat on a raised grate. Only takes a minute or two on each side. Take them off and insert the plate setter, legs up, and then put the grate back on. Choke the fire and the egg will get down to 350 pretty quickly. Put the meat back on until it reaches 125. Remove and rest for 20 minutes. Of course, I removed the two small tail pieces first and let the thicker pieces cook a little longer.

Good to hear everyone else's ideas here. Keep em coming.

 

[Julian]

I forgot to say the temp and time it took.....I followed a recipe that had the grill from 325-350....took about 70 minutes to get the tenderloin to 335.

 

[Paulie]

I grilled a rib roast for Xmas eve on my weber performer charcoal with the rotisserie attachment. Took about 90 min. Pulled it at 120 degrees and let rest for 30 min. And I love my Thermapen.

 

[MikeyL]

@Paulie " KILLER roast. Ya gotta LOVE these Weber products. We own 3 different ones and they produce such Quality results ....... altho YOUR roast looks especially inviting !

Glad someone else like me agrees on the 120-125 degree "pull" for beef. Happy New Year ! And again, NICE JOB !@

 

[steined]

Love doing these! Have you guys ever tried Sous Vide cooking? http://www.costco.com/SousVide-Supreme™-Demi-Water-Oven-System.product.100126385.html

I've had some PHENOMENAL steaks as of late by buying PRIME sirloin from Costco and SousVide cooking it for about 16 hours to 130 then searing it for 30 seconds a side on the Weber at around 650 degrees. You can take generally tougher cuts of meat and end up with Fillet-like tenderness with some time. You can also get perfect fillets and Chateaubriand this way. The key is a VERY hot grill to get the searing done correctly.

Let it rest a little after searing and it's perfect.

 

[billyb]

@4x15mph that thermometer looks more in my price range! I gather you've had it a while and are happy with it?

You spent about $100 on that piece of meat...spend that much on a good therm ONCE and you will not be disappointed.

 

[Julian]

You spent about $100 on that piece of meat...spend that much on a good therm ONCE and you will not be disappointed.

2 degree accuracy for $15 is fine for my skill level! If it last 3 years, I can get 6 of them for the price of one thermapen (18 years of use) - and the way my daughter handles things, I'd hate to spend $90 and have her drop it....so somewhat "disposable" is better at this point!

 

[MikeyL]

You spent about $100 on that piece of meat...spend that much on a good therm ONCE and you will not be disappointed.

X2 !!!!!!!!!!! Well said, @billyb .

@Julian : Once you have used a Thermapen ONCE, you'''ll understand what all of the fuss is about.



And yes <LOL !> at this point, I'm shouting.

 

[Julian]

OK....so you peaked my curiosity so I had to go read some reviews of the Comark thermometer and the following review sums it up pretty well.....if a chef is fine with it, I'll be fine....seriously guys....I'll survive without a $90 model!

I was moved to provide a review after seeing an unfavorable review for a product I know very well. I do not want a shopper to miss a great product. (I have no relationship with the Comark company and know nothing about them or their practices.)
I have used the Comark 300 for over eight years, I have broken the pocket tang off a couple (they still work) and dropped one onto a tile floor (it did not like that at all) one just died one day after a year of daily use and I have also had to change the batteries in a few.
I am a certified executive chef and a Serve Safe instructor/examiner, my full time job is as a chef instructor at a nationally recognized professional culinary program.
It is my responsibility to know my stuff and I have naturally used and field tested many styles and makes of pocket thermometers: CDN, Taylor, FMP, Polder, MUI, even Pampered Chef and Harbor Freight. I have also tested many types: Probe, Remote thermocouple, Contact bi-coil grill and oven, alcohol and, of course, Infrared non-contact. I own and use a lot of these regularly as part of my instructional role.
I think you get the idea....
Thermapen at $90.00 is probably one of the best and fastest pro thermometers -ask your friendly health inspector- but it doesn't fit in my sleeve...
Taylor is an industry leader and CDN is right up there with them, but my preference is for the lesser known brand to the general public, the '300, because of the way it fits in the chefs sleeve pocket, its response time-3 to 6 seconds, its accuracy- plus/minus 2 degrees f. and of course, reliability, it takes a beating and keeps on working..
The reason I an on Amazon was because our vendor put the price up to $28.Read more ›​