In this grilled beef tenderloin with salt crust, the meat is salted over its entire surface prior to grilling to insure a nice crisp crust and a tender and juicy center.
The holidays are always a hectic time, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or any other holiday. Even if you are just planning a special dinner to celebrate a very special occasion, you don’t want to get blindsided by the main dish falling short of expectations.
One of the most wonderful (and expensive) cuts of meat is the beef tenderloin. And I’m sharing with you a very special way to prepare it and a very easy recipe for a grilled beef tenderloin with salt crust.
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Recipe highlights
- Simple: All you need to make this recipe is kosher salt, ground pepper and some olive oil. Prep work is minimal, but you do need to let the salted meat sit in the fridge for 24 hours to work its magic.
- Oh So Tender: Many people are intimidated preparing such an expensive cut, but understand that even if you over cook a beef tenderloin, it is still super tender and delicious.
- Flavor: By salting the roast you end up with a crispy crust yet melt in your mouth tender center. True perfection!
- Perfect for Entertaining: Whether you’re hosting a casual gathering or a fancy dinner party, this grilled beef tenderloin will make you look like a Top Chef!
Ingredients you need
- Beef tenderloin: The beef tenderloin I used for this recipe is approximately 4 pounds. You will need to prep the meat and remove the silver skin.
- Kosher salt: I used Empire kosher salt (in the red box). Do not prepare this with regular salt. Kosher salt is less salty in flavor and is larger in size than regular salt.
- Ground black pepper
- Oil: If you are roasting in the oven, you can use extra virgin olive oil without any issues. If you are grilling, you need to use avocado oil which has a high smoking point and is best for high heat cooking.
Step-by-step directions
- Trim meat. Remove all silver skin and big deposits of fat from tenderloin. Cut into 2-3 equal pieces and season entire roast with kosher salt.
- Beef tenderloin is typically sold as a long 3-foot roast, but it shouldn’t be cooked whole. It’s difficult to cook evenly and needs a bit of prep first.
- The tough silver skin along the surface must be removed—it won’t break down during cooking. To do this, slide a sharp knife under one end of the silver skin and gently cut along while pulling it away from the meat.
- Trim any large chunks of fat as well, though some fat is good for flavor and moisture.
- Chill. meat Place on a rack set over large rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered 24 hours and up to 36 hours. The longer it sits, the crispier the crust will be.
- Prep meat. Let roast rest at room temperature 1 hour prior to grilling. Rub with olive oil and season with black pepper.
- Grill. Palce the roast on the grill over 275º-300ºF heat and cook until it is mostly done, medium-rare, 130ºF for medium rare and 135ºF for medium. Then place meat directly on the coals to sear the meat all over.
- Rest. Remove meat and let rest 10 minutes before carving and serving.
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Recipe tips and FAQs
Once grilled, you can serve your beef tenderloin any way you like. My family prefer our steaks plain, but we have discovered several other ways to enjoy our tenderloin or any steak:
- Prepare a delicious and tangy cilantro chimichurri sauce.
- Go chunky and make a herbilicious cutting board sauce.
- Serve with a classic red wine sauce.
- Top with a pat of compound butter.
The Columbians have perfected this technique of salt crusted beef tenderloin in a very low tech way. You wrap the meat in kosher salt and herbs and then in a damp cotton cloth. This is all tied up and then placed directly onto hot coals to cook.
Because the outer cloth is damp, it doesn’t catch on fire, but slowly smolders and burns. And all of this creates a hard outer salt crust that traps the moisture inside your tenderloin roast. I share this recipe for lomo al trapo in my cookbook, The Camp & Cabin Cookbook.
Need more grilling recipes? You must try my grilled T-bone with creamy mushroom sauce, grilled pork loin roast and grilled flank steak with roasted tomato.
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Store any leftover meat in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Do not reheat steak in the microwave, but sauté chopped steak in a hot pan with a little butter or olive oil.
TO FREEZE: You could also freeze leftovers, but I suggest not to do this as the texture does change when frozen and thawed.
Preheat oven to 450º F. Place the meat on a roasting rack or in a roasting pan and place in oven. Roast the meat 10 minutes on high then reduce heat to 350º F and cook 20-30 minutes more, or until internal temperature reaches 135º-140º F for medium-rare and 140º-145º F for medium.
Salt draws out moisture. By covering the outside of the beef tenderloin with kosher salt, you allow the outer part of the meat to dry out. Once covered with salt, keep the roast in the refrigerator for 24 hours, uncovered. The outside will dry out, providing a crust, but the inside will remain moist and tender.
Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Salt Crust
Ingredients
- 4 lb beef tenderloin
- 1-2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Trim and remove all silver skin and big deposits of fat from tenderloin.
- Cut tenderloin into 2-3 equal pieces, making sure each piece is of uniform thickness and sprinkle over the entire surface of the roast with kosher salt.
- Place on a rack set over large rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered 24 hours and up to 36 hours. You could do this the same day you cook your roast, but the longer it sits this way, the crispier the crust will be.
- Let beef rest, covered with foil or plastic wrap, at room temperature 1 hour prior to grilling.
- Rub meat with olive oil and season with black pepper.
- Preheat your grill. Set burners to medium heat.
- Grill the tenderloin, place the tenderloin on the grill over 275º-300ºF heat and cook until it is mostly done, medium-rare, 130ºF for medium rare and 135ºF for medium. Then place meat directly on the coals to sear the meat on each side.
- Tenderloin can also be cooked in the oven: Preheat oven to 450º F. Place the meat on a roasting rack or in a roasting pan and place in oven. Roast the meat 10 minutes on high then reduce heat to 350º F and cook 20-30 minutes more, or until internal temperature reaches 135º-140º F for medium-rare and 140º-145º F for medium.
- Remove meat from oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
