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.
Why this recipe is so awesome
For steak lovers, the ultimate cut of beef is the the tenderloin. It is the most tender cut of meat, and of course, the most expensive. It is usually served for special occasions.
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. This recipe uses a technique to produce a crust on the meat.
This crust is achieve by salting the beef for several days. It is super easy and can be done whether you are grilling your tenderloin or roasting it in the oven. Crispy crust, melt in your mouth tender center, it really is the best way to prepare this fabulous cut of meat.
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
- Extra virgin olive oil
Removing the silver skin
Typically when you buy a beef tenderloin, you usually find in this long 3-foot piece of meat. You can not, and should not, cook it in this state. Not only is it difficult to cook such a long piece of meat evenly, there is also some prep work that needs to be done first.
Along the beef tenderloin is the thick silver skin that does not break down when you grill or roast. This silver skin must be removed. Don’t worry. It’s relatively simple to do.
Starting at one end of the tenderloin, slide a sharp knife underneath the silver skin. With one hand pull the silver skin up and away from the meat while your other hand is sliding the sharp knife down.
Once the silver skin is removed, you should also remove any large chunks of fat. Some fat is good, as it melts while it cooks and provides flavor and moisture to the meat.
Step-by-step directions
1. Trim and remove all silver skin and big deposits of fat from tenderloin, as described above.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Remove the roast from the oven at least one hour before cooking. You need to bring the meat to room temperature for even cooking. Rub meat with olive oil and season with black pepper.
5. 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. Remove meat from oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving.
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 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.
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.
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Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Salt Crust
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.
Ingredients
- 4 lb beef tenderloin
- 1-2 TBS kosher salt
- 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 1 TBS 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.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 511Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 129mgSodium: 1144mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 36g
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