When you’re looking for an impressive meal, grilled beef tenderloin is an excellent choice. It might end up on a holiday table or at a special party. It’s a classic! It is not, however, cheap. So, you really want to get it right. My recipe gives you sound guidelines for grilling your tenderloin. 

What does Tenderloin Taste Like?

As the name implies, beef tenderloin is, well, tender. But it’s not a cut of beef with beef-forward notes. Binders and seasonings are the cure. For binders, you can use mustard, mayo, olive oil, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce (go light), steak sauce, or beef broth. For seasonings, any of our line of Cuso Barbecue Rubs will fit the bill. Just trust your taste buds. Using kosher salt and crushed garlic improves the flavor profile, too.

Grilled Beef Tenderloin Ingredients

• Tenderloin – ½ pound per person
• Extra Virgin olive oil
• Garlic salt
• Pepper
• Cuso’s Grass BBQ Seasoning

Grilled Beef Tenderloin Instructions

1. Preheat the grill to 250F
2. If your butcher did not do so, remove the silver skin from the meat.
3. Rub the tenderloin in a light coating of olive oil
4. Sprinkle the meat all over with the garlic salt, pepper, and Cuso’s Grass BBQ Seasoning.
5. When the steak reaches 120F internally, sear both sides.
6. Let it rest for 20 minutes, during which time you can make the horseradish sauce.
7. Carve into individual-sized pieces.
8. Serve with sauce on the side for dipping.

Horseradish Sauce Ingredients

½ cup Sour cream

2 tbsp Horseradish **

1 tsp Champaign vinegar

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Cuso’s Grass BBQ Seasoning

Cuso’s Lemon Pepper BBQ Rub

Instructions

1. Simply mix everything together and refrigerate briefly.

PitMaster’s Memo: Beef Tenderloin vs. Filet Mignon

Beef tenderloin is a long cut of beef muscle measuring up to twenty inches. It’s in a region of the cow that gets very little exercise, meaning you can trust the meat’s tenderness. Chefs remove any silver skin before working with Beef Tenderloin. 

Filet Mignon comes from the narrow front part of a Tenderloin. It’s leaner than the rest of the tenderloin and yet more tender. The “mignon” means small in French, which is why you see filets cut to pieces 2” in diameter or less. Filet mignon cooks very quickly, so tend it well. 

Side Dishes

Broccoli with cheese

Caprese salad with roasted tomatoes 

Green bean mushroom casserole

Leek salad with vinaigrette 

Lemon-braised artichokes

Roasted sweet potatoes

From the Bar

Cranberry juice or flavored soda

Martini

Merlot

Old Fashioned

Porter

Whisky