Whole Beef Tenderloin with Garlic Thyme

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Our Whole Beef Tenderloin recipe is the answer to your holiday dinner plans! This delicious garlic thyme beef roast is melt-in-your-mouth delicious, but is also so easy to make. Everyone at the table will love this show-stopping holiday recipe. You’ll be asked for the recipe and guests will be taking home leftovers—if there are any!

What is beef tenderloin?

It is the area cut from the loin and is lean, succulent, and elegant, with a mild flavor. You may also hear this cut referred to as Chateaubriand.

I use a 4 lb. trimmed whole beef tenderloin roast to make this dish, as well as a blend of seasonings and olive oil. You won’t believe how melt-in-your-mouth tender this cut of beef is!

What is the difference between beef tenderloin and filet mignon?

Filet mignon and tenderloin are from the same cut of beef; however, tenderloin is the whole cut, while filet mignon refers to steaks.

Both are tender and delicious – you can even make sous vide filet mignon!

Seasoning

Simple seasoning is all you need for great beef like this recipe. Just salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and dried thyme highlight the natural flavors of the beef perfectly.

For my other tenderloin recipes, I’ve also tried a rosemary sea salt rub that is absolutely delicious. I recommend giving that a try, too!

How to Trim Beef Tenderloin

You will need to trim the silver skin. It’s a fibrous connective tissue that’s shiny and easy to spot.

Thankfully, getting rid of that skin, and the excess fat you’ll also want to trim away, is so easy!

1. Lay your beef flat. Carefully cut just under the connective tissue with your knife. Keep the knife close to the meat, without removing too much of the meat itself. Make sure to always cut away from yourself.
2. Using your free hand, pull the tissue tightly against the blade for a clean cut.
3. Cut through the tissue, facing away from the meat, until you trim it off completely. Do the same for any excess fat, which will appear as large white sections on the meat.

How to Tie Beef Tenderloin

Tying your whole roast helps it cook evenly by evening out the thickness of the roast. Trim your roast first, then tie it.

Your butcher will tie the roast for you if requested, but if you forgot to ask or want to learn how to do it yourself, it’s easy to do!

1. Using a kitchen string, loop one end of the beef and tie it into a tight knot.
2. Loop the string around your hand, then pull the loop over the beef.
3. Continue to make loops about 1 inch apart from one another. Make sure each is snug against the beef.
4. Tie the end with a knot once you have an even amount of loops.

How to Cook Beef Tenderloin

Cooking the perfect holiday roast is much easier than it might at first seem!

Before you begin, calculate how many people you’re cooking for using the Roast Perfect app, and choose your desired degree of doneness.

Here are our steps for the best way to cook beef tenderloin in the oven:

1. 4 hours (or more) before you plan on cooking the roast, prepare your rub by mixing salt, pepper, dried thyme, and granulated garlic in a small bowl. Coat the beef with the spice mixture, then wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to allow the spices to pack into the meat.
2. When ready to start cooking, preheat your oven to 450°F. While the oven is preheating, unwrap the roast and place it on a rack in a small roasting pan or a small baking sheet with sides. Drizzle olive oil over the roast.
3. Place your roast in the oven. When 15 minutes is up, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
4. Continue cooking to the degree of doneness you desire. I like mine medium-rare, so I roasted mine for 35 minutes until it reached the internal temperature of 125°F.
5. Remove your roast from the oven and tent with foil. Allow it to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

Beef Tenderloin Tips for Perfection

• Trim your roast! Removing that silver skin and excess fat is an important step to cooking the most tender, flavorful roast ever.
• Tie your roast! Tenderloin has a skinny end that should be tucked underneath the roast. Tie the whole cut of beef so it cooks as evenly as possible and stays together as it roasts.
• Use a rack! Make sure you use a roasting rack and a shallow baking pan or roasting pan. Using a rack will help the hot oven air circulate around the roast for even roasting.

Beef Tenderloin Temperature Chart

Follow these beef tenderloin cooking times to achieve your desired degree of doneness after the initial 15 minute sear:

• ~22 minutes for rare (120-125˚F)
• ~24 minutes for mid-rare (130-135˚F)
• ~28 minutes for medium (138-140˚F)
• ~30 minutes for medium-well (140-145˚F)
• ~35 minutes for well done (150˚F)

Can you freeze beef tenderloin?

Yes! You can freeze any leftoves you have. Follow these steps:

1. Tightly wrap in plastic wrap.
2. Add the plastic-wrapped beef to a zip-lock freezer-safe bag. Squeeze all of the air out and make sure it’s sealed tightly.
3. Place the bag in an air-tight container.
4. Finally, add the container to the freezer. Place it closer to the back so it reaches freezing temperature more quickly.

Enjoy your leftover holiday roast no more than 2 weeks after freezing and do not re-freeze after thawing. Make sure to label with the freezing date!

How to Reheat

To reheat, use a low heat so the roast does not cook any further and become well-done. If you freeze your leftover roast, you’ll have to thaw it first.

1. Wrap in foil with cooking juices or sauce (like au jus) so it retains moisture.
2. Carefully reheat in the oven at low heat (225˚F) until a meat thermometer inserted into the beef reads 150˚F.

Best Ways to Cook

We love this recipe but our other favorite way to prepare a tenderloin is by grilling or cooking it sous vide (in a water bath).

• Grilled Beef Tenderloin: Free up oven space by grilling, instead! Easy, so delicious, and ready in only 30 minutes.
• Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin: One of my favorite ways to prepare it! If you’re not familiar with sous vide, it refers to cooking food in a water bath to ensure the perfect degree of doneness every time.

🥗 Side Dishes

This easy recipe is perfect for pairing with all of your Christmas dinner ideas or Easter recipes.

Start with our best side dishes for roast beef, then try:

• Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
• Gluten-Free Au Gratin Potatoes
• Best Fresh Green Bean Almondine
• Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Leftover Recipes

You can do so much with leftover tenderloin! Here are a few of my favorite recipe ideas:

• Make sandwiches with remoulade sauce
• Add slices of leftover tenderloin to a Vietnamese Beef Salad
• Beef Sandwich with Caramelized onions is just amazing
• Creamy Penne Pasta Though the recipe calls for prime rib, it works just as well with sliced tenderloin! Give it a try!

Check out our Beef Tenderloin Web Story!

Did you try our recipe? We would love to hear from you! Leave us a comment and a rating below to let us know what you think.

Photo credit: Renee Pajestka