Make the best charcoal or pellet grill beef tenderloin roast, with this easy to follow method for smoking and then reverse searing for a foolproof medium rare every time.
Read through the full article above and see the video for more details.
Beef Tenderloin Prep:
Begin by prepping your tenderloin. If it comes unpeeled and untrimmed, you will need to break it down. Remove the silver skin and sinew. Split the piece up by slicing off the chain so the tenderloin center cut (chateaubriand) and the tails are only intact. Ask your butcher to do this for you if you need to!
Take your cut and carefully butterfly the tails by slicing down at the thinner end, so only about 1/2 inch is connected. Take the tail and tuck it underneath the roast. This allows the roast to look uniform in size, cooks more evenly, and allows you to utilize more of the meat.
Add the twine and secure it every 2-3 inches to keep the roast a nice round shape.
Place it in the fridge, uncovered for 24-48 hours if desired. This helps intensify the beef flavor and allows it to brown better. You can skip this step however.
Before smoking, remove the roast and let it rest outside of the fridge for a 30 minute minimum before placing on the smoker. Lightly cover it all over with olive oil and season with the kosher salt and pepper.
Smoking Process:
Set you pellet or charcoal grill to 225 F. degrees for indirect heat.
Place your fully prepared and seasoned beef tenderloin onto your grill gates and place a thermometer into the center to keep and eye on your internal temperature.
Smoke the beef tenderloin roast until the middle reaches 115 F.-120 F. Then remove it from the smoker to rest briefly while you prepare it for the reverse sear.
Reverse Searing Steps
Preheat your grill to high heat for searing (I like to go at least 600 F. degrees). Grease your grill grates if needed.
Place your resting beef tenderloin onto the grill grates and sear each side for about 1 minute with the lid close. Rotate and sear the other side repeating the same steps.
Continue flipping and rotating your tenderloin until it hits your desired internal temperature. I like to remove the beef tenderloin when it's around 125-135 F. degrees depending on your preference. Remember there can be some carry over cooking after it's off the grill.
Serving and Slicing
Let the beef tenderloin rest on a cutting board or baking sheet for 10-15 minutes to allow the internal juices to settle. I placed mine onto chopsticks to elevate it to reduce the amount of juices that come out at the contact points.