Go to the Recipe: Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin Roast
I use pretty much the same voice for one of my beagles. It's basically a husky female Tim Gunn impression.
I'd love to do this on Christmas Day. I'll have a 2kg fillet rather than a 1kg tenderloin though. What would the timings be like for a hunk of meat that size, would you think? I'm terrified of buggering up my £60 (about $100) investment in a festive joint! Also, Kenji over at Serious Eats recommends salting the meat and leaving it uncovered overnight. Even though he then slow-cooks it in an oven, would that give a flavour-boost here too?
Timing should be the same for 2 Kg vs. 1 Kg. - the meat cooks thru the radius, so the length doesn't matter. (Might have to use a larger skillet, though - or cut the tenderloin in 2.)
Lovely!
Thanks Bill, but a fillet is thicker than a tenderloin, hence the question. It will be about 3-4" thick..
I highly recommend salting and leaving it uncovered overnight. I do this with every cut of meat I buy and I've found the flavor (or flavour) to be improved. It could be personal preference I guess, I picked up the idea from a Ruhlman book. The only thing I'd say is make sure you put it on a roasting rack or something similar that that picks the meat up and allows air to go underneath so that the moisture doesn't pool on the bottom of the beef causing one side to be... ugh.
We may have a definition problem here (2 nations separated by a common language). My American concept of a fillet is a thick (lengthwise) slice of rather the smaller end of the tenderloin. This recipe uses the center-cut of the tenderloin, which is as thick (diameter) as you can get from the tenderloin. Perhaps you're thinking of a cut from what we would call the short loin and you (I'm guessing) the sirloin.
I think it would be great to see a video of you guys breaking down one of those tenderloin's that you buy vacuum packed at Costco. Thanks.
Hi Elyss, I used an app called Sous Vide Dash to calculate the time for you. Assuming your fillet is 3 & 1/2 inches in diameter and coming straight from the fridge (so is 5C in the middle), it'd take 3.5 hours for the core to reach 60C if your water was set at 62C. Setting the bath a bit higher gets it done in under 4 hours with minimal overheating at the surface. I'd consider dropping the core target temperature a bit in an attempt to get it done faster. You'll have a temperature gradient in the meat, but realistically it'll be AMAZING compared to cooking it traditionally. Likewise, the texture will probably change a little given the length of time in the bath, however I'm sure it'll still be delicious. Check out Sous Vide Dash if you've got an iphone or ipad (it's about $5), or if you have other parameters in mind (diameter, temp, max time you're willing to have it in the bath), I'm happy to plug the numbers in for you and tell you what the results are.
Can you share where your plates come from?
I too was thinking how much I liked those plates.
Next time you're there and looking for tenderloin, pick up a pismo instead. You have to butcher the thing yourself, but then you're spending way less for the tenderloin than having someone else do it for you.
what would you suggest for a boneless prime rib (5 ribs) time and temp. doing lasagna and a goose and need some oven space. Feeding 17 people
Hi all;
Im fairly new to sous vide-ing, have done many steaks, pork and other things. I got the beautiful Searzall to help with the finish too. But I need some advice for a large piece of beef for company. I want to Sous Vide a Prime Rib for 6, med rare Im guessing by the charts etc 137-140 for 8-10 hours for store bought. Since its a big piece of meat instead of the searzall probably oven to crust it 450-500 for 8 mins. I just need some reassurance from you all
Thanks, Kendall
+1
Can u please post the sauce (demi) recipe.
I'd also like your thoughts on doing a standing rib roast. Sear 1st and then sous vide??
Made this over the weekend. That was maybe the best meat I've ever eaten.
Hi Chris. Here you go: https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/beef-demi-glace
I think we get most of our plates from Crate & Barrel! They have great stuff.
Those are Frank dinner plates from CB2.
Yea, I would still recommend doing a pre and post sear on that bad boy!
Hey Kendall, about how big is the roast you got? Depending on the size I think you will be happy with a 140 °f temp, cooked for 6-8 hours. If you can find a pan big enough I would recommend pre searing in that and finish in a 500°f oven for a few minutes.
I'm new to sous vide so - Does the basic recipe serve 4? I'm serving 16. Should I triple or quadruple the recipe? Can all the meat go in one bigger pot or do I need to cook in batches? How do I figure out the cooking time for a 5-6 pound beef tenderloin?
Hi Tracey! The basic recipe does serve 4. Quadrupling sounds like a great idea to be on the safe side. As long as your meat is broken up in to 4 pieces for the cooking process, the cook times will be the same and you can use one big pot. Let us know how it goes!
So glad to hear it!
what is a pismo?
I need to serve 11 people and keep costs controlled. I am going to Costco to get a packaged piece of meat today. I only want to get one piece. The ends taper. I don't want to cut them off and not use them. Will this work? What do you suggest and how much meat should I buy? I am pretty sure this will be thicker than 2 inches. In the past it is closer to 2 1/2 or 3" in diameter.
Thanks, Thats pretty much what I figured. I have a roast 7 lbs. Thanks for the reinforcement!
Hi Susan, 200g of meat per person is a pretty standard serving for a steak, however I find with cuts like tenderloin where you're serving slices, people tend to eat a little less. So I'd suggest you'd want about 2-2.5kg, erring high if you're serving big eaters, and low if not. Whole tenderloins tend to range between 1-1.5kg, so unfortunately you might have to go for two pieces.
To deal with the taper, you can fold ends over and tie them up as a quick way of trying to preserve a consistent thickness, or get a bit more high tech and use transglutaminase (i.e. Activa i.e. meat glue) along with the twine to do the same thing but better. See the roulade or reconstructed roast videos for tips on meat glue (not as gross as it sounds) if you haven't already.
Assuming it was fairly cold to start, a 3" tenderloin in a 60C bath will be done in about 3hrs. A 2 1/2" one will take about 2:15mins. Doubling the thickness increases the cooking time fourfold. Hope it wasn't too late to help!
How far ahead of time would it be acceptable to perform the pre-sear? I am trying to serve this on christmas eve. I'm thinking of doing the pre-sear the night before and dropping the bag in an ice bath then refrigerating over night and putting the bags in the bath about 2 hours before we're ready to serve.
Hi Davo,
I bought 6 pounds of meat and that should be plenty. It is 3" - 3.5" thick. I will tie the ends as you recommend. Does this change anything regarding the cooking time and temperature? I want it to be about 135-137 degrees based on your pictures. Thanks!
Tying the ends should be fine provided it doesn't make the diameter thicker than the rest of the loin, as the cooking time is all about the maximum thickness. So allowing for the thickest part of the tenderloin being 3.5", and assuming the meat's been refrigerated before it's seared, the core of the tenderloin will get to 135F at the thickest point in 3:10mins with the water bath set to 140. The will be a colour gradient to the meat as the temperature at the surface will of course be a closer to 140 than 135, however it's nonetheless still likely to be the nicest piece of meat your guests have had in a long time
My feeling is that I wouldn't set the bath lower at say 138 because it'd take 3:40mins and that's at the limit ChefSteps is suggesting you let the meat hang out in the bath - presumably because you'd start getting changes in the texture.
All these calculations were done with SousVideDash, which is a handy tool if you've got an iphone. There's a similar one for Android called SousVidePro.
Hi Jacobi, in the Tender Cuts class it's suggested that leaving a pre-seared piece of meat unwrapped in the fridge overnight is perfectly acceptable. If you're a ChefSteps member, check it out:
https://www.chefsteps.com/classes/tender-cuts-one-simple-technique-for-cooking-meat-poultry-and-seafood#/step-6-take-a-break
"peeled, side muscle on" - whole tenderloin with side muscles and fat still attached.
Unfortunately, the same page also says exactly the opposite "Option 3 - wrap tightly and refrigerate overnight" and, although the contradiction has been raised in the comments, no-one has answered it. My view is that I would leave it unwrapped if I were going to oven cook it to further dry the surface out and improve the crust, but wrap it if I'm going to sous vide, in this case probably sealing it ready for the bath with the herbs and juices.
I totally missed that! Good call Elyss
Hi Elyss, sorry for the confusion! Either option works.
I'm serving 30 on Christmas day and doing the tenderloin. I'm figuring 16 lbs. of meat. How much of the prep can I do the night before and can I do the meat in the sous vide at the same time?
Patty
I feel like the tenderloin I got seems a lot bigger in diameter then what's shown here. How do I have to adjust for the extra thickness?
Is salt applied to the meat at any point pre-cook? I don't see it in the recipe other than in the finished pics.
No
I have a 2 lb. tenderloin roast , not center cut. One side is 3" in diameter and the other is 3 1/2" diameter. The whole thing is about 10" long. I'm a little confused about how long to cook it and how long it can be held. I'm making this for New Year's Eve. Should I cut it into 2 pieces? We like our beef medium rare. Thank you!
I made this recipe for Christmas dinner and it came out perfect! It was a relief to not have to worry about the decision of when to remove from roast the oven. The convenience of having the oven free to make all of my side dishes made the meal preparation less stressful. Thank you.
Betsy - if cooking sous vide (and following this recipe's advice on pre- and post-searing), the difference in diameter you describe will be largely inconsequential to the final result. If you want medium rare, shoot for somewhere between 130 and 135. I typically cook to about 135 when cooking sous vide, since there's far less concern about lost juicyness. With tenderloin, the lower fat and connective tissue content might raise some other concerns that more knowledgeable commenters might be able to answer.
I like how you use Celsius/centigrades in the video despite being based in the USA. Out of curiosity: Does Grant really prefer metric temperature units, or do you guys actually make separate US and metric versions of the videos?
Hi Finn,
I've only seen them use metric in the videos however, there is a conversion feature in the recipe where you can edit the units or scale the recipe. Enjoy the site, it's one if the best IMO. My tenderloin roast is currently in a 140 degree bath at the moment. Can't wait to dig in!
Alex
Hi Finn! Yes, when we talk about temperature or any measurements in the kitchen here, we use metric, which Grant and the entire team prefer!
I am preparing a Ribeye Cap (Deckle) from a Rib Roast. It looks the same as the Tenderloin in shape and size, although the size is closer to 3#. It is 28 day dry aged and comes already tied similar to the Tenderloin. It comes from Flannery Beef and its suggested to cook to at least 136 degrees so it firms up (remember this is the cap, the most favored peace of the ribeye). Any suggestions? BTW your videos are killer!
How do i reheat the tenderloin if not served immediately? Any good tips guys? Please help.
I put it back in the bath at the same temperature and it was still very nice.
Thank you! How about if i keep it in the bath few minutes less for the purpose of reheating later for the same amount of time? Would that work?
Excelente receta y muy facil.
I have been eating these for a few years now. Definitely the best piece of meat on a cow. Have tried the 28 days dry aged and this is not the best cut for that. I would untie so it looks more like a flank steak and cut into manageable pieces. I marinade mine in Andrias ( or olive oil, garlic, black peppercorns and 1/2 cup coca cola overnight and cook on a wood fire, to char the fat on each side. Use my thermopen and cook to about 130/135f. About 6 to 8 minutes per inch of thickness. 3 or 4 minutes per side. Let rest for about 10 minutes. You will not believe how great this turns out.
Is there a recipe for the side dishes and the sauce ?
Is it safe to pre-sear the loin, add aromatics, and then seal and freeze the whole thing for a later date?
Hi CJ, you could do that, but the only thing you want to take into consideration is the herbs, which will turn black when you thaw them. A better route to take my be searing, sealing and freezing without the herbs and then adding fresh herbs when you're ready to cook.
Hi Colim! We recommend serving with Thick-Cut French Fries, a Beef Demi-Glace, and some Caramelized Carrots.
How long should i keep 7 oz beef tenderloin to get the same results? 140 F. Please help me! I'm not cooking a whole tenderloin just one stake at a time. Thank you guys.
How thick are you cutting it? With tender cuts (i.e. the tenderloin) you only need to cook it until the internal temperature hits the target temperature. This is because there is little, to no, connective tissue. As a consequence, the temperature demands are usually determined by thickness. If your piece is about an inch thick, I would say minimum about 45 minutes, and I wouldn't exceed 2.5 hours. If it's thicker, say 2 inches, I would want probably minimum 1.5 hours (maybe 2 hours), and would not go more than 4 hours. Give it a shot, and let us know the results. Good luck!
PS also see this link: https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/sous-vide-steak
Thank you. I'll let you know the results
If my bag is not big enough, can I presear the tenderloin then cut it in half and put them in saperate bags?
Made this with tri-tip and leeks and garlic in place of the herbs. It made the tri-tip taste like prime rib.
Will there be a recipe or section in the app for larger cuts like a large rib roast?
We just had the BEST steak ever!!! My family likes it medium to medium well done... so I set water temperature to 143F for 2 hours, eye round beef steak cut in 2". We were jocking how we found our stake number:)) 143F
Hi Ellen, do you have the recipe for the stewed onions he serves in this video?
