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You are here: Home / BBQ / How To Cook Beef Tenderloin on a Smoker

How To Cook Beef Tenderloin on a Smoker

Smoked beef tenderloin
Author: Martin Earl

Smoked beef tenderloin

Dust off the cobwebs, bread out the charcoal, get your wood lumps ready…barbecue season is BACK! If you are not one of those that cooks through the winter, then it’s time to get your ‘cue going again. In today’s post, we’re hoping to get you excited for the smoke/grill season with two of our favorite words: smoked tenderloin.

This dish is a killer combination of fun smoke flavor and total beef tenderness, and it’s only going to take about an hour. But hold tight, let’s look at what’s going on.

Tenderloin Techniques

As you may have seen on our blog before, tenderloin comes from one of the most under-used muscle areas on a cow, meaning it is exceedingly tender. But this tenderness is accompanied by an extreme leanness, meaning the meat can be easy to overcook and dry out.

We ran tests to find out whether a traditional high-heat cook in the oven was the best method of cooking this cut, and we found that lower and slower heat yielded a more evenly cooked tenderloin than did the heat-blast method, without taking too long to cook.

The advantages of this lower-temp cooking method include edge-to-edge pinkness without almost any gray band, and a decreased risk of overcooking an expensive cut of meat. But this method also means that tenderloin is an ideal cut for smoking! Low, slow cooking is, of course, the mantra of the pitmaster, and the tenderloin plays very well by those rules.

The lack of connective tissue separates the tenderloin from the traditional smoking meats like brisket, pork shoulder, and ribs, but that actually plays to our advantage. Tenderloin will be done at around 125°F (52°C), meaning you won’t have to get past the dreaded ‘stall,’ and you don’t have to wait for collagen to break down into gelatin. You just get the meat warm enough to become palatable to you, and it’s done. There’s no pressure on the muscle fibrils to expel their water, no extreme denaturizing of the proteins, just a perfect medium rare (or medium, depending on your taste) tenderloin.

For the exact degree of doneness that you like, use the ThermaQ® to monitor the meat temperature. The type-K probes are accurate to ±0.7°F (±0.4°C), and the alarms can be set for temperatures between degrees (i.e. tenths of a degree). There is no more accurate thermometer for the barbecue, and it will allow you to cook you tenderloin exactly how you like it.

How to Smoke the Tenderloin

For this cook, we followed Steven Raichlen’s recipe for whole smoked tenderloin, which is as basic a recipe as you can get but is wonderful for how it showcases the tenderness and succulence of this mild cut of beef. Strongly flavored rubs will hide the flavor of a tenderloin, so a simple rub with salt—and/or smoked salt— and pepper is all that is needed. The meat is put on the smoker without an initial sear and is cooked at a mere 300°F (149°C). If you wanted to drop that temp even lower, to a smoker temp of ~220°F (104°C), you absolutely could. It will take longer, but even more smoke flavor will imbue itself into the meat.

You will also want to trim and tie the tenderloin (or have a butcher trim and tie it for you). Tying the tenderloin creates a more uniform shape along the length of the meat, which means more even cooking. If the tail is flopping around in the smoker, it will be well overcooked by the time the center is done. A cylindrical shape is very effective for even heat transfer, so that’s what we’re shooting for.

Smoked Beef Tenderloin Recipe

Based on Whole Smoked Tenderloin With Ember-roasted Peppers, by Steven Raichlen

Ingredients

  • 1 whole tenderloin, trimmed (4-5 pounds)
  • Coarse kosher and/or smoked salt
  • Coarse ground black pepper
  • 1-2 Tbsp olive oilSmoked beef tenderloin ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat your smoker to 300°F (149°C)—you can go down lower if you like, but know that it will take longer to cook
  • Fold and tie the tail under the tenderloin
  • Tie the tenderloin ever 2 inches or so, to create a uniform thickness along its length.Tying a beef tenderloin
  • Rub the beef tenderloin all over with pepper and salt. (We used a combination of kosher and cherry-smoked salt.)
  • Rub the meat all over with the olive oil.Seasoning beef tenderloin for the smoker
  • Place the meat in the smoker, and insert the Smokehouse penetration probe into the center of the loin.
  • Set up the air-temperature probe as well.Probe the tenderloin and attach the probes to a ThermaQ
  • Close the lid on the smoker.
  • Set the high-alarm on the ThermaQ for the meat to 125°F (52°C) for medium rare (or 130°F [54°C] for medium).
  • Set the air probe’s high alarm to 325°F (163°C) and the low alarm to 275°F (153°C).
  • Allow the meat to cook until your alarm sounds (about 1 hour).
  • Check the temperature with your Thermapen® Mk4, making sure that the lowest temperature you see is your target pull temperature of 125°F (52°C).Temp the tenderloin for assurance of doneness
  • Remove the tenderloin from the smoker, and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving. This will give the meat time for the ~5°F (3°C)carryover cooking that will occur, resulting in a perfect 130°–135°F (54°–57°C) for medium-rare or 135°–145°F (57°–63°C) for medium.
  • If you like, leave the Smokehouse penetration probe in the meat while it rests. The ThermaQ meter will register the highest temperature reached before cooling as the Max temperature on the Min/Max display.Whole smoked beef tenderloin
  • Slice the smoked beef tenderloin and serve it up.Beef tenderloin on a smoker

A tenderloin is a great way to kick off the BBQ season, because it’s easy, it’s fast, and it’s incredibly delicious. And with your ThermaQ, you can monitor this expensive cut to a perfect doneness that will be the envy of all your BBQ friends.


Products Used:

ThermaQ
ThermaQ

Thermapen Mk4
Thermapen Mk4

High Temp Smokehouse Penetration Probe - Stainless Overbraid
Smokehouse Penetration Probe

High Temp Air Probe and Grate Clip
High Temp Air Probe and Grate Clip
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Comments

  1. Jim Peyton says

    April 7, 2018 at 2:12 pm

    I go with 225 degrees and find the extra time worth it in terms of tenderness, smoke flavor and even cooking. With the lower temperature, I find it helpful to sear the steak either before or after smoking to get a tasty crust. I prefer searing on a very hot grill or very large grill-pan before smoking because that allows me to more accurately control the final temperature.

    • Martin says

      April 9, 2018 at 10:48 pm

      Jim,
      Excellent point! At 300°F, you get a bit of air-sear. At 225°F, you’ll want to sear in addition to the cook.
      Happy cooking!

  2. Amy Mikes says

    April 7, 2018 at 2:20 pm

    We love your products. My son cooks a pro circuit bbq competition with KCBS. He placed 15th overall in 2017 against 1000’s of other teams! Without the accuracy of the thermapens he’d be lost.
    Thank you for such great products!
    We love the recipes you post!

    • Martin says

      April 9, 2018 at 10:46 pm

      Amy,
      That’s fantastic! We wish him luck in the future. Coming up # 1 this year?!?
      Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

  3. Curt says

    April 7, 2018 at 2:52 pm

    How much wood chips would you recommend & when would you add them to the smoker ?

    • Martin says

      April 9, 2018 at 3:07 pm

      Curt,
      Because this piece of meat doesn’t have to cook for a long time, loads of chips aren’t necessary. A fat handful will do at the beginning, and if you want to throw a few on at the end to amp up the flavor, that’s not a bad idea. It ends up being a more…’delicate’ smoke flavor.

  4. Phil Ruland says

    April 8, 2018 at 2:35 am

    At a future date, I would like to buy one of the therma Q s however I must first find another house to make payments on. Thanks for the e mails, I really like the ones with recipes and helpful hints, also rub knowledge would be helpful.

    • Martin says

      April 9, 2018 at 10:51 pm

      Phil,
      By rub knowledge do you mean what rubs we use? One of my current faves is Jess Pryles red rub. It’s got a bit of kick and is super tasty. Most BBQ rubs are very good, honestly. Because BBQ cooks are SERIOUS about their food, most people don’t dare make a shoddy product.
      If you mean something else, please feel free to comment back or even contact me directly!

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