Crockpot Beef Tenderloin Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to cook beef tenderloin fast or slow? ›

The meat will be almost perfectly cooked from edge to edge. Low-and-slow cooking also gives you a larger window of time between that point at which the meat is perfectly cooked and the point when it's overcooked. Once the meat is done, all you've got to do is put a sear on it.

The food web and a great many cookbooks (very many of them highly reputable) recommend blasting a tenderloin in a hot oven, 450–500°F (232–260°C), for a relatively short time to cook it, followed by a counter rest.

Be careful not to overcook your tenderloin, as that will result in meat that is dry, tough and unappetizing. Begin by giving the meat a nice sear on the outside in a roasting pan or a large cast-iron skillet set on the stovetop at high heat.

Place it in the oven until the temperature reaches just under 140°F, 15 to 20 minutes. Stay near the oven and keep checking the meat thermometer to make sure it doesn't overcook. 7Let the meat stand 10 minutes or so before slicing, so it will have a chance to relax a bit.

Roast until a meat thermometer registers 130°F (about 25–30 minutes) for medium-rare doneness or 140°F for medium doneness (about 30–35 minutes). Remember, your roast will continue to warm after removing it from the oven. Transfer your roast to a carving board and tent loosely with aluminum foil.

Generously season roast with kosher salt. Keep uncovered in refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or up to overnight. About 1 to 1½ hours before planning to cook, remove roast from oven and allow to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Bake uncovered 40 to 50 minutes or until thermometer reads at least 140°F. Cover beef with tent of aluminum foil and let stand about 15 minutes or until thermometer reads 145°F. (Temperature will continue to rise about 5°, and beef will be easier to carve.)

Season the tenderloin ahead of time and sear it for 5 minutes per side on your grill. After the tenderloin is seared, top with the crust and bake immediately. For a more convenient approach, crust the tenderloin and keep refrigerated until you are ready to cook.

Best Way to Cook Beef Tenderloin

There are several great ways to cook a beef tenderloin and here are my favorites. Pan-Seared – After trussing and seasoning it you will simply roast it in a small amount of oil until it's browned on all sides and the desired internal temperature is achieved.

If you overcook meat, it becomes dry and tough. Often people using a slow cooker and don't check when the food is actually done. If a recipe says cook for 8 hours on low, people may not check the food for 8 hours.

What does baking soda do to a beef tenderloin? ›

How to Tenderize Steaks and Chickens with Baking Soda. Baking soda acts as a meat tenderizer by changing the physical composition of meat fibers. It raises the pH levels on the surface and makes it tougher (pun intended) for the proteins in the meat to bond.

Beef tenderloin comes with silverskin, which is a layer of silvery connective tissue that runs along its surface. If you cook the tenderloin with the silverskin on, you may not have the optimum eating experience that this cut can give.

For roasts that are 2 to 3 pounds, roast at 425°F for 35 to 40 minutes for medium rare (135°F) and 45 to 50 minutes for medium (150°F) doneness. For roasts weighing 4 to 5 pounds, roast at 425°F for 50 to 60 minutes for medium rare (135°F) and 60 to 70 minutes for medium (150°F).

To sum up: Filet mignon is part of a beef tenderloin, but a beef tenderloin is not a filet mignon. Instead, it houses the filet mignon, which comes from the end portion of the tenderloin. The rest of the tenderloin can create other steak cuts or a delicious tenderloin roast to feed the family.

Figure that -- again with the variables -- that at 225°F, the roast will take from 2 to 3 hours. You won't know until you've done it a couple of times. Salt early for best flavor. If it only takes 2 hours, reverse sear (and a good, hot sauce) will save you (as will, in combination), early salting.

Cook It Slowly

This is certainly true when it comes to notoriously tough cuts of meat like beef brisket and pork shoulder. Cooking these cuts of meat slowly, either by braising, stewing or grill roasting, is the best way to get these tasty cuts of meat meltingly tender.

Your meat will be juicier and more tender

The longer cooking time and the low heat complement each other perfectly. As a result, even though the meat is cooked for far longer, it doesn't dry out because the temperature is low. As a result, this is the best way to retain all the natural juices of the meat.

Aside from being juicier, slow-cooking makes meat a lot more tender and flavorful. The extra juices help to accomplish this but it's mainly the long-cooking time that brings out the richness of the meat. You're giving the meat a chance to mature in a sense bringing all the flavors to life.