Name: Roast Beef Tenderloin
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Ingredients: 5 - 6 pound beef tenderloin , thoroughly patted dry; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

Why This Recipe Works

Our best roast beef tenderloin recipe produced an evenly cooked piece of meat graced with a rich brown crust to enhance its flavor. To even the shape of the tenderloin (which promoted even cooking), we folded the narrow end (called the tip end) under and tied it to bulk it up to almost the same girth as the chunky end (called the butt tender). To enhance the flavor of the meat in our tenderloin recipe, we roasted the beef at 425 degrees to produce both a beautiful crust and a pink interior.

Before You Begin

To age the tenderloin, set it on a rack over a roasting pan and refrigerate it 3 to 4 days. If you do age the meat, you can reduce the post-roasting resting time to 15 to 20 minutes. To give the tenderloin a more pronounced pepper crust, increase the amount of pepper to 6 tablespoons and use a mixture of strong black and white and mild pink and green peppercorns. Be sure to crush the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or with a heavy-bottomed saucepan or skillet. Do not use a coffee or spice grinder, which will grind the softer green and pink peppercorns to a powder before the harder black and white peppercorns begin to break up.

Instructions

Remove tenderloin from refrigerator 2 to 3 hours before roasting. Following illustration 1 below, use a sharp knife to carefully nick the silver skin on the side opposite the tail with shallow slashes at 1 1/2-inch intervals. Tuck tail end under (illustration 2) about 6 inches to ensure that the tenderloin roasts evenly and, following illustration 3, tie roast crosswise, knotting at 1 1/2-inch intervals.

Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Set meat on a sheet of plastic wrap and rub all over with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; then, following illustration 4, lift plastic wrap up and around meat to press on excess.

Transfer prepared tenderloin from wrap to wire rack set on shallow roasting pan. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast registers about 125 degrees (meat will range from medium-rare to medium in different areas of the roast), about 45 minutes. Let stand for about 30 minutes before carving. (Can be wrapped in plastic, refrigerated up to 2 days, sliced, and served chilled.)

Cut meat into 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange on a serving platter and serve with sauce of your choice.