A perfectly cooked beef tenderloin is one of the most impressive dishes you can serve for a Christmas lunch or dinner (or any special occasion).

I will show you how to trim a whole beef tenderloin, smoke it, and then finish with a quick sear for perfect slices of smoked roast beef.

Key information

• Recommended wood – I used pecan chunks but oak, hickory or any of the fruit woods like apple or cherry would work great
• Prep Time – 30 minutes
• Cook Time – 1.5 – 2 hours
• Smoker Temp – 250°F
• Meat Finished Temp – 135°F

Watch the Smoked Beef Tenderloin recipe video below

Smoked Whole Beef Tenderloin

Beef Tenderloin roast is one of those show-stopping recipes that’s perfect for Valentine’s, Christmas, or any special occasion.

Unlike prime rib, it’s a fairly lean cut without a lot of the intramuscular fat that puts some people off.

Desipite being lean, it’s still incredibly tender. There’s a reason the filet mignon (a sliced tenderloin) is one of the most popular options at Steakhouses around the country.

Ingredients you’ll need

• Whole beef tenderloin – Around 4 lbs is perfect, but a little larger or smaller is OK.
• Worcestershire sauce – Used as a binder to help the seasoning stick, you can also use olive oil.
• Seasoning – I like to make a simple SPG seasoning out of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You could also use our Prime Rib seasoning for a little more flavor.
• Baste – butter and garlic.

Equipment you’ll need

• Charcoal grill or smoker
• Smoking wood – I used pecan.
• Charcoal
• Sharp knife – Smoke Kitchen Boning Knife
• Instant read thermometer

What is a beef tenderloin?

I’m sure you’ve heard of filet mignon, which is a steak cut from the tenderloin. 

The three main cuts of the tenderloin are the butt, the center cut, and the tail. Sometimes you will see the chain attached, which is the muscle that runs alongside the filet.

You can smoke the entire beef tenderloin as is, but I prefer using the center cut, which gives a better presentation and more even cooking. The prized section is the center cut, also known as the chateaubriand, and it is the most tender and flavorful. 

I’m not saying to waste the ends, though. Trim the ends and use them for mini roasts, or grind them up with some chuck for incredible burgers.

Why is beef tenderloin so expensive?

The tenderloin is a relatively small muscle, so you don’t get a lot of meat per animal. This limited supply, coupled with the high demand for filet mignon, make tenderloin one of the more expensive cuts.

Smoking a whole beef tenderloin and then slicing it into individual steaks is definitely a way to save money. If you’re looking for a cheaper option to smoke, you could also go for a pork tenderloin. Pigs are much cheaper to raise, so the cost is quite a bit lower.

How to trim beef tenderloin

The beef tenderloin I used was from Snake River Farms and came pre-trimmed. Most tenderloins will require some trimming, though.

Lay your tenderloin out on a cutting board, and use your hands to pull away any loose fat or silver skin.

Then, run your fingers along the side to locate the chain, a muscle that runs alongside the tenderloin.

Pull it apart with your hands and run a sharp knife along it until it’s completely separated.

Trim the silver skin off the top of the tenderloin by running your knife underneath and pulling away.

Finally, cut the butt and the tail off. You can use these as roast, cube up for stir fry, or make skewers. 

If you plan ahead, you can dry brine the meat by sprinkling it all over with kosher salt and leaving uncovered on a rack in the fridge overnight.

I find this step gives you slightly better results, although it definitely isn’t required.

How to make Smoked Beef Tenderloin

1. Tie

Make sure you’ve followed the steps above so you have a trimmed center cut of tenderloin.

Tie butcher’s twine around the meat every 2-3″ to help it cook evenly and hold its shape while cooking.

If you decided to leave the tail on, you can tuck it under the meat and tie it up and this should help prevent it from drying out.

2. Season

Apply a good coat of binder. Olive oil is usually my go-to, but for this cook, I used Worcestershire sauce.

Season it with a generous amount of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. If you decided to dry brine, you can leave out the salt.

While you get your smoker set, you can leave the beef on the counter to slowly start to come up to room temperature and allow the seasoning to penetrate into the meat.

3. Fire up the smoker

Heat your smoker to 250°F. For this cook, I used my PK360 charcoal grill with pecan wood.

I like using charcoal for smoking beef tenderloin because I can run it at low temperatures to get some nice smokey flavors, and then the charcoal is ready to go for the final sear at the end.

If you have a pellet grill, that will work, too. You’ll just need to crank the temperature up as high as possible before searing.

I set up my grill with charcoal banked on one side, adjusted the vents to dial in the temperature, and added the tenderloin to the opposite side once I got good clean smoke running through the grill.

4. Smoke the tenderloin

Place your tenderloin on the opposite side of the charcoal for indirect heat.

During the smoking process, I flip the tenderloin once or twice to ensure it cooks evenly.

Baste the tenderloin with the garlic butter a few times to add a little extra flavor and moisture.

Once the tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 125°F degrees, ramp up the heat and sear it for a few minutes over the hot grill to get a nice crust.

Remember that while the tenderloin rests, it will continue to cook another 5-10 degrees.

5. Resting 

Because beef tenderloin is a large cut of meat, proper rest is crucial at the end of cooking.

I recommend resting the tenderloin for 15-20 minutes to let the meat relax and the internal juices redistribute to the center. 

Place the tenderloin onto a wire rack and loosely tent foil on top. 

6. Slicing and serving

With a sharp knife, slice the tenderloin into 1″ thick medallions, and if necessary, add a little Kosher salt to finish.

What to serve with smoked beef tenderloin?

This smoked beef tenderloin can be served with a wide range of classic roast beef sides, such as mashed potato, green beans, or grilled asparagus.

I love a drizzle of horseradish sauce, although you might want to leave this on the side for people to add their own.

I’m also partial to our smoke roasted rosemary and garlic potatoes.

Smoked Beef Tenderloin Recipe

Follow this recipe and the tips and techniques for smoking beef tenderloin, and you’ll have perfect medium rare beef that can be sliced and served with a variety of sides.

Print

Smoked Beef Tenderloin 

The center cut of the beef tenderloin is seasoned, basted, and smoked over indirect heat.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Resting Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 486kcal

Author Jordan Hanger

Ingredients

• 4 lb beef tenderloin
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp salt, pepper and garlic powder
• 3 tbsp butter unsalted and melted
• 2 tbsp garlic paste or minced
• Horseradish sauce to serve

Instructions

• Heat your smoker to 250℉ and set it up for indirect cooking.
• Trim the beef tenderloin by removing the chain, silver skin, butt, and tail, until you are left with the center cut (see details above).
• To preserve the shape of the tenderloin, tie butcher's twine around the beef every 3-4 inches.
• Brush the whole tenderloin with Worcestershire sauce, and season with a blend of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Rest while your grill comes up to temperature.
• Place tenderloin on the grill. Rotate one or twice during cook to ensure even cooking.
• Once the tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 100°F, start basting with garlic butter. Do this a few times before you reach searing temperature.
• Once the tenderloin reaches 115-120°F, sear over direct heat for a couple of minutes, making sure to rotate the beef to sear all sides.
• Remove the tenderloin from the grill and place on a wire rack to rest with a little foil tent on top. Let the beef rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing.
• Slice tenderloin against the grain into 1" thick medallions. Serve with horseradish cream sauce and your favorite sides.

Garlic butter baste

• Mix the butter and garlic together until well combined.

Notes

What wood should I use to smoke with? We used Pecan.

Do I need to tie the tenderloin? No, it just helps it keep its shape while cooking and, presentation-wise looks better.

We recommend serving your beef medium rare, which is between 125-135°F. Keep in mind while the tenderloin rests, it will continue to cook another 5-10 degrees.

Do I need to rest the tenderloin once cooked? Because beef tenderloin is a large cut of meat, proper rest is crucial. We recommend resting the tenderloin for 15-20 minutes to let the meat relax and the internal juices redistribute to the center.

The exception to this is if you rested the meat before searing it. 

Nutrition

Calories: 486kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 579mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 263IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 6mg