Whole Beef Fillet

Whole Beef Fillet (~ 6 lbs) purchased from Tag'z 5Star Meats, Murfreesboro, Tn.

Prep process:  

Whole tenderloin was trimmed @ the butcher (Tag'z).  The trimmings become about 1 lb of ground beef.  

Dry Rub:

Apply a generous coat of EVOO to the fillet before applying the dry rub mixture.  The dry rub mixture consists of the following ingredients:

1 Tbsp fine ground kosher or sea salt

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp fine ground black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 Tbsp fresh, finely chopped, rosemary (optional)

Mix all ingredients thoroughly.  Apply the dry rub evenly over the tenderloin.  I let the tenderloin sit for about 2 hours, at room temp, before I wrap it in saran wrap & aluminum foil for overnight in the refrigerator.  Leave the fillet in the fridge for 24 hours (or a minimum of 8 hours) before cooking.

Cooking process:

Remove the tenderloin from the refrigerator 2 hours before you cook it.  Let it sit at room temp during that time so the fillet can come back to room temp.  I cook mine in a 9x13 pan with a wire grate in the bottom.  Don't put the fillet directly on the pan, it will stick...

Heat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place the fillet in the oven and cook for 20 minutes @ 450 degrees.  This gives the fillet a nice sear on the outside.  After that time expires, reduce the oven heat to 325 degrees.  Using an instant read thermometer (or other), cook the fillet to 130 degrees, internal temp, for a nice med-rare.  After you remove the fillet from the oven, place a piece of aluminum foil over the fillet (tent) and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.  It will continue to cook a little so if you prefer your fillet Rare+, cook the fillet to 125 degrees internal temp instead of 130.  After the resting period, slice the fillet as thin or thick as you prefer.

bon appetit...

Horseradish Sauce:

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tsp spicy brown mustard

4 tsp prepared horseradish

Mix these three ingredients thoroughly and refrigerate for 1 hour.