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    Home » Beef

    Published: Dec 17, 2021 · Modified: Feb 27, 2024 by Mads Martigan · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    Smoked Beef Tenderloin on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Learn step by step how to make a Pit Boss Smoked Beef Tenderloin and why this is such a great way to prepare this ultimate beef roast.

    Let's go!

    smoked beef tenderloin on a cutting board with a bowl of Dijon horseradish cream

    Beef tenderloin is the ultimate main dish to serve for a special meal. Each guest is essentially getting filet mignon, but you don't have to cook a bunch of individual steaks perfectly at the same time.

    Our favorite way to prepare beef tenderloin is to revere sear it. This means to bring it up in temperature slowly and then sear it at the end. This will ensure a perfectly cooked interior with a delicious browned exterior.

    Plan to trim and salt your beef tenderloin the night before you smoke it on your Pit Boss. You can wait until the day of to season the tenderloin depending on what works with your schedule.

    The Dijon horseradish cream sauce can also be prepared in advance so you have one less thing to worry about the next day.

    Jump to:
    • Trim the Fat and Silverskin
    • Season the Beef Tenderloin
    • Video
    • Tuck and Tie
    • The Best Wood Pellets for Smoking Beef Tenderloin
    • Start the Pit Boss
    • Cooking Temperature
    • Garlic Butter Baste
    • Target Internal Temperature
    • Cooking Time
    • Reverse Searing a Smoked Beef Tenderloin
    • Carve and Serve the Beef Tenderloin
    • 📖 Recipe

    Trim the Fat and Silverskin

    If your beef tenderloin comes fully trimmed, great, if not...you will need to do a little work before seasoning it and throwing it on the Pit Boss.

    raw beef tenderloin in an aluminum foil pan

    Use a good boning or filet knife like our favorite one from iMarku to first remove the silver skin from the top of the beef tenderloin.

    This will allow you to better see where the chain attaches to the tenderloin.  The tenderloin chain is the fatty piece of meat that runs along the side of the main tenderloin.

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    There's nothing wrong with this cut of meat so don't just discard it.  You can use it for beef stock or cube it up for a beef stew.

    We want to remove it for our purposes for the main event.

    Pull the chain away from the tenderloin and then cut it off.  You will need to do this on both sides, although one side is usually a lot bigger than the other.

    Then remove any remaining silverskin and fatty pieces until you have a nice cleaned up beef tenderloin in front of you.

    Season the Beef Tenderloin

    When it comes to an expensive cut of meat like a beef tenderloin, you want to keep the seasonings fairly simple and let the meat shine through.

    Save the sugary and spicy BBQ rubs for your brisket, ribs and pork butts. Especially if you plan to sear the beef tenderloin at the end like we do, it is important to avoid using sugar that will burn with exposure to high direct heat.

    We prefer to keep it simple by using Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.

    If you want to use a quality beef rub for dry brining your beef tenderloin, we are big fans of Bad Byron's Butt Rub Seasoning on smoked beef because it is heavy on flavor, and has no sugar.

    Bad Byrons Butt Rub Barbecue Seasoning 4.5 Ounce - Pack 2
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    Meat Church Holy Cow is also great on beef as it also does not contain sugar.

    Video

    Rather WATCH than read? Check out our Pit Boss Smoked Beef Tenderloin video on our YouTube Channel:

    YouTube player

    Tuck and Tie

    We will be smoking the beef tenderloin on a wire rack on a baking tray to allow for proper air circulation around the meat.

    You'll notice one end of the beef tenderloin is much thicker than the other.

    We are going to tuck the thin "tail" underneath and tie it so that the tenderloin is a more even thickness from end to end and therefore cooks more evenly throughout.

    You can use some simple butchers twine to keep it in place.

    White Cotton Butchers Twine String - Ohtomber 328 Feet 2MM for Crafts, Bakers Twine, Kitchen Cooking Butcher Meat and Roasting, Gift Wrapping
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    The easiest way to do this is to lay pieces of butchers twine across the wire rack.

    butcher twine segments laid out  on a wire rack over an aluminum foil covered baking sheet
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    Then place the seasoned beef tenderloin on top of the strings and tie them tightly.

    a raw beef tenderloin seasoned with Worcestershire sauce on a wire rack over a baking sheet

    If the rest of the beef tenderloin is more flat than tubular, take some more twine and tie it around every inch or so to help the meat maintain its shape.

    This will allow it to cook more evenly like a round roast rather than a flat steak.

    You can keep it on the counter for up to two hours while you season it and start the Pit Boss so that it comes up closer to room temperature before you start smoking.

    The Best Wood Pellets for Smoking Beef Tenderloin

    You have a lot of freedom when it comes to choosing the right wood pellets to smoke your Pit Boss beef tenderloin.

    Mesquite and hickory will give a very aggressive smoke flavor.

    Alternatively, you can also go for a milder smoke flavor by choosing oak or fruitwood pellets.

    Pecan, apple, beech, alder, and cherry all give great results on smoked beef tenderloin.

    Don't forget you can mix them up too to create your own custom blend.

    That's one of the great things about a Pit Boss pellet grill!

    For a straightforward smoke at a mid-range price, we are big fans of Bear Mountain Gourmet Blend Pellets.

    BEAR MOUNTAIN Premium BBQ WOODS FK90 Craft Blends All Natural Smoky Hardwood Gourmet Blend Smoker Pellets, 20 Pound Bag
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    For premium pellets, we really love Knotty Wood 100% Plum Wood Pellets and Almond Cabernet Wine Blend Pellets.

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    Since these are more expensive than other brands, we generally save them to use in a pellet tube smoker right next to the meat.

    For the best results, store your unused pellets in a sealed room temperature container like this 20 lb pellet container rather than in the Pit Boss hopper outside.

    Pellets do not last forever, but will definitely last a LOT longer if stored indoors in a quality airtight container.

    Oklahoma Joe's Pellet Bucket Kit, Black
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    • Wire-mesh filter separates wood dust from the pellets for a clean burn
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    We like adding a firebox with charcoal and real wood chunks to our Pit Boss to bump up the smoke flavor. For beef, we like using hickory wood.

    Weber Hickory Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.
    Weber Hickory Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.
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    Start the Pit Boss

    We have previously covered how to season a Pit Boss, how to start a Pit Boss, as well as how to troubleshoot the smoke level of your pellet grill.

    If you need a more in-depth review on how to use your Pit Boss for the first time, check those articles out first!

    First, you add hardwood pellets into the side hopper. Plug in the grill and let it go through the start up cycle.

    It will take about 10-15 minutes to preheat the grill. Meanwhile, make sure the grates are clean. We use the BBQ Daddy for the Pit Boss grates.

    Cooking Temperature

    After preheating, we recommend initially setting up the Pit Boss to cook at 250°F.

    This seems to be the sweet spot where the temperature is low enough that the outside doesn't overcook but also high enough that the beef tenderloin doesn't cook for so long that it dries out.

    You can place the entire baking sheet/wire rack combo on the grates of the Pit Boss.

    If you're using a firebox, place it to the left of your meat so the smoke will flow over the meat on its way out the exhaust chimney.

    a beef tenderloin on a wire rack baking sheet combo on the grates of a pit boss pellet grill

    Garlic Butter Baste

    While the beef tenderloin is smoking, we will baste it with garlic butter to keep it moist and give it some extra flavor and brown color.

    If you don't care for garlic, just use plain butter.

    To make a garlic butter baste, melt the butter and stir in the garlic paste.

    white bowl with melted garlic butter and a metal ladle

    Spoon the garlic butter over the beef tenderloin.

    spooning garlic butter on top of a beef tenderloin on top of a wire rack

    Then use a small silicone basting brush to evenly distribute the garlic butter over the surface of the beef.

    garlic butter being basted over the surface of beef tenderloin with a small silicone spatula
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    Target Internal Temperature

    You HAVE to use a good instant read meat thermometer to know where the internal temperature is of your smoked beef tenderloin while it's cooking on the Pit Boss.

    Ideally, you want a good leave in probe thermometer like the ThermoPro as well as a second instant read to spot check different points of thickness along the roast.

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    While we have used and recommended ThermoPro for years, lately we have also become big fans of the MEATER leave in thermometer.

    MEATER app on a smart phone showing the temperature reading for Pit Boss beef tenderloin

    It is extremely accurate and has an incredible 165 foot Bluetooth range and works right with your smartphone so you don't need to carry a separate controller around with you like many other remote thermometers require.

    In fact, the thermometer itself is COMPLETELY WIRELESS, so no more awkward wires running out of the side of your smoker!

    It has a great free app that is constantly being updated and even has an algorithm to predict how much longer your type of meat will take to cook based on cooking temperature, target temperature, and current internal temperature.

    It's like a GPS for your meat!

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    We are going to slowly bring the internal temperature up to about 105-110°F, then crank the heat as hot as we can to reverse sear the smoked beef tenderloin until the internal temperature hits about 120°F and then remove it from the Pit Boss.

    Perfect medium rare in the center means a FINAL internal temperature of about 130-135°F, and a good rule of thumb is to pull big roasts like this when they are 10°F shy of your target temperature.

    Once you switch over to the reverse searing phase, (more on that below), and are rolling the smoked beef tenderloin around over a hot grill it's much easier to use an instant read thermometer rather than the leave in probe kind.

    We are particular fans of this one from ThermoPro because of its durability and affordable price.

    Everyone from beginner smokers to competition cooks need to use instant thermometers to consistently make great food.

    So keep it handy and use it often.

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    Cooking Time

    A general guide is that it will take about 20-30 minutes per pound to smoke a beef tenderloin at 250°F up to 110°F.

    So plan on a 3 pound beef tenderloin to take about 60-90 minutes to initially smoke during the "Low" portion of the cook.

    Then we will crank the heat for another 3-5 minutes depending how long it takes to raise the internal temperature the rest of the way up to 120-125°F.

    Then you will need to let the meat rest for about 15-20 minutes after cooking it before carving.

    Unless you want those delicious juices running all over your cutting board instead of staying in the meat where you want them, you need to set aside time for the meat to rest.

    Reverse Searing a Smoked Beef Tenderloin

    "Reverse Searing" is just a fancy term for searing your meat at the very end, once it is pretty much all the way cooked through, in order to get a nice crispy exterior crust that you sometimes just can't get from low and slow smoking alone.

    In this case, we are not technically going to sear the beef tenderloin like we might do with a steak in a ripping hot cast iron pan like we did with our smoked ribeye steak recipe.

    Rather, we are going to crank the temperature of our Pit Boss up as high as it will go right at the very end of cooking, and only for a few minutes, in order to get a nice, golden brown crust on the outside of our smoked beef tenderloin without overcooking the inside.

    If your Pit Boss has a DIRECT HEAT option, then you can switch this on and move your beef tenderloin over above the heat like you might do on a gas propane burner.

    If you wish to reverse sear the meat, you will want to smoke it at 250°F only until it reaches an internal temperature of about 110°F.  At this point it will still be very, very rare in the center.

    Next, you will turn up the temperature setting on your Pit Boss to "High", or the highest temperature setting it has available, depending on your model.

    If you have the Direct heat, option, move the beef over the exposed heat and turn it frequently.

    Make sure you have plenty of pellets in your hopper for this part as it will burn through them quickly at these high temps.

    You will need to watch your beef tenderloin VERY closely at this point as it may only need 3-5 minutes total once the Pit Boss comes fully up to the new high temperature.

    Watch for the color to turn from grayish to medium-dark brown, and whatever you do, do not leave it unattended to burn or over cook!

    Make sure to turn frequently and continuously spot check with your instant read thermometer.

    Once the internal temperature has reached 120-125°F, remove it from the Pit Boss and place it on a cutting board.

    Remember, it will continue to rise another 10°F as it rests after you remove it.

    DO NOT cover or wrap in aluminum foil or it will overcook beyond this level from its own residual heat.

    Using Grill Grates to Reverse Sear your Beef Tenderloin on a Pit Boss

    If you are using an older model Pit Boss pellet grill that doesn't have a high heat or direct grilling option, and finding it hard to get that high heat needed for searing, try laying a couple of Grill Grates over a section of the RIGHT side of grill.

    Even if you have the direct heat feature like on our Pit Boss Pro Series 1150, you can still use the Grill Grates and

    We like adding some Wagyu beef tallow to the grates to grease them before placing the meat on top.

    smoking GrillGrates with Wagyu beef tallow on top
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    a beef tenderloin being seared on grill grates

    These work great for creating a hot searing station on a pellet grill using the ambient heat the pellet grill is already creating.

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    You can then move your smoked beef tenderloin over to the Grill Grates, with the flat side of the Grill Grates up, and roll it around and cook it like you would on a hot flat top griddle.

    For more information on the gloves and liners we use, see our Mads' Must Haves.

    a beef tenderloin with an instant read thermometer reading 125 degrees F

    Once the beef tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 125°F, you will remove it from the hot grill and let it rest if you are going for medium rare. The internal temperature will rise to 130-135°F during resting.

    For medium, smoke the beef tenderloin to 115°F then sear it to 130°F so it reaches a final temperature of 135-140°F.

    Carve and Serve the Beef Tenderloin

    beef tenderloin resting on a cutting board

    Let the roast rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.

    Although we tucked and tied the tail, and mostly slow smoked the beef tenderloin for ideal even cooking, the portions closer to the ends will still be more done than the very center.

    This is nice because as you slice you can give the more done pieces on the ends to those that prefer them.

    Then give the more medium rare slices from the center to those that prefer their meat less done.

    Use a good meat slicing knife and cut the smoked beef tenderloin into nice thick slices based on how many guests you are serving.

    We particularly like this meat slicing knife from Mairico.

    slicing into a beef tenderloin with a meat slicing knife
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    We love to serve smoked beef tenderloin with a homemade Dijon horseradish cream sauce. The ingredients are in the recipe card below.

    slices of smoked beef tenderloin on a white plate with a bowl of horseradish cream sauce

    Beef tenderloin goes great with Smoked Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Baked Potatoes, Smoked Twice Baked Potatoes, and Smoked Asparagus.

    📖 Recipe

    smoked beef tenderloin on a cutting board with a bowl of Dijon horseradish cream

    Pit Boss Smoked Beef Tenderloin

    Mads Martigan
    This beef tenderloin is seasoned with Worcestershire, salt and pepper.
    We then go step by step how to smoke it on a Pit Boss pellet grill basting with garlic butter before we turn up the heat and reverse sear it for an amazing exterior crust.
    Served with a Dijon horseradish cream sauce.
    5 from 3 votes
    PRINT PIN SHARE SAVE Saved Recipe
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
    Rest Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American, Australian, barbecue, BBQ, Christmas, Holiday, Keto, Middle Eastern, New Years, Smoked
    Servings 8
    Calories 1041 kcal

    Equipment

    • Pit Boss Pellet Grill
    • Pellets for smoking, preferably hickory and oak.
    • Boning or Fillet Knife
    • Butcher's Twine
    • Wire Rack and Baking Tray
    • Dual Probe Thermometer
    • Instant Read Thermometer
    • Small Saucepan
    • Basting brush
    • Cutting Board
    • Meat Slicing Knife

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 2-4 lb Beef Tenderloin may be up to 5-8 lbs if untrimmed
    • ¼ Cup Worcestershire Sauce
    • 2 tablespoon Kosher Salt
    • 1 tablespoon Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

    Garlic Butter

    • 1 Stick Unsalted Butter
    • 1 Clove Minced Garlic or equivalent of garlic paste

    Horseradish Cream (optional)

    • 1 ½ Cups Mayonnaise
    • ⅓ Cup Sour cream
    • 3 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    • 1 ½ tablespoon Stone Ground Mustard
    • 1 tablespoon Prepared Horseradish drained
    • 2 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
    • ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
    • Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

    Instructions
     

    Trim the Beef Tenderloin

    • Use a good boning or filet knife first remove the silver skin from the top of the beef tenderloin.
    • This will allow you to better see where the chain attaches to the tenderloin. The tenderloin chain is the fatty piece of meat that runs along the side of the main tenderloin.
    • Pull the chain away from the tenderloin and then cut it off. You will need to do this on both sides, although one side is usually a lot bigger than the other.
    • Then remove any remaining silverskin and fatty pieces until you have a nice cleaned up beef tenderloin in front of you.

    Season the Beef Tenderloin

    • Place the trimmed beef in an aluminum foil pan.
      raw beef tenderloin in an aluminum foil pan
    • Apply the Worcestershire sauce, Kosher salt, and pepper to the beef tenderloin on all sides.

    Tuck and Tie

    • Place 12 inch long pieces of butcher twine across the wire rack, then place the beef tenderloin on top.
      butcher twine segments laid out on a wire rack over an aluminum foil covered baking sheet
    • Tuck the thin “tail” underneath and tie it with the butcher's twine so that the tenderloin is a more even thickness from end to end and therefore cooks more evenly throughout.
    • If the rest of the beef tenderloin is more flat than tubular, take some more twine and tie it around every inch or so to help the meat maintain its shape.
      a raw beef tenderloin seasoned with Worcestershire sauce on a wire rack over a baking sheet
    • Leave on the wire rack on the counter for up to 2 hours to rise to room temperature while you start up the Pit Boss.

    Start the Pit Boss Pellet Grill

    • Remove the fire pot from the bottom of the Pit Boss and clean out any ashes left over from the last cook. Replace it and make sure it is secured in place with the clips on either side. Also, wrap the drip tray in aluminum foil to limit cleanup needed later.
      a dirty pit boss pellet grill fire pot
    • Add your chosen pellets to the hopper, start the Pit Boss pellet grill and put it on the "Smoke" setting.
      hopper full of pellets on pit boss pellet grill
    • If there are no pellets in the auger, hold the "Prime" button until you hear pellets begin falling in the fire pot. This will speed up the auger to prime it full of pellets before you start preheating.
      starting a pit boss pellet grill
    • Once the Pit boss begins to produce thick white smoke, let it run for about 5-7 minutes until the smoke turns more of a clearish blue color. This means the fire rod has fully heated up to burn the pellets more cleanly.
      a pellet grill not producing enough smoke
    • Next, set the temperature to preheat the Pit Boss pellet grill to 350°F. We will drop this temperature before we start cooking.
    • Fill an aluminum pan with water pan if you want to add extra moisture, and place it on the far left side of the Pit Boss pellet grill. Place a disposable bucket liner in the grease bucket as well if you want to limit cleanup later.
      grease bucket on camp chef pellet grill
    • Once the Pit Boss has come up to 350°F, drop the temperature on the control panel to 250° and clean the grill grates with a good grill brush and close the lid.

    Smoke the Beef Tenderloin on the Pit Boss

    • Once the temperature of the Pit Boss hits 250°F, place the beef in the cooking chamber with the thickest part facing towards the hotter right side. Place a temperature probe into the deepest part of the meat.
    • Once the beef is on, melt the butter on low in a small saucepan with the minced garlic. Keep the heat on low and baste the smoking beef tenderloin on all sides with a basting brush every 15-20 minutes.
    • Cook at this temperature until the internal temperature of the beef reaches 110°F for medium rare or 115°F for medium.
    • Remove the beef on the wire rack, loosely tent with foil, and turn the Pit Boss up to High.
      a Pit Boss pellet grill temperature panel showing it set to High

    Prepare the Horseradish Cream Sauce (optional)

    • While the beef is smoking on the Pit Boss, you can also prepare the horseradish cream sauce if you wish.
    • Combine all the horseradish cream sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix well to incorporate.
      horseradish cream sauce mixed in a glass bowl with a small silicone spatula
    • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to serve with the smoked beef tenderloin later.

    Reverse Sear the Smoked Beef Tenderloin on the Pit Boss

    • Once the internal temperature of the smoked beef tenderloin reaches 110°F for medium rare or 115°F for medium, turn the temperature of the Pit Boss as high as it will go, preferably to 500°F.
    • If your Pit Boss has the option, open up the baffle for direct heating.
    • Alternatively, use GrillGrates to create a searing station over direct or indirect heat. Add a high smoke point oil or beef tallow to the grates to prevent the meat from sticking and help sear the exterior of the meat.
      a beef tenderloin being seared on grill grates
    • Place the beef on the hot surface. Frequently rotate the smoked beef tenderloin making sure to sear evenly on all sides.
    • Watch closely to make sure it does not burn and cook until the internal temperature rises to about 125°F for medium rare or 130°F for medium, then remove it from the Pit Boss.
      a beef tenderloin with an instant read thermometer reading 125 degrees F

    Remove, Rest, and Slice the Smoked Beef Tenderloin

    • Let the smoked beef tenderloin rest on a cutting board loosely tented with foil for 20-30 minutes.
      beef tenderloin resting on a cutting board
    • Cut the ties off the beef.
    • Slice the tenderloin in thick 1 inch slices for each guest starting at the thinnest end and working your way to the center. Only slice what you plan to serve immediately so that the pieces do not dry out.
      slicing into a beef tenderloin with a meat slicing knife
    • Serve immediately with the horseradish cream sauce on the side.
      slices of smoked beef tenderloin on a white plate with a bowl of horseradish cream sauce

    Video

    Notes

    For medium rare: smoke to 110°F, sear to 125°F for a final internal temperature of 130-135°F
    For medium: smoke to 115°F, sear to 130°F for a final internal temperature of 135-140°F

    Nutrition

    Serving: 6ozCalories: 1041kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 42gFat: 95gSaturated Fat: 33gPolyunsaturated Fat: 21gMonounsaturated Fat: 32gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 212mgSodium: 3284mgPotassium: 802mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 453IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 6mg
    Keyword barbecue, bbq, Beef, Butter, Christmas, Dry Brine, Easter, filet mignon, Garlic, Holiday, horseradish cream sauce, New Years, pellet grill, Pit Boss, Reverese Sear, Roast, smoked beef tenderloin, Steak, Wood pellets
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Beef Recipes

    • smash burgers on the surface of a blackstone griddle
      Smash Burgers on a Blackstone Griddle
    • a sliced open ribeye steak on a wood cutting board to reveal a medium rare center
      Smoked Ribeye Steaks on a Gas Grill
    • slices of smoked corned beef brisket on a wooden cutting board
      Smoked Corned Beef Brisket
    • a smoked reuben sandwich cut in half and stacked on top to show the corned beef, melted swiss cheese, thousand island dressing, and sauerkraut
      Smoked Reuben Sandwiches

    About Mads Martigan

    Mads is the founder of Madbackyard.com and has been a BBQ and Grilling enthusiast for the past 15 years. He loves to write about and make videos on smoking and barbecuing all kinds of great food.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Will says

      December 23, 2021 at 9:01 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious, thanks for posting!

    2. Lana says

      November 19, 2023 at 11:40 am

      5 stars
      Best recipe I have come across, I made a “Super Club” dinner for my Mother-in-law, and this knocked it out of the park! Simply Amazing

    3. Mads Martigan says

      November 19, 2023 at 11:57 am

      That's great Lana! Glad it turned out well! We're actually going to be doing a video for this recipe on our YouTube Channel very soon so stay tuned!

    4. Rich says

      April 28, 2025 at 10:06 pm

      5 stars
      We bought a store-bought garlic and pepper pre seasoned tenderloin and smoked it.
      Sliced it up and made tenderloin sliders. Wow, so good. Pretty much followed everything except string tying it. Smoked on my Yoder YS640 at 250 with the Meater Pro to 135, then over to the flat grill grates with direct flame, seared at 500 over some bacon grease. I wanted med-well at 150 but it crept up to 157. Still mouthwatering and juicy. Kicked up the spread with extra hot horseradish. We appreciate all your attention to detail.

    5 from 3 votes

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    Robert "Mads" Martigan, the founder of Mad Backyard

    Hi, I'm Mads, the founder of Mad Backyard and an avid outdoorsman, barbecue/smoker buff, and pellet grilling enthusiast who loves to share my passion for outdoor living and outdoor cooking with the world.

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