How to Smoke a Beef Tenderloin on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill

Learn step by step how to make a smoked beef tenderloin on a Pit Boss pellet grill and why this is such a great way to prepare this ultimate beef roast.

Let's go!

 

How to Prepare a Beef Tenderloin for the Pit Boss Pellet Grill

Plan to trim and salt your beef tenderloin the night before you smoke it on your Pit Boss.

This is also a great time to prepare the horseradish cream in the recipe below ahead of time so you have one less thing to worry about the next day.

 

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.

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.

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.

But 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.

 

Salt Overnight

If you have the time we highly recommend dry brining your beef tenderloin overnight.

As we've discussed with our rib roasts, turkeys, and even chickens, salting your meat overnight allows it to penetrate DEEP into the meat for fuller flavor and moisture retention.

The best way to do it is to set up a wire rack on a baking tray.  Here is a great set if you don't already own this must-have combo.

It works great for dry brining all sorts of things including your thanksgiving turkey.

Use good KOSHER salt and apply a fair amount to the beef tenderloin on all sides.  You can always brush off the extra in the morning but you want plenty of salt to penetrate overnight.

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.

It also works great anytime you are reverse searing, like we plan to do later, and you don't want a sugary rub to burn at those higher smoking temperatures.

Once you've applied a healthy amount of kosher salt or beef rub, place the beef on the wire rack so you have airflow around the tenderloin and then place it in the refrigerator overnight.

 

Tuck and Tie

The next day, take the beef tenderloin out of the refrigerator and keep it on the wire rack so you keep a good amount of air circulating around the meat.

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.

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.

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.

 

The Best Seasonings for Smoking Beef Tenderloin on a Pit Boss

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.

For our recipe below, we are going to use fresh minced garlic and coarse fresh cracked pepper.

Then, while the beef tenderloin is smoking, we will baste it with a rosemary infused butter to keep it moist and give it some extra flavor and brown color.

If you don't care for rosemary, just use straight butter.

Ideally use a HIGH smoke point oil to help the garlic and pepper adhere to the meat such as avocado or grapeseed oil, especially if you plan to reverse sear at the end of the cook as we go into detail on below.

 

The Best Wood Pellets for Smoking a Beef Tenderloin on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill

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 right out of the bag, we are big fans of Bear Mountain Red and White Smoky Oak Pellets

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.

 

How to Smoke a Beef Tenderloin on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill

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.

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

But below is a brief overview of how a Pit Boss pellet grill works and how to start it up properly to prepare to smoke a beef tenderloin.

 

How a Pit Boss Pellet Grill Works

In order to cook ANYTHING well on a Pit Boss pellet grill, you need to first have a basic understanding of how a pellet grill works.

***Completely New to Using a Pellet Grill?  No Worries!****

Hop over and check out this Complete Guide to Understanding How a Pellet Grill Works  if you are interested in learning more in depth.  We'll be here when you get back!***

 

Add your Hardwood Pellets

First, you add hardwood pellets into the side hopper.

The Pit Boss pellet grill automatically feeds these small wood pellets via an auger mechanism to a fire pot where they are burned up, providing both heat and smokey flavor.

The pellet grill automatically controls the flow of pellets depending on your temperature setting so that you maintain an even temperature throughout the entire cook.

 

How to Start up the Pit Boss Pellet Grill

1. Fill your hopper with pellets as described above.
2. Make sure the fire pot is cleaned out from the last cook and not full of ashes. You can remove it from the bottom and dump or vacuum it out and then put back and clip into place.
3. Plug in and start up the pellet grill, keeping the lid open.  Set the temperature dial to "Smoke" and press the "Power" button.
4. If there are no pellets in the auger or firepot yet, only in the hopper, you need to now hold the "Prime" button until you hear pellets begin to drop into the firepot.
5. The "Prime" feature on a Pit Boss pellet grill speeds up the auger so that pellets fill it quickly and get to your fire pot before the pellet grill "times out" from a lack of pellets coming into the fire pot.
6. Once pellets are in the firepot, stop holding the "Prime" button and wait about 5-7 minutes with the lid open for a torchy burner lighting sound. This means the fire rod has come up to temperature and has ignited the pellets.  At this point, a more significant amount of smoke will begin coming out of the pellet grill.  This means the pellets are ignited and the pellet grill is working.  Now you can close the lid.
7. Close the lid and change temperature setting to 350°F.  Pit Boss recommends always preheating to this temperature FIRST, even if you are eventually going to cook low and slow in the 200°-300° range.
8. This will take about 10-15 minutes to preheat the grill.
9. Using a good bristle free grill brush, clean off the grill grates.
10. Now adjust the temperature to where you need it to cook your food.  In our case, drop the temperature to 250°F for the beef tenderloin.

Why Bristle Free Grill Brushes? 

Check out our Ultimate Guide to How to Keep your Family Safe by using ONLY Bristle Free Grill Brushes, along with a selection of some of our favorites!

 

 

What Temperature do you Smoke a Beef Tenderloin on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill?

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

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

 

Watch the Internal Temperature Closely

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.

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

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's got 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!

Anyways, back to our Pit Boss beef tenderloin...

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.

 

How Long Does it Take to Smoke a Beef Tenderloin on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill?

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 lb 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 on a Pit Boss

"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 thison and move your beef tenderloin  over above the heat like you might do on a gas propane burner.

 

How to Reverse Sear your Smoked Beef Tenderloin on a Pit Boss

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.

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

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.

 

How to Carve and Serve a Pit Boss Smoked Beef Tenderloin

You will then remove the smoked beef tenderloin from the hot Pit Boss and let it rest.

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

 

Carving the Smoked Beef Tenderloin

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.

Want to review our 5 FAVORITE Meat Cutting knives of the past year? Check out this Complete List HERE!

 

What Other Foods Can I Smoke on my Pit Boss?

Looking for some more inspiration for things to smoke?

Check out some of our favorite recipes below that can easily be modified to be done on any grill or smoker.

More Beef

• Traeger Prime Rib
• Pit Boss Beef Brisket
• Perfect Smoked London Broil
• Smoked Ribeye Roast
• Hot and Fast Pellet Grill Beef Brisket
• Smoked Corned Beef
• Smoked Ribeye Steaks
• Smoked Filet Mignon
• Pellet Grilled Steak
• Perfect Grilled Hamburgers
• Smoked Eye of Round Roast Beef
• Smoked Flank Steak
• Traeger Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream

 

Seafood

• Honey Smoked Salmon
• Smoked Oysters in a Garlic White Wine Sauce
• Smoked Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce
• Smoked Lobster Tails
• Honey Smoked Tilapia
• Perfect Smoked Halibut
• Smoked Mahi Mahi Fillets
• Smoked Swordfish Steaks
• Smoked Crab Legs with Cajun Clarified Butter
• Smoked Mackerel with Maple Balsamic Glaze
• Smoked Catfish with Cajun BBQ Rub

 

Poultry

• Spatchcocked Chicken on a Pellet Grill
• Pellet Grill Smoked Turkey Breast
• Pellet Grill Turkey
• Spatchcock Smoked Turkey on a Pellet Grill
• Easy Smoked Turkey Legs
• Smoked Chicken Leg Quarters
• Beer Can Chicken on a Pellet Grill
• Trash Can Turkey - OK, technically not made on a grill or smoker but one of the most fun ways there is to cook a Turkey...at over 700 degrees in only 2 hours! 

 

Pork

• Traeger Baby Back Ribs
• Pellet Grill Smoked Pork Chops
• Smoked Fresh Holiday Ham
• Spiral Sliced Smoked Hot Dogs
• Smoked Bratwurst with Beer Braised Onions
• Gas Grilled Bratwurst
• Pellet Grilled Bratwurst
• Roasted Pig in Your Backyard
• Traeger Smoked Pulled Pork
• Traeger 3-2-1 Pork Ribs
• Masterbuilt Electric Smoker Boston Butt
• Pit Boss Pulled Pork
• Masterbuilt Baby Back Ribs

 

Lamb

• Smoked Leg of Lamb with Guinness Marinade
• Smoked Lamb Chops with a Balsamic Butter Sauce
• Smoked Rack of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary or Smoker
• Smoked and Pulled Lamb Shoulder with a Turkish Spice Rub
• Smoked Lamb Shanks

 

Other Odds and Ends

• Smoked Gouda Cheese
• Smoked Asparagus
• Smoked Cauliflower
• Sticky Smoked Sweet Potatoes
• How to Steam Tamales
• Maple Bourbon Smoked Pineapple

 

📖 Recipe