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smoked beef tenderloin on a cutting board with a bowl of Dijon horseradish cream
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Pit Boss Smoked Beef Tenderloin

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.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Rest Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 1041kcal
Author Mads Martigan
Cost 50

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: 6oz | Calories: 1041kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 95g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 21g | Monounsaturated Fat: 32g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 212mg | Sodium: 3284mg | Potassium: 802mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 453IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 6mg