A foolproof way to cook Beef Tenderloin flavored with Worcestershire and Port Wine.
Originally Posted: Jan. 6 2022
Total Time: 3.5 hours (30 minutes for prep, 3 hours for sous vide, maybe 5 extra minutes to sear)
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For years now, my family has preferred surf-and-turf meals over turkey for holiday dinners. The tradition used to be that my mom would make her Wine and Butter Basted Lobster Tails and a family friend would make a Beef Tenderloin Roast. However, when Covid happened and we couldn’t do a big event, we had to come up with a backup plan.
I’ve loved sous vide cooking since I first discovered it. Between the temperature control and cooking time, the level of control you get over your finished dish is unparalleled; it might be the most scientific cooking method available to home chefs. And there are plenty of articles out there, such as those by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, where chefs test multiple variables to help you get the perfectly cooked cut of meat that you want. So, when my mom asked me for backup recipes for beef tenderloin, I began looking up times and temperatures for doing it sous vide style.
Since that first Thanksgiving that we tried this, it’s become our new go-to.
Ingredients
- 5.50 – 7.75 lb. Beef Tenderloin (just some of the sizes we’ve used in the past. Use what you can find at a good deal)
- Salt & Pepper to coat
For Cooking Sauce/Marinade
- 3 Tbsp. Butter
- ¼ – ½ cup of Worcestershire sauce (depending on how much you like it)
- ½ cup Sherry or Tawny Port (Ruby Port works in a pinch)
- 7-10 cloves Garlic, minced (or 7-10 tsp pre-minced garlic)
For Sous Vide Bag
- 5-6 sprigs fresh Thyme
- 3-4 sprigs fresh Rosemary
For Searing
- Cooking Oil for searing
- More salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
Equipment
- Large cast iron griddle (this is what we use, but a smaller cast iron skillet will work for smaller cuts of tenderloin).
- Sous Vide circulator such as the Anova.
- Sous Vide bath. I made a large one with a hole-saw out of a 24-Can Coleman cooler for big cuts of meat like tenderloin, brisket, or ribs. If you want to make your own like this, follow this post from Anova’s blog. I suggest getting a kit of different sized hole saws so you know you’ll have one the right size for your model of Anova circulator (my Anova is a different size than my parents’ one).
- Vacuum sealer like a FoodSaver, and vacuum seal bags.
Written Instructions
Total Time: 3.5 hours (30 minutes for prep, 3 hours for sous vide, maybe 5 extra minutes to sear)
Prep the Meat
Preheat sous vide water bath to 140°F.
Prep beef tenderloin by patting completely dry. Sprinkle salt and fresh ground pepper all over the meat, then allow to rest for at least 30 minutes so some of the salt can be absorbed into the meat. On big cuts of meat, you always want to use more salt than you think you’ll need at this stage; it permeates the meat through osmosis.
Making the Sauce/Marinade
Start by melting 3 Tbsp. of butter in a pan. Once it’s melted, add minced garlic cloves, and cook until browned. Add ½ cup of Solera-aged wine like Sherry or Tawny Port, and ¼ to ½ cup of Worcestershire. Cook the mixture to reduce the sauce and allow the flavors to meld together.
Note: I don’t use cooking sherry for this recipe, I use the real stuff when using Sherry. Ruby Port can be a substitute in a pinch (that’s all we had this Christmas). I have yet to play around with using different grades of Sherry, but I think it would be a fun experiment to make a few different marinades this way and try them on different cuts of beef.
Prep for Sous Vide
Place tenderloin in sous vide bag. If you have a large sous vide setup and a large cast iron griddle like I do, then you can keep the tenderloin whole and place everything in one bag. If you have a smaller sous vide setup or a smaller cast iron skillet, I suggest cutting the tenderloin in two and then dividing all the ingredients between two sous vide bags.
Once the tenderloin is in the vacuum bag(s), add all the fresh herbs and the Worcestershire-Port sauce to the bag, then seal the bag. Place bagged meat in preheated sous vide bath and cook for 3 hours.
Searing
Once 3 hours is up, preheat large cast iron griddle or skillet. Take meat out of the vacuum bag and pat it completely dry; this will help give the meat a better sear. Discard the bag drippings or save them to reduce into a sauce (I’ve thought about making extra sauce in the beginning just for this, but haven’t tried it yet).
Add cooking oil to your preheated griddle or skillet, then sear the tenderloin on all sides. I use tongs to turn it around on the griddle. Once all sides are seared, allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
I’ve served this with Wine and Butter Basted Lobster Tails as part of a surf-and-turf meal, usually with potatoes and salad on the side. As for toppings, I’ve also used bag drippings in the past to make sauces for steaks, and I think this would be a good recipe to try doing that with. I’ve also made a horseradish-garlic toum sauce that’s excellent with cuts of beef like this.
Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin
Equipment
- 1 Large Cast Iron Griddle (or smaller skillet)
- 1 Sous Vide Circulator
- 1 Sous Vide Bath (a DIY cooler bath is best)
- 1 Vacuum Sealer
Ingredients
- 5-8 lbs. Beef Tenderloin (you have a lot of leeway with size here)
- Salt & Pepper (to coat)
For Cooking Sauce/Marinade
- 3 Tbsp. Butter
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 cup Tawny Port or Sherry (Ruby Port will work in a pinch)
- 7-10 cloves Garlic, minced
For Sous Vide Bag
- 5-6 sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 3-4 sprigs Fresh Rosemary
For Searing
- Cooking Oil
- Salt & Fresh-Ground Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat sous vide setup to 140°F.
- Prep beef tenderloin by patting completely dry. Sprinkle all over with salt and fresh-ground pepper, then let the meat rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
To make sauce/marinade
- Melt butter in a pan, then add minced garlic cloves and cook until browned.
- Add Sherry or Port, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook the mixture to reduce and allow the flavors to meld together. Optional: Make more of the sauce separately to use for serving after the meat has been cooked.
To prep for sous vide
- Place tenderloin in sous vide vacuum bag. Add fresh herbs and sauce/marinade to the bag. If you have a smaller sous vide setup or a smaller skillet, you can cut the meat in two, then divide all the ingredients evenly between two bags.
- Seal the bag, then place bagged meat in sous vide bath for 3 hours.
Searing
- Once 3 hours is up, preheat a large cast iron griddle or skillet.
- Remove meat from bag and pat completely dry to help it brown better during searing.
- Add cooking oil to heated cast iron pan, then sear tenderloin on all sides until you’re happy with the level of browning.
- Allow meat to rest for 10 minutes or so after cooking, then slice and serve with your choice of sauces and sides.
Some Notes on Leftovers
Since I tend to cook enough for an army when I cook for my family, there are usually plenty of leftovers with this recipe. I ended up with probably about 4 or 5 slices after Christmas 2020, so I vacuum sealed them with a little olive oil so I could find uses for them later. The olive oil is meant to prevent ice crystals from forming inside the bag and keep the meat from getting too damaged to have a palatable texture.
Grilled Cheese
The first thing I tried make was a fancy grilled cheese sandwich for lunch one day. I let one of the slices thaw in the fridge overnight, then I seared it in a hot cast iron skillet, sliced it, and sandwiched the meat slices between melted cheddar cheese.
How Long Tenderloin Can Last in the Freezer
One thing I discovered (mostly by accident) was how long something can really last in a freezer when vacuum-sealed with some olive oil. I forgot about a few of my tenderloin slices and they stayed in the freezer for months. When I finally remembered them, I decided to cook them up to see how well they lasted.
Tenderloin, when frozen in this way, was able to last for 9 months in the freezer before I thawed it and seared it, and the flavor and texture were still pretty good.
