Smoked Beef Tenderloin

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

• 1 (4 to 5 pound) beef tenderloin roast
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Season beef tenderloin roast generously with salt and pepper.
2. Lightly coat grates with vegetable oil spray. Close cooking chamber lids.
3. Place 3-5 pounds of charcoal in center of the firebox. Open the firebox air vent approximately 1-2 inches, and smokestack damper halfway. With firebox lid open, stand back, carefully light charcoal and allow to burn until covered with a light ash (approximately 20 minutes).
4. Once coals have ashed over, add wood chunks. Do not shut firebox lid until the smoke is clean, often called Blue Smoke.
5. Close firebox lid. Adjust the firebox air vent and smokestack damper to regulate cooking temperature. The ideal smoking temperature is 300 degrees F.
6. Place tenderloin on cooking grate in cooking chamber. Maintain a consistent cooking temperature by adding wood chunks as needed. Rotate Tenderloin a quarter turn every 20 minutes. About 45 minutes-1 hour. Monitor the internal temperature of the sparingly throughout the cooking process. The ideal finished internal temperature is 135 degrees F.
7. Remove tenderloin from smoker and tent with foil. Allow to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes.

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: Texas Beef Council