Grill-Roasted Beef Tenderloin on a Gas Grill

From America's Test Kitchen

Grilled tenderloin sounds appealing, but with a whole tenderloin going for as much as $100, uneven cooking, bland flavor, and a tough outer crust just don’t cut it. We wanted it cheaper and better. At its peak, tenderloin should be an even, rosy pink throughout, have a browned, crusty exterior, and boast a well-seasoned, grilled flavor.

In need of an affordable alternative to butcher prices, we found that beef at wholesale clubs was far more wallet-friendly. Though these tenderloins needed some home butchering, they were well worth the modest time and effort it took to trim them. Flavor-enhancement came next through just an hour of salting the meat, wrapping it in plastic, and letting it rest on the countertop before hitting the hot fire. Tucking the narrow tip end of the tenderloin under and tying it securely gave the tenderloin a more consistent thickness that allowed it to cook through more evenly on the grill. Direct fire was too hot for the roast to endure throughout the cooking stages, so after briefly searing the meat over high heat, we moved it to a cooler side of the grill (and soaked wood chips that had been added to amplify the smoky flavor) for grill-roasting via indirect heat. Removing it from the grill while still rare, we let the meat rest before slicing to ensure the meat stayed juicy.