Cooking a monster cut tomorrow for Christmas Eve. I’ve cooked 3-4lb chateaubriand before with no problem but am a bit nervous about this 6 pounder. At its thickest it’s about 3”. I am wondering though since it’s larger if it will require more than the 3 hours I was planning. Might it be better to cut it in half? It’s trussed with 9 pieces of twine.
I get a sneaking suspicion this question has been asked at least 20 times in the last 12 months.
Ok. You’ve had successcwith one before. How thick was it? The same 3 inches even though it was a lighter piece if beef? Remember we are talking heat penetration here and the time it takes to reach thermal equilibrium. The only thing that matters in calculating that is the diameter of the meat tube at its thickest part. It doesn’t matter if that tube is 10 inches long or 10 feet (imagine the monster cow that produces a 10 foot tenderloin… drool). 3 inches will take about 3 hours, so let’s make it 4 to allow a margin for error (and the fact that our 1 hour per inch doesn’t accurately reflect the thermal absorption curve).
Tenderloin, being the least worked muscle on the beast, is naturally tender and needs little more than coming to equilibrium.
If you think the full piece is too big for your cooking vessel, cut it in two. It’s much better to do this for ease of handling when searing anyway.
Ditto Ember.
Same member, same issue 2x.
I apologize if the question has been asked before. I did create a separate thread but this was my first time visiting the community. I appreciate all the feedback, I really just wanted to think out loud with like minded people who enjoy making great food. I apologize if my responses were misleading to some, there is obviously a lot going on this time here, I could have been more clear.
At any rate, my meat is transport at the moment. I will come back to let you all know how it came out. I have taken detailed notes of what I did today. If I can figure out how to post pics I will.
I hope everyone has a merry Christmas!
Hi @Rrzvonek
When you go to post pictures the biggest problem people seem to experience is trying to post pictures that are too big. Cameras these days allow for huge photos so this is an extremely common problem. Just thought I toss out this little pearl of wisdom because it’s the problem I experienced the first time I tried posting pictures here.
Best of luck and Merry Christmas to you!
Hi, I’m about to cook a 2kg tenderloin. Just wondering how yours turned out and at what temp did you cook it? I assume you had it in for 3 hours? How long can you keep it in the water bath after the 3 hour cooking time. Sorry for all the questions but I’m new at this. Thanks!
Temperature will depend on how you like your beef. 54.4°C/130°F for medium rare. Higher for other doneness.
Time depends on thickness. An hour an inch is the rough guide, but I’d suggest you add an hour to that. The tenderloin is the most naturally tender muscle in the entire steer. I really wouldn’t suggest going too far over time with this one.
Thanks for your quick response. Much appreciated. Happy New Year.