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With a flavorful marinade, a simple dry rub, and a brown sugar, Dijon, and bourbon glaze, Mom’s grilled beef tenderloin recipe is sure to impress your guests! The tender, juicy meat is perfect for Christmas dinner (and you can roast it in the oven, too).
If you love marinated grilled beef, be sure to try this London Broil marinade, these marinated grilled steak tips, and this simple steak marinade for grilling, too!
This is absolutely delicious. I am making this every year from now on!!! Thank you for a fantastic recipe!!
– Lyn-Anne
If there’s one “special” meal that our family regularly enjoys, this grilled beef tenderloin is absolutely at the top of the list. We do ham for Easter, turkey for Thanksgiving, and always Mom’s Southern bourbon-glazed beef tenderloin recipe for Christmas! The dish never fails, it disappears fast, and it feels way more decadent than your average weeknight dinner!
Grilled Tenderloin is Easier than You Might Think!
Let’s not get crazy, here — I’m certainly not sharing some complicated, stressful, or difficult beef tenderloin recipe that’s going to suck up hours of your valuable time on Christmas day (or any other day of the year). This only tastes fancy!
In fact, most of the work is done the day before, so you can prepare the meal in advance and then just enjoy your special holiday dinner the next day — no stress necessary. I nagged my mom for her “secret” recipe, which is no longer very secret. The truth is, Mom just adapted a beef tenderloin recipe that originally came from Weber’s Big Book of Grilling. Over the years, Mom’s tweaks have made the recipe even easier, which is perfect for impatient, busy home cooks like me! We love a grilled beef tenderloin most, but you can also cook the meat in the oven. Both sets of instructions are provided in the recipe card below.
What to Know Before You Make this Grilled Beef Tenderloin
- What is beef tenderloin used for? Beef tenderloin is cut from the loin of the beef, and is comprised of three main “cuts:” the butt, the center-cut, and the tail. The butt end is often used for carpaccio, while the center-cut is best for sliced steaks and yields the traditional filet mignon. This is the part that we love for grilled beef tenderloin! It’s the most tender cut of beef, and also the most expensive cut of meat. The tail is not great for steaks because it isn’t a consistent size, so these small pieces of tender meat are often used in dishes such as Beef Stroganoff.
- The Difference Between Beef Tenderloin and Filet Mignon: Beef tenderloin is the name of the large cut of beef before it is sliced into steak. Once it is cut into steaks, those steaks are known by the French name, “filet mignon.” In other words, they are the same meat — one is cut and the other is not.
- We use a 2 ½ – 3 lb. center-cut tenderloin of uniform thickness for this recipe.
- Prepare the marinade, rub, and glaze in advance. You will not need the rub or the glaze until you’re ready to cook the beef, but having it all ready to go ahead of time will take the stress out of a holiday meal.
- A meat thermometer is the key tool for cooking your beef tenderloin to the perfect level of doneness. The total cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of your whole beef tenderloin. For a medium rare finish, the beef should reach an internal temperature of 135°F.
How to Grill Beef Tenderloin
Again, this recipe and cooking method is slightly adapted from Weber’s Big Book of Grilling. It’s simple to prepare — so long as you remember to allow plenty of time for the meat to marinate! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Marinate the meat for 8-24 hours.
- Pat the meat dry, and season on all sides with the garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Let the meat stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before grilling (this will help it cook evenly).
- Lightly brush the tenderloin with olive oil.
- Sear the beef on a grill over medium direct heat until well marked (about 20 minutes), turning about ¼ every 5 minutes. This gives the meat that great crust. Continue grilling over medium indirect heat (the cooler side of the grill) until internal temperature reaches 135°F for medium rare (10-20 minutes).
- During the final 10 minutes of grilling time, turn and baste with the glaze.
- Let the meat rest on a cutting board for about 10 minutes before slicing to retain its moisture and redistribute the juices before slicing. Remember that temperature of the meat will continue to rise as it sits (thanks to carryover cooking), so pull the meat off the grill a little bit sooner than you think you need to.
- Place beef on a platter and serve!
Beef Tenderloin Temperature
The total cooking time will vary depending on the size, thickness, and temperature of your meat when you cook it, as well as on your preferred level of doneness. A meat thermometer is always the best way to know when your tenderloin is ready to come off the grill or out of the oven. Here’s what you’re looking for:
- Rare (a cool red center): 125°F – 130°F
- Medium-rare (a warm red center): 135°F
- Medium (a warm pink center): 145°F
What to Serve with Beef Tenderloin
Pair the grilled beef tenderloin with side dishes like this easy broccoli casserole recipe, Arkansas green beans, Southern collard greens, spinach casserole, creamy baked mac and cheese, Jiffy cornbread with creamed corn, Aunt Bee’s easy potato casserole (always on our table for a special occasion!), cranberry muffins, or Jiffy corn casserole.
Made this last night and it was wonderful! Only had four hours to marinate, but it was still very flavorful. Went a tad shy on the amount of brown sugar, but otherwise made as per the instructions. Love the “bark” from grilling and the inside was very juicy! Very nice dish–husband was impressed!
– Norma
- 1 center-cut beef tenderloin (about 2 ½ – 3 lbs.)
PREPARE THE MARINADE
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In a small bowl, whisk together Worcestershire sauce, molasses, and 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard.
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Trim the tenderloin of any excess fat or silver skin. Place the tenderloin in a large zip-top plastic bag and pour marinade over top. Squeeze air out of the bag and seal to close. Gently toss to coat the beef in the marinade. Set the bag on a plate and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours.
PREPARE THE RUB
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In a small bowl, stir together garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
PREPARE THE GLAZE
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In a small bowl, whisk together bourbon, ¼ cup Dijon mustard, and brown sugar until the sugar dissolves. After 8 to 24 hours in the refrigerator, remove the tenderloin from the bag and discard the marinade. Wipe excess marinade off of the tenderloin by patting it with paper towels. Press the garlic rub into the tenderloin on all sides and allow to stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before grilling. Lightly brush or spray the tenderloin with olive oil.
ON THE GRILL (preferred method)
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Sear tenderloin over medium direct heat until well marked (about 20 minutes), turning ¼ every 5 minutes. Continue grilling over medium indirect heat until internal temperature reaches 135°F for medium rare (10-20 minutes). During the final 10 minutes of grilling time, turn and baste with the glaze.
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Remove the tenderloin from the grill and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes (the internal temperature will continue to rise a bit during this time). Cut beef into 1-inch slices and serve warm.
ALTERNATE METHOD FOR BEEF TENDERLOIN IN OVEN
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Prepare tenderloin according to instructions above. After rubbing the tenderloin with garlic rub, allow to sit at room temperature while you preheat the oven to 475°F.
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Place tenderloin on a roasting rack and insert a meat thermometer. Roast in the oven until the beef registers an internal temperature of 135°F for medium-rare (about 20-30 minutes). Baste with glaze during the final 10 minutes of baking time. Allow meat to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
- For maximum flavor, use the grill! Your oven is a fine alternative, but you’ll get the best char and the best flavor from a grill.
- Storage Tips: Store uncooked tenderloin in the refrigerator for up to three days (do not marinate for more than 24 hours). Grilled beef tenderloin will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. You can also freeze leftovers wrapped tightly for up to 3 months.
- Recipe slightly adapted from Weber’s Big Book of Grilling.
Serving: 1/6 of the beef, marinade, rub and glazeCalories: 437kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 50gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 145mgSodium: 1192mgPotassium: 1041mgSugar: 15gVitamin A: 10IUVitamin C: 1.7mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 5mg
Beef Tenderloin Recipe Variations
- We sometimes use a larger beef tenderloin that we buy at Costco, which weighs between 7 and 8 lbs. When cooking a larger tenderloin, the same instructions apply. However, you’ll need to double all of the ingredients for the marinade, rub, and glaze. It also takes closer to 1 hour to cook on the grill.
- Instead of grilling the meat, roast beef tenderloin in the oven. Those instructions are provided in the recipe card above.
- Season the meat with any of your favorite herbs and spices. For instance, try a bbq rub or our favorite all-purpose seasoning. You can also just season with herbs such as dried or fresh rosemary, parsley, thyme, chives, basil, or oregano.
- Garnish with fresh herbs, bbq sauce, or a chimichurri sauce in lieu of the bourbon glaze.
This was originally published in December, 2017. It was updated in December, 2024.
