Marinated Beef Tenderloin

Marinated, roasted beef tenderloin is one of the most versatile dishes in a cook’s repertoire. Served hot, it can be the main course of a holiday sit-down dinner. Cooled, then thinly sliced, it is often the centerpiece of an open-house buffet. The citrus–red wine–balsamic vinegar marinade used here is tasty but very strong—don’t marinate the beef for too long, or the acids in the marinade could give the meat a mushy texture.

• This recipe assumes that you will be buying a whole, untrimmed beef tenderloin, which is available in vacuum-packed packages at large supermarkets and wholesale clubs. Even though you will trim the beef yourself, there still will be a fair amount of waste—a whole tenderolin weighing 6 pounds trims down to about 3½ pounds, plus about 3⁄4 pound meat culled from the trimmings. Some cooks leave the disproportionately large clod of meat attached to the thinner main muscle, but I prefer to trim the clod off and save it for another meal (it’s great chunked into kebabs or cut into strips for a stir-fry). You can also buy a 3½- to 4-pound trimmed tenderloin, if you prefer.

Makes 8 to 12 main-course servings, or 16 to 20 buffet servings

Make Ahead: The beef should marinate for 2 to 4 hours before roasting.

One 6-pound beef tenderloin, untrimmed

Ingredients:
• 1 cup hearty red wine, such as Zinfandel
• Grated zest and juice of 1 large orange
• 1⁄3 cup soy sauce
• 1⁄3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed under a knife
• 1½ teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1½ teaspoons dried thyme
• 1⁄2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation (MARINADE):
1. Drain the beef, rinse under cold running water, and pat dry with paper towels. (Do not be concerned about any odor—it will dissipate in a minute or so.) Using a sharp, thin-bladed knife, trim away any fat, including the large lump at the wide end, and discard. Pull and cut away the long, thin “chain” muscle that runs the length of the tenderloin. (If you wish, trim away the fat from the chain and reserve the meat for another use.) Following the natural muscle separation, cut away the large clod of meat at the wide end and reserve for another use. At one end of the meat, make an incision under the silver sinews covering the meat. Slip the knife under the sinew, and pull and trim it away. Work lengthwise down the tenderloin until it is completely free of sinew and fat.

2. Fold the thin ends of the tenderloin underneath so the tenderloin is the same thickness throughout its length, and tie with kitchen string. Tie the roast crosswise at 2- to 3-inch intervals.

3. To make the marinade, whisk together all of the ingredients in a large bowl to combine. Place the tenderloin in a jumbo-size self-sealing plastic bag, and pour in the marinade. Close the bag and refrigerate the tenderloin, turning it occasionally, for at least to 2 hours and up to 4 hours. Remove the tenderloin from the marinade and discard the marinade.

4. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F. Rub the tenderloin with the oil and season with the salt and pepper. Place in a large roasting pan (no need to use a roasting rack). Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the roast reads 125°F for medium-rare meat (the internal temperature of the meat will continue to rise about 5°F outside of the oven).

5. If serving hot, let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before carving. If serving at a buffet, cool for at least 30 minutes, then carve and serve within 2 hours. Or cool completely, wrap tightly in foil, and refrigerate for up to 2 days before carving. Serve at room temperature.

Beefing Up
The perfect roast beef is tender, juicy, and full of meaty flavor. The USDA grades meat according to tenderness. Two main factors are the age of the steer (the older the beef, the tougher, but more flavorful, the meat), and the amount of fat marbled through its flesh (as this inner marbling moistens the meat as it cooks). The most common grades are Prime, Choice, and Standard. Beef has the most grades. Lamb and veal have fewer grades, and only the highest grades make it to market. Pork is so consistent that only one grade is sold directly to consumers.

Only about 2 percent of all beef is graded Prime. It is the very best meat you can buy and accordingly expensive. One of the reasons why it’s so pricey is that it has gone through a special dry-aging process. All beef is aged after slaughter so the enzymes can break down and tenderize the flesh. Most beef is wet-aged in its juices in sealed plastic bags (like the ones for sale at wholesale clubs). But dry-aged beef is allowed to stand uncovered in special refrigerators for 3 weeks or more. This special aging process evaporates excess moisture from the meat. As the exposed surface must be trimmed away, dry-aged meat makes for a good amount of waste, so the price of the meat goes up.

By far, most of the meat in supermarkets is wet-aged and graded Choice. It’s very good, but it lacks the depth of flavor that prime meat provides. If you roasted a Choice rib roast without any special treatment, it would be ust fine but not great. But there is a way to simulate dry-aging for Choice meat at home, if you are willing to make space in your refrigerator for 5 days.

I have been doing this “quick” dry-aging method ever since I saw it outlined in Jane Frieman’s Dinner Parties. Before you start, make sure your refrigerator is 40°F or below (use a refrigerator thermometer—don’t just guess). Be aware that between the moisture evaporation and post-aging trimming, you will lose about 20 percent of the roast’s purchased weight. The last time I aged a rib roast like this, I began with a 10-pound roast that cost $90. After aging and trimming, the roast weighed 8 pounds, so I “lost” $18 worth of meat. For my money, the improved flavor was worth every penny.

Purchase the roast 5 days before you plan to serve it. Unwrap the roast and place it on a wire rack positioned on a jelly-roll pan. Refrigerate for 5 days. The outside surface of the meat will dry out, but don’t worry. When you are ready to roast the meat, use a sharp, thin-bladed knife to trim away all of the dried surfaces. The meat is ready to roast.

This method only works with very large pieces of beef or lamb, like a rib roast or leg of lamb. Don’t try it with steaks or chops.

This recipe was published in 'Christmas 101, Celebrate the Holiday Season from Christmas to New Year’s (Rick Rodgers) - p51 to p53'.