Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This method has been a staple in my family for years, and it’s the one I rely on for a dependable roasted beef tenderloin that turns out beautifully every time. My mom has made a beef tenderloin every Christmas for as long as I can remember, and this approach consistently delivers great results. Do yourself a favor and ask your butcher to trim it! It makes prep easier and ensures even cooking.
The low oven temperature keeps the roast moist and evenly cooked, and a quick broil at the end gives you that deep, flavorful crust without risking overcooking. Serve the beef with any sauce you like, the red wine sauce (adapted from Once Upon a Chef) is a favorite but the method is reliable enough to stand on its own. You can make the sauce a day ahead, and there’s no need to splurge on an expensive bottle since the flavor concentrates as it reduces.
If you’re cooking a larger tenderloin, simply extend the roasting time and use your meat thermometer (this is the one I used in class) to guide you. For more centerpiece-worthy mains or versatile weeknight options, try my Herb-Roasted Spatchcocked Turkey or Stir-Fried Ginger Beef with Shiitake Mushrooms next.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Beef tenderloin: Trimmed and tied so it cooks evenly. The twine gives you a place to secure rosemary and helps maintain shape.
- Fresh rosemary sprigs: Infuse subtle flavor throughout the roast.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Encourages browning and helps seasoning adhere.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: Essential for seasoning the entire surface well.
- Shallots: Create an aromatic base for the shallot red wine sauce.
- Red wine: Choose a dry, medium-bodied wine; no need for an expensive bottle since it reduces into a concentrated red wine reduction.
- Beef broth: Adds depth, body, and balance to the sauce.
- Fresh thyme: A classic aromatic for a restaurant-style sauce.
- Butter and flour: Combined to form the smooth paste that thickens the pan sauce.
- Sugar: Balances the acidity of the wine without turning the sauce sweet.
How to Make Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce
Step 1: Make the sauce. Cook the shallots in butter until soft, then add wine, broth, thyme, salt, pepper, and sugar. Simmer until reduced by half. Mix flour and butter into a paste and whisk it into the simmering liquid until thickened. You can refrigerate the sauce for up to 3 days, and it reheats beautifully. It gives you all the flavor of a demi-glace substitute with minimal effort.
Step 2: Prepare the beef. One hour before roasting, pat the reverse-sear beef tenderloin dry. Rub it with olive oil, season generously, and tie it every 2 inches. Secure rosemary sprigs under the twine. Set the meat on a rack over a lined baking sheet. Roast at 275°F until the internal temperature reaches 120-125°F for rare. This method prevents the outer layers from overcooking and supports that medium rare center without the gradient you often see in other approaches.
Step 3: Rest the meat. Let the roast rest for 10 minutes and remove the twine.
Step 4: Broil for color. Place the tenderloin under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, turning every 30 seconds, until the surface forms a deeply browned crust.
Step 5: Slice and serve. Rewarm the sauce, stir in any juices from the cutting board to create a simple beef au jus effect, and slice the tenderloin into rounds. Tenderloin is delicious warm or at room temperature, which makes it especially forgiving for entertaining.
Steak Doneness Guide
Use these temperatures to tailor the roast to your preferences. These values reflect the final internal temperature after resting, so plan your pull temperatures accordingly.
- Rare: 125-130°F
- Medium Rare: 130-140°F
- Medium: 140-150°F
- Medium Well: 150-155°F
- Well Done: 160°F+
Make-Ahead, Storage & Serving Tips
You can make the sauce up to 3 days ahead and warm it gently when ready to serve. The tenderloin benefits from a rest after roasting, which allows the juices to redistribute.
You can tie and season the tenderloin up to 24 hours ahead; keep it covered in the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for an hour before roasting.
You can serve this with sides like my Jeweled Rice, Roasted Cauliflower with Almond-Herb Sauce, or Roasted Green Beans with Lemon and Thyme – all of which balance the richness of this holiday roast!
Recipe FAQs
Keep reducing the sauce until it’s darker and coats a spoon. If it still tastes sharp, whisk in a little butter or a pinch of sugar. To thicken, continue reducing or add a small amount of the butter–flour paste.
Use a reliable thermometer and pull the roast at 120-125°F. The temperature climbs as it rests.
Use a dry red such as Cabernet, Merlot, or Pinot Noir. Since the flavor intensifies during reduction, you don’t need an expensive bottle.
No. The broiler provides the same browning you’d expect from a pan-seared beef tenderloin without risking overcooking the center.
You can tie and season the tenderloin up to a day ahead and refrigerate it. Let it sit at room temperature for an hour before roasting. I don’t recommend cooking it in advance, but the sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and reheated gently.
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Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce
Ingredients
Red Wine Sauce (optional – adapted from Once Upon a Chef)
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- ¾ cup finely chopped shallots, from 2-3 large shallots
- 1 ¼ cups red wine
- 3 cups beef broth
- 6 fresh thyme sprigs
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
Beef Tenderloin
- 1 4-pound trimmed beef tenderloin, tied off (watch the video to see where I tie it)
- 3 Tablespoons unrefined extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 3 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 12-15 sprigs fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Melt 5 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the shallots and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the wine, beef broth, thyme sprigs, salt, pepper and sugar, and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by about half.
- While the liquid is reducing, place the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl and soften in the microwave, if necessary (it should be soft but not melted). Add the flour and, using a small spoon, mix into a smooth paste.
- Once the wine mixture is reduced, reduce the heat to low and remove the thyme sprigs. Whisk the flour-butter paste, a teaspoonful at a time, into the simmering liquid, and simmer for a few minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Set aside. (The sauce can be made up to this point and refrigerated up to 3 days ahead of time.)
- 1 hour before roasting, pull the meat from the fridge to take some of the chill off. Pat it really dry with paper towels. Oil the meat with 2 ½ Tablespoons of olive oil and season it well with salt and pepper. Tie a couple pieces of twine around the tenderloin, spacing them out 2-inches apart. Secure the rosemary sprigs to the meat by threading them through the twine. Brush the rosemary sprigs with the remaining ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup, if desired. Place a metal rack over the baking sheet and place the meat on the rack.
- Preheat the oven to 275 F degrees and position a rack in the center.
- Place baking sheet with rack and tenderloin in oven and roast until internal temperature registers 120 to 125 F for rare on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Remove from the oven and set aside at room temperature for 10 minutes. Cut and remove twine.
- OPTIONAL: To Finish Under the Broiler: Adjust rack to 6 inches from broiler element and preheat broiler to high. Place pan with tenderloin under broiler and broil, turning every 30 seconds, until meat is well browned on all sides and internal temperature registers 125 F for rare or 130 F for medium-rare, about 2 minutes total.
- Transfer the roast to a carving board (preferably with grooves for collecting juices) and let it rest, covered loosely with aluminum foil, for 10 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute from the outside of the roast throughout the whole roast, making the tenderloin juicy. If you slice it too soon, the juices will pour out of it.
- Reheat the sauce. Transfer the meat to a warmed platter and pour the juices from the cutting board into the sauce. Slice tenderloin into rounds and serve with wine sauce.
Notes
- Rare: 125-130°F
- Medium Rare: 130-140°F
- Medium: 140-150°F
- Medium Well: 150-155°F
- Well Done: 160°F+
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