Pastrami-style slow-roasted beef tenderloin

Pastrami-style slow-roasted beef tenderloin

5
Points®
Total Time
2 hr 50 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
1 hr 15 min
Serves
10
Difficulty
Easy
Low-and-slow roasting guarantees evenly cooked beef and gives you less risk of overcooking it. The beef tenderloin is one of our favorite cuts because of how easy it is to cook. This version is flavored with kosher salt, smoked paprika, caraway seeds, and lots of freshly ground black pepper. All you have to do is sprinkle the beef with the spice mixture, let it sit at room temperature to help it cook more evenly, and let it roast the oven for about an hour. It's so hands-off that you can do a bunch of other things to get dinner ready in the meantime. We particularly like this beef when it's seasoned with flaky sea salt and served with some Dijon mustard alongside.

Ingredients

Uncooked lean and trimmed beef tenderloin

3½ pound(s), (from one 4 lb tenderloin, after excess fat and sinew trimmed and discarded)

Kosher salt

1 Tbsp

Paprika

1 Tbsp, smoked variety (pimenton)

Caraway seeds

1 Tbsp

Black pepper

1 Tbsp, coarsely ground

Sea salt

1 tsp, flaky variety, for serving (or additional kosher salt)

Instructions

  1. Pat beef dry with paper towels; place on a baking sheet.
  2. In a small bowl, combine kosher salt, paprika, caraway seeds, and pepper; sprinkle mixture evenly all over beef (use your hands to press spices onto meat). If one end of your tenderloin is much thinner than the other, tuck it underneath the roast so that the whole piece is an even thickness; tie this end of the roast with kitchen twine to keep it in place. Let beef rest for 1 hour at room temperature before cooking (this will help it cook more evenly).
  3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 275ºF.
  4. Roast beef until a digital thermometer inserted in center of meat registers 125ºF for rare (let it go up to 135ºF if you prefer it medium-rare or longer to desired degree of doneness), about 50 minutes or up to 1 hour and 15 minutes depending on thickness of roast and how you like it cooked. It's best to start checking at 45 minutes.
  5. Remove beef from oven; let rest 15 minutes. Transfer beef to a cutting board; cut into ½-inch-thick slices and transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle beef with flaky sea salt; serve immediately with coarse or Dijon mustard (optional).
  6. Serving size: 4 oz beef (mustard optional)