Grilled Whole Beef Tenderloin

When you’re throwing a summer party, nothing will thrill your guests quite as much as a grilled whole beef tenderloin. It’s easy to cook a few filets on the grill, but an entire grilled whole beef tenderloin is something truly special. Pulling off that magnificent piece of meat, then slicing it for everyone to share is an experience your guests won’t soon forget. Plus, when you grill the tenderloin instead of roast it, you will pick up delicious grill smoke flavors, particularly if you’re using a charcoal grill.

It’s much easier to overcook a tenderloin when you cook it on the grill instead of roasting it in an oven, but if you follow our grilled whole beef tenderloin recipe, you should be safe from this mistake. The two keys to making sure you cook the meat to perfection are cooking to temperature, not time, and using a two zone cooking set up. Cooking to temperature means that you use a meat thermometer to check temperatures and pull the grilled whole beef tenderloin off the grill when it reaches the proper temperature.

We recommend using a digital thermometer that can be left in the grill with a monitor outside the grill for easy checking. Here’s a link to purchase a quality one on Amazon. If you want to go to the ultimate set it and forget it type of thermometer, you can purchase a bluetooth meat thermometer like this one for a little more money. Bluetooth enabled thermometers are great because they’ll send an alert right to your phone so you don’t have to sit by the grill watching the monitor!

In addition to using a meat thermometer for your grilled whole beef tenderloin, we highly recommend using a two zone grilling set up. This means having one side of the grill putting out direct heat for a sear and another side putting out indirect heat for even, slower cooking. On a charcoal grill, this means having one side filled with burning charcoal and one side with no charcoal. On a gas grill, it’s even easier, just turn on the burners on one side of the grill, and keep them off on the other side!

What’s your favorite way to cook beef tenderloin? Do you like our grilled whole beef tenderloin recipe? We keep this seasoning pretty basic to let the quality of the meat shine, but there are many ways you can season the meat to add even more flavor. Let us know what you think of the recipe and your tips and tricks in the comments below!