Garlic and Onion Chateaubriand

Beef tenderloin, slathered with garlic and onion, then slow smoked before getting a lovely char through a wicked hot sear to a magnificent medium rare. Did I mention this is all done on a pellet grill? Then we carved the tenderloin into medallions of filet mignon that are perfect for a Christmas dinner or holiday meal. Served next to Hasselbeck potatoes topped with compound butter. Read on to learn the step by step, pic by pic instructions on how to make this Garlic and Onion Chateaubriand. 

Is Chateaubriand the same as filet mignon?

For my family, beef sits on the throne of the Christmas dinner table. Roast Beast to quote the genius that is Dr. Seuss. We usually flip a coin between prime rib and beef tenderloin. This is the latter. But wait… The title says something about a French castle. Well, chateaubriand is just a fancy way of saying the center part of the beef tenderloin which is what we carve up to make filet mignon. The center part, or the chateaubriand is one large, evenly sized roast. This recipe will explain how to carve the beef tenderloin into the chateaubriand and what to do with the remainder so that we do not waste any of that really expensive beef

Garlic and Onion Chateaubriand Ingredients

I realize I hadn’t mentioned the compound butter in the intro and this part is completely optional but I highly recommend it.

I also recommend making the butter the night before right before prepping the beef:

Buttery, butter, BUTTER!

To make compound butter, simply leave the sticks of butter on the counter for a few hours to soften up then put all the compound butter ingredients in a bowl and mix them up with one of those rubber spatulas.

Use the same spatula to scrap every bit of that gloriousness onto a sheet of wax or parchment paper (or in this case 2 sheets of wax paper to put one in the freezer for later) and form into a giant compound butter tootsie roll:

Recipe Testimony from the Comments Section

We did a charity auction dinner for a local church recipient for a party of 8 last weekend using this recipe. What a total grand slam! I marinated the beef tenderloin the night before with Andria’s Steak Sauce. Seasoned with Santa Maria Style seasoning. I applied the Dorot’s garlic and onion paste two hours before grilling. At the end, I basted with Andria’s and melted butter mix. Removed at 135 degrees – perfection! The Dorot’s compound butter was a hit and so easy to make! Great recipe Scott! The winner bidder said this was the best meal he’d ever had and better than high end steak houses.

      J. McDonald

As you can see in the above picture, a spatula was no where to be found and all that amazing compound butter is going to go to waste.

Don’t let that happen!

Also, best tootsie rolls ever!

Scroll down near the bottom and check out the video of this epic chunk of beef being sliced that I posted to our YouTube channel and please subscribe.

As soon as the butter is in the fridge or freezer we will prepare our chateaubriand.

Here is a whole beef tenderloin that has been trimmed by the meat cutter:

How to Trim a Chateaubriand

Clean off any silver skin and slice off the thin end of the whole beef tenderloin as well as the thicker end, leaving a nice even beef tenderloin roast known as the chateaubriand

The inherent problem with cooking the entire beef tenderloin at once is that one end is really fat and one is pretty skinny.

So by the time the fat end is rare, the skinny end will be shoe leather.

The trick is to make it a uniform thickness.

Initially, let’s trim off that fat end:

The easiest way to do this is to pull that muscle back a bit and then run the knife blade across the fat that is holding that muscle to the rest of the tenderloin:

And here we have that fat end of beef tenderloin that can make for a phat steak or a couple slightly less phat steaks:

Next, at the other end there is another little chunk that is attached by a wad of fat.

Let’s trim that off too:

Then we need to lop off the skinny ends:

Don’t throw away the beef tenderloin you trimmed off

But what to do with those little tapered ends? We have the same problem.

By the time the thick end is cooked, the skinny end is way over done.

The answer is grab some butchers twine and make those tapered cuts uniform in thickness:

Thus, put the fat end of one of the tapered cute to the skinny end of the other one.

Add in that little bit from the narrow end of the tenderloin and make them into one uniform steak:

Now, tie the three pieces together.

Here is our tied together steak next to the fat end of the beef tenderloin we lopped off earlier:

For a more detailed recipe on how to prep and cook tenderloin tails, check this link. 

Then, for our chateaubriand roast, trim off any excess fat or silver skin (that shiny skin that runs the length of the tenderloin):

Here is our perfectly trimmed chateaubriand:

Time to create a marinade for our Garlic and Onion Chateaubriand

My problem with beef tenderloin is the inverse ratio of high price and low flavor because of the lack of fat.

But it is incredibly tender and has amazing mouth feel.

And while I can’t help the price (which doesn’t bother me so much for Christmas dinner), I can add to the flavor.

And it costs very little.

All I need is a little Dorot Gardens fresh frozen garlic and herbs, vegetable oil, and some plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

In this case I used garlic and onion:

Put the veggie oil into a bowl along with the 4 cubes of Dorot Gardens garlic and 2 cubes of the Dorot Gardens sautéed onions:

The garlic:

Also the onion:

Then work the garlic and onion around with a spatula:

We need to season the chateaubriand with salt and pepper:

Don’t forget to season the ends by daubing the flat ends onto the excess salt and pepper on the cutting board:

Then lay down a long sheet of plastic wrap or foil:

The key to tasty filet mignon

Set the beef down the middle of the plastic wrap or foil and spread the Dorot Gardens paste over it:

Garlic and Onion Chateaubriand:

Don’t forget the ends:

Flip over the roast and apply the paste to the other side:

And wrap the Garlic and Onion Chateaubriand up in the plastic wrap or foil

Deposit that in the fridge for 2-12 hours.

It really only needs a couple hours, but it can go up to 12:

We actually cooked this after just 2 hours and it was spectacular. I’m not sure it would need any more than that, but that is entirely up to you. 

How is Chateaubriand best cooked?

How to Grill Garlic and Onion Chateaubriand

Now prepare the grill for indirect or two zone grilling with a hot zone and an indirect zone.

Or in this case, I used my pellet grill and set the temp for 275F. Any temp between 250F-300F will do.

Remove the plastic and let’s let the smoke and heat work their holiday magic:

What if You Don’t have a Pellet Grill?

While I used my pellet grill for this cook, you could also do this on a charcoal grill or even a gas grill. Just go two zone grilling (also called indirect grilling) with hot coals or a lit burner on one side and the beef on the other. Place some smoke wood over the heat and close the lid. Smoke as outlined in the rest of this recipe and then when it’s time to sear, use that hot side to get the flavor crust. 

Don’t guess on temp

I HIGHLY recommend some sort of probe thermometer. Luckily, my Green Mountain Grill pellet grill has two built-in.

This beef tenderloin cost $98.

I’m not guessing that it’s done when it comes to meat that expensive and, in particular, for a meal such as Christmas dinner.

If you don’t have one, get one.

Gift one to yourself. Merry Christmas to YOU! 

It does not take long for the Garlic and Onion Chateaubriand to come up to temp.

This is not a thick roast, so in about 50 minutes the smoked beef tenderloin hit 115F internal temp:

We aren’t browning up much since the temp is so low:

Time to Sear

I want some browning action so I take my smoked chateaubriand out of the grill (along with my hasselback potatoes) and set them on a cutting board while I raise the temp of the pellet grill to 500F.

The reason I remove the meat is that I want it to char up before it hits 145F so I don’t want the temp rising in the meat while I wait for the grill to get hotter.

Then when it hits 500F in the pellet grill, I put the roast beast back on.

After a couple minutes of 500F I flip over the smoked chateaubriand:

I also have my hasselbeck potatoes back on the grill too, foil open to get some smoke flavor:

When my reverse seared beef tenderloin hit 140F I removed it from the heat and let it rest on yet another cutting board:

If you want to cook your chateaubriand more or less, this chart will help:

Steak Temperature Guide

• Rare Steak Temp: 120F-125F
• Medium Rare Steak Temp: 130F-135F
• Medium Steak Temp: 140F-145F
• Med. Well Steak Temp: 150F-155F
• Well Done Steak Temp: 160F or more, but seriously, just order the chicken

Check the glisten:

After 10 minutes of rest to let the juices redistribute, it’s time to slice the reverse seared chateaubriand:

Now, for me, I prefer my steak a little rarer than this, but I’m just going to say that this was probably the best beef tenderloin I’ve ever had.

I mean chateaubriand to use the proper vernacular.

And since this came out so beautiful and even, (due to being reverse seared, essentially) I will post a few pics here just because they are awesome:

Yes, that’s some of the real onion in that pic above from the Dorot Gardens!

This stuff is legit!

Want a bite?

Are you sure?

Just one more cutting board pic. This one to show the smoke ring.

It’s not as pronounced as with pork, but you can definitely see it.

And notice how beautifully pink that end chunk is:

OK, time to get festive:

Finally, plate with some potatoes:

If you notice, that end piece is gone.

Because I ate it!

I almost forgot to mention that Dorot Gardens does magical things to the hasselback potatoes.

Add a pat of that compound butter and the butter melts into the potato and leaves all that great flavor on top:

And I’ll end with this one.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from my family to yours:

Simply serve a medallion of chateaubriand and a slice of butter on top and heaven awaits. 

If you have any questions or comments about this recipe in particular or cooking on your pellet grill in general, feel free to leave them below or send me an email and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can. 

Thank You

Full disclosure. Dorot Gardens paid me to create recipes for them. I loved the idea of their product and was blown away with the flavor. My freezer will never be bereft of some Dorot Gardens. They have a client for life with this guy. I’m not kidding. I didn’t just do one recipe and think I had a good experience that one time I used them. I used them on some epic ribs and on my Thanksgiving turkey. And don’t get me started on those hasselback potatoes. Holy smoke! Dorot Gardens is not a one trick pony. They can be used in just about anything, which is why they have a place in my freezer forever!

Also, if you could leave us a great review with lots of stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ that would be most appreciated!

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Scroll down just a little bit and check out the video we made slicing this epic piece of beef that I posted to our YouTube channel and please subscribe.

Garlic and Onion Chateaubriand Recipe Card:

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5 from 1 vote

Garlic and Onion Chateaubriand

Beef tenderloin trimmed out for Christmas dinner and slathered with flavor and reverse seared to make one spectacular garlic and onion chateaubriand

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Christmas Dinner, Christmas Supper, Entree, Main Course, Steak, Steak Roast

Cuisine: American, American Fare, Beef Tenderloin, Christmas Dinner, Filet Mignon, Grilling, North American, Steak

Keyword: Beef, Beef Tenderloin, Chateaubriand, Filet Mignon, How to trim chateaubriand, Medium Rare Steak Temp, Medium Steak Temp, Medium Well Steak Temp, Pellet Cooker, Pellet Grill, Pellet Grilling, Pellet Smoker, Rare Steak Temp, Reverse Seared Beef Tenderloin, Reverse Seared Chateaubriand, Smoked Beef Tenderloin, smoked Chateaubriand, Steak Temps, Well Done Steak Temp

Servings: 6 People

Equipment

• wax or parchment paper
• plastic wrap or aluminum foil

Ingredients

Compound Butter Ingredients

• ¾ lb salted butter
• 1 cube Dorot Gardens garlic
• 1 cube Dorot Gardens onion
• 2 cubes Dorot Gardens parsley

Chateaubriand Ingredients

• 1 beef tenderloin trimmed
• coarse salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 cubes Dorot Gardens garlic
• 2 cubes Dorot Gardens onion

Instructions

Compound Butter Instructions

• Let the butter come up to room temp on the counter for a few hours, then combine with the rest of the compound butter ingredients and blend thoroughly
• Place the softened compound butter on a sheet of wax or parchment paper (or two of these) and form into a giant tootsie roll

Chateaubriand Instructions

• Trim the beef tenderloin down to the center part of the muscle creating one large roast
• Season the beef with salt and pepper (don't forget the ends)
• Then combine the Dorot Gardens onion and garlic cubes and vegetable oil and blend well to form a paste
• Lay the chateaubriand on a piece of plastic wrap or sheet of foil
• Slather both sides and the end with the Dorot Gardens paste
• Wrap with the plastic wrap or foil and place in the fridge for 2-12 hours
• If going with a charcoal or gas grill, set up for two zone grilling with coals (or hot burner) and smoke wood on one side and the meat on the other
• Target temp inside the pellet grill is 250-300
• Remove the plastic wrap or foil and put the meat on the grill
• Be sure to use a probe thermometer of some sort to monitor the internal temp of the beef
• Once the chateaubriand reaches 110-115F internal remove the roast from the grill and crank it up to 500F+ and then sear it off around the outside
• When the beef hits 135-145F internal remove from the pellet grill and allow to rest for a couple minutes
• Slice and serve with a pat of the compound butter

Video

And here are a few more pics of this Garlic and Onion Chateaubriand for Christmas supper:

Scott Thomas

Scott Thomas, the Original Grillin’ Fool, was sent off to college with a suitcase and a grill where he overcooked, undercooked and burned every piece of meat he could find. After thousands of failures, and quite a few successes, nearly two decades later he started a website to show step by step, picture by picture, foolproof instructions on how to make great things out of doors so that others don’t have to repeat the mistakes he’s made on the grill.

See Full Bio

BBQ Grilling

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This article was initially published on: December 13, 2021