Grilled Beef Tenderloin Tails

What are a Beef Tenderloin Tails?

Beef tenderloin tails are from the end of the primal beef tenderloin and usually consists of the last 5-8 inches of the tenderloin that tapers sharply down to a fine point making the cut hard to cook. That skinny tip will be really dry long before the fat end is still raw. We will show a hack which will allow you to cook these to perfection which will allow you to save some money on grilled beef tenderloin.

I noticed something new in the meat case at the local club store during a recent shopping trip…beef tenderloin tails!  I spoke with the staff and asked why they weren’t in the case regularly? The meat clerk stated that they typically receive 2 types of beef tenderloin. One arrives trimmed or steak-ready and the other is received whole. Should they sell out of the steak-ready variety they will open the whole tenderloin to cut single filets from it. Since the thinner tails don’t yield a significant size steak the store merchandises them 2 in a package at a reduced price. 

And so, let this tale begin on this Grilled Beef Tenderloin Tails recipe.

Save Money on Beef Tenderloin

At the reduced cost this appeared to be a pretty good deal to this old Grillin’ Fool. I’ve always tied 2 pork tenderloins together to achieve uniform size for even cooking and used that for the inspiration of this grilling recipe. It only seems natural to try it with beef, particularly since there is no way of cooking just one of these to a uniform doneness all the way through. No matter what, the tapered end will be much more done than the thick end even if the thick end is only cooked to medium rare. But with two, I can tie them together, fat end to skinny, and get medium rare all the way through.

Here’s what beef tenderloin tails look like in the package, on a cutting board with a pen to judge size and a picture of how thick the ends are:

Grilled Beef Tenderloin Tails Ingredients:

• 2 beef tenderloin tails approximately 1.5-2 lbs
• Olive oil
• Your favorite steak rub
• Salt (optional, depending on how much salt is in the steak rub)

Beef Tenderloin Tail Preparation

The beef tenderloin tails are brought up to room temperature.

In addition, the tails are tied together thin end to thick end to prepare them for the grill:

Then, a liberal dusting of the rub is applied to the beef tenderloin:

Don’t forget the ends!

Lubed with olive oil and ready for the grill.

How to Make Grilled Beef Tenderloin Tails

The grill is set up for indirect cooking with coals on the left and the beef on the right and a grill temp between 275F-300F.

How to Reverse Sear Steak

Reverse Searing means we will be smoking the meat, bringing the temperature up slowly which allows for much more even cooking than subjecting the meat to intense heat immediately. Once we infuse the meat with that sultry smoke, we crank up the temp and give it a good sear.

I enjoy a bit of hickory flavor with beef tenderloin. When I grill whole tenderloins, which are much thicker than this,

I’ll include a mixture of cherry and hickory with the grilling recipe, although I’m going for a light smoke here.

A heavier smoke would do an injustice to thinner tails in my opinion. For a complete list of smoke woods and what they pair with, click here. 

Time to Grill

Put the beef tenderloin on the grill on the side with no coals to indirect/smoke for approximately 40-45 minutes:

40-45 minutes is an approximation for that temperature and size of the meat.

Although, both grill temp and meat size will vary, so look for an internal temperature of the meat to get to 120F-125F degrees so that once we sear, the beef tenderloin will be medium rare.

The lid is closed and I’m off to a search for an appropriate beverage to pair with this grilled steak recipe:

Found one!

The beef tenderloin tails are looking good after 40 minutes. Additionally, the rub has melded into the roasted meat somewhat:

I misplaced my thermometer so I’ll rely on the thumb test to check for doneness. 

Note: the thumb test will be one finger or notch off when applied to beef tenderloin due to the tenderness of the cut so what feels like rare on most steaks is actually medium rare on a tenderloin/filet.

Now that the smoke flavor has been imparted into the beef tenderloin tails, it’s time to finish the reverse-sear.  

Time to Sear

We put that glorious flavor crust on the grilled steak which means the meat’s going over the hot coals.

Thus, the proteins will caramelize and the rub will char adding multiple layers to the flavor profile:

The grilled steak is pulled off the heat and set on the cutting board, then foiled to rest for 10 minutes.

Why Let Meat Rest?

When meat comes off the grill, the juices are in an excited state due to the heat. Conversely, if you slice it right away then the juices will come rushing out. Letting the meat rest will allow the juices to calm down and redistribute throughout the cut of meat making sure every bite is juicy and delicious. And how long depends on the size of the meat. a steak should be rested for a couple minutes. For a bone in roast this big, rest for 10-12 minutes.

First slice! What? Is that a hint of pink?

Yeah baby!!

Wouldya’ look at that!  I think that I nailed a perfect medium-rare!

Red meat, red wine!  I have my meal.

I’m not sure what Mimi is having.  Hence, it’s time for this tale of two tails to end.

Grilled Beef Tenderloin Tails Recap:

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Recipe Card:

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5 from 1 vote

Grilled Beef Tenderloin Tails

Grilled Beef Tenderloin Tails: save some serious coin on beef tenderloin and allow us to show you where to find these and how to grill them properly

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Entree

Cuisine: BBQ

Servings: 2 -4

Ingredients

• 2 beef tenderloin tails approximately 1.5-2 lbs.
• olive oil
• your favorite beef or steak rub

Instructions

• Tie the beef tenderloin tails together, fat end to skinny and vice versa
• Coat with the rub and a dose of the olive oil
• Prepare the grill for two zone/indirect grilling with coals and smoke wood on one side and nothing on the other
• Target temperature inside the grill is 300 degrees
• Place the lashed together tenderloin tails over the side with no heat and close the lid
• Smoke the meat until it reaches an internal temperature of 115-120 degrees then move over to the hot side of the grill to sear all the way around
• Remove the grilled tenderloin tails from the grill and let rest for five minutes before slicing and serving

Notes

The times and temps in this recipe are for beef that is medium rare when plated. For more well done beef, leave the tenderloin tails on the side with no heat until they reach a higher internal temperature of say 135-140 degrees and then sear for a steak that is on the medium to medium well side.

Finally, here’s a collage of the process:

Greg Thomas

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This article was initially published on: August 6, 2012