Smoked Beef Tenderloin Recipe on the Gateway Drum Smoker

January 30, 2023

When I decided to make this recipe, I called my buddy Brad at the Butcher Block in Southaven MS. He trimmed up and sent me a beautiful cut of meat that I’ll be using for this dish. I’m cooking it whole with just a few complementary ingredients to let the real taste of the meat shine through.

Beef Tenderloin on the Gateway Drum

Beef Tenderloin is considered one of the best cuts of meat, and with good reason. Cook it right and it’s tender, juicy, and full of flavor. This recipe is something that anyone can make, because it’s easy and doesn’t take that long to cook. It’s a great dish to impress friends, co-workers, or neighbors the next time you have them over to grill out. 

The Ingredients

I chose ingredients and spices that would add to and compliment the tenderloin’s flavor without overpowering it or taking away from the meaty taste. 

• Beef tenderloin. I bought a trimmed-up  4 lb tenderloin from the Butcher Block in Southaven MS. 
• Olive oil. Savory and delicious, olive oil works well as a binder for the spices I planned on using in this recipe. 
• Heath Riles BBQ Garlic Butter Rub. Savory garlic and butter buds with a hint of jalapeño flavor makes this rub a delicious addition to any recipe. 
• Heath Riles BBQ Beef Rub. From old favorites like salt and pepper to paprika and chili powder, this rub flavors steak like nothing else on the market. 
• Salt and cracked black pepper. Everything tastes better when this duo is part of the recipe.
• Creamy horseradish sauce. I mixed up sour cream, lemon juice, mayo, horseradish, and Heath Riles BBQ Everyday Rub

The Equipment Setup

• Gateway Drum running at a temp of 275-300 degrees F. 
• Royal Oak Charcoal. This charcoal makes a great fire.

The Process for Making Beef Tenderloin

There’s a step-by-step walkthrough of making this dish in the video and recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here’s a quick overview of how I did it. 

• Unpackage the meat. I laid the tenderloin on my cutting board and dried it off with a paper towel. After looking it over, I was happy with the meat and didn’t feel like I needed to trim off any additional fat. 
• Add the binder. I drizzled a generous layer of olive oil on the tenderloin and used my hands to cover the beef’s surface.
• Season the tenderloin. First, I sprinkled on a layer of my Garlic Butter Rub on all sides. Then I followed it up with a layer of my delicious Beef Rub, patting it in as I went. Finally, I topped it off with a few pinches of salt and cracked black pepper.  I love a good peppery note on a beef tenderloin.
• Let it sweat. Once all the seasonings were patted into the tenderloin, I left it on my cutting board to sweat for 20 minutes.
• Get the grill ready. I fired up my Gateway Drum with Royal Oak Charcoal and a piece of pecan wood.
• Lay the beef on the fire. I placed the tenderloin directly on the grates, “squishing” each end a bit toward the middle. Adding a chef’s alarm set to 125 degrees F was my last step before I closed the lid.
• Check and roll it. Using a probe, I measured the meat’s temperature at 93 degrees F. I rolled the tenderloin over, so it would cook evenly.
• Remove from the heat. After a total cook time of about an hour and 40 minutes, I checked the temp again. It was hitting 125 degrees F, letting me know it was ready to come off the grill.
• Cover it and let it rest. I put the tenderloin on a plate and loosely covered it with aluminum foil. It rested for about 15 minutes to give the juices time to absorb back into it.
• Make the creamy horseradish sauce. I combined the ingredients and mixed them up well so the sauce would be ready once the beef tenderloin was sliced up.
• Slice it up. Once it rested, I removed it from the plate, being careful not to lose any of the juices that were left on the dish, and placed the beef on my cutting board. I was ready to slice into it, hoping to see a medium-rare cook. I sliced it semi-thin, but it’s fine to slice it thicker if that’s how you like it. 

The Results

The first slice into the beef showed me pure awesomeness. The middle was a perfect medium-rare, and I could see the juiciness of the flavors in the meat. I dipped a piece into the creamy horseradish sauce and got me a bite. It was a tender, juicy, flavorful bite of beef heaven! The peppery note paired with the creaminess of the horseradish blended with the flavor from Royal Oak Charcoal and the seasonings created a mouthwatering earthquake from the first bite. This tenderloin recipe is absolutely incredible. 

Serving Suggestions for Beef Tenderloin

Typically 1-2 pieces will feed most appetites when you pair them with some mashed potatoes and asparagus. 

Storing It

Place the leftovers in a ziplock bag or airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can heat them up and use them on a sandwich, in tacos, stir fry, or as a base for chili or soup. 

Equipment and Tools

Gateway Drum, Royal Oak Charcoal, Olive oil dispenser, black nitrile gloves, cutting board, Chef’s Alarm, Thermapen Mk4, aluminum foil, sharp knife

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