Walnut-crusted grilled beef tenderloin is a masterpiece on its own. And those grill charred Brussels sprouts on the side up the healthy ante and make you feel good.
Old fashioned walnut crusted beef tenderloin
Some days you just crave old fashioned simple red meat. In my case, that’s like every day. We’ll blame it on a some weird iron deficiency when in public settings, but in reality it’s probably just my version of candy.
In any case, this walnut crusted grilled beef tenderloin was the masterpiece my meaty Willy Wonka and odd little orange Oompa Loompas used to lure me in. Those grill charred brussels sprouts on the side upped the healthy ante and made me feel like I was cheating on cheating my diet. (Get your head around that)
Fancy beef dishes don’t have to be fanciful, as in difficult to make
All in all, this quick and easy fancy pants meal is one you should knock off the bucket list this summer. Simple and packed with flavor, your better half won’t believe they aren’t schnozzberries.
Seriously, I have no idea where this analogy was going. Perhaps up to the sky in a glass oven, set at the perfect temperature. Perhaps…
Why is beef tenderloin so tender?
Just because you call it tenderloin doesn’t make it necessarily tender. I mean, have you ever been to the Tenderloin district of San Francisco? There may be some tender moments, but that place is pretty tough. So why is beef tenderloin so tender, not to mention pricy?
Beef tenderloin is the muscle that runs under the rib cage. It is not terribly fatty, so it isn’t actually the most flavorful cut. However, since it is not “load bearing” it isn’t as tough as other cuts. In fact, it is quite tender, hence the name fits.
But tenderloin is very unforgiving if you cook it too long. Overcook it and we are changing the name to beef stringyloin.
So why is tenderloin beef so expensive?
First of all, in ratio to the other muscle groups, there is just not a lot of it to go around. Next, it does require a bit more work on the butcher’s part to reach the cut. More work, less product… and high demand for “the tenderest” cut of beef, we are talking higher dollar.
The good news is that it cooks quickly, works really well on the grill, and of course offers a nice tender bite. Provided you don’t destroy it by overcooking it of course.
Beef tenderloin just might be the king of cuts. So versatile, crowd awing and popular in high-end restaurants, but so underused in most home kitchens. Don’t be afraid of it. Try these recipes out.
