Porcini Crusted Beef Tenderloin for Christmas
Porcini crusted beef tenderloin roast is the perfect Christmas dinner. This is our special occasion meal. Dried porcini mushrooms, ground into a powder, dust the outside of the tenderloin, enhancing the flavor of this delicate cut of meat.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
You may also be interested in my sous vide beef tenderloin and red wine braised short ribs recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my beef recipes in one place.
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Porcini crusted beef tenderloin
Porcini crusted beef tenderloin is what I have served for Christmas for the past few years. Serve with roasted vegetables or melting potatoes for a delicious and elegant meal. The leftovers also make a terrific sandwich or can be thinly sliced and placed on pieces of toasted baguette for an appetizer.
What you need to know
Making a whole tenderloin is not difficult at all, but there are a few tips and tricks that will help you get it right every time. You may also see beef tenderloin sold as Chateaubriand. This is the center cut portion that sits between the end tips of the tenderloin.
How to tie a tenderloin
You’ll notice when you buy your whole beef tenderloin roast that one end is thinner than the other. In order for the beef to cook evenly, you’ll need to fold the narrow end under and tie it together.
To do this, simply fold the tail end underneath the roast until it looks even with the rest of the tenderloin. Then tie it with butcher’s twine in two places, evenly spaced apart. Trim as much of the fat and silver skin away from the tenderloin as you can.
How to slice beef tenderloin
It is personal preference, in my opinion. Some people like very thin slices, while other people prefer a thicker slice. As long as you are using a sharp knife and slicing against the grain, there is no wrong answer. The main takeaway here is you must use a sharp knife, otherwise you may end up tearing the meat instead of slicing it.
Ingredients
Porcini-crusted filet requires only a few ingredients.
- Beef tenderloin – If you are only serving a few people, you can trim off both ends, and only use the center cut of the tenderloin. Use the end pieces for another meal, like a beef stroganoff.
- Salt and Pepper – Everything needs to be seasoned. Liberally season the tenderloin, as it doesn’t have much fat to give it flavor.
- Dried Porcini Mushrooms – This is what will give the beef an intense umami flavor.
- Substitution: A less expensive option would be dried shiitake mushrooms.
- Avocado oil – A fairly neutral-flavored oil with a smoke point over 500°F, so it won’t burn when you are searing the beef.
- Substitutions: Other high smoke point oils like grapeseed or canola are good options if you don’t have avocado oil.
How to cook beef tenderloin
As “fancy” as this meal may seem, it’s actually simple to execute. Here’s a quick summary of how to roast beef tenderloin. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
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Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C. Once your tenderloin is trimmed and tied, season with kosher salt and black pepper. Heat a large sauté pan and sear the beef on all sides to form a crust. Then dust generously with porcini powder and slide it into the oven to finish cooking.
Because Christmas mornings always start with a Bloody Mary, I appreciate a meal that doesn’t require loads of babysitting, if you catch my drift.
FAQ’s
You can cook it ahead of time, wrap it tightly in foil and store in a cooler to stay warm for a couple of hours, no longer.
To make it the day before, you can reheat, covered, in a 350°F oven. However, it will not be as good.
Yes. Filet mignon is cut from the center portion of a beef tenderloin.
Storage / Freezing Information
To store: Cool tenderloin to room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To freeze: To freeze UNCOOKED tenderloin, the best option is a vacuum sealer. The next best option is to wrap tightly in plastic, then store in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag for up to 6 months. Cooked beef can be prepared for the freezer in the same way. Store for up to 2 months. However, the texture and quality will not be the same.
Variations and substitutions
- Sauce – Make this quick and easy mushroom sauce to serve with the tenderloin.
- Gremolata – For those looking for an herby green sauce, try this simple gremolata.
Beef Tenderloin Christmas Dinner
Helpful tools and equipment
- Porcini Mushroom Powder – This powder is perfect for those who don’t want to buy whole mushrooms and grind them. Great shortcut!
- Butcher’s twine – Make sure you buy food grade, oven safe twine like this one.
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Porcini-Crusted Beef Tenderloin
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 ½ lb. beef tenderloin cleaned and trimmed of silver skin
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt I use Diamond Crystal (reduce amount by almost half if you use Morton's)
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 cup dried porcini mushrooms approximately 3 ounces in weight / about ⅓ cup after grinding
- 1 tablespoon canola oil or other high smoke point oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C / Gas Mark 6.
- Place dried mushrooms into a mini food processor or blender and grind until you have a fine powder. *It's ok if there are a larger pieces, you can sift them out.
- Pour the mushroom powder into a fine mesh strainer and sift over a bowl to remove the larger bits. *Save the large pieces to add to soups or put them back in to the processor to grind.
- Fold under the tail end (the thin end) of tenderloin and tie with butcher's twine. (Keeping the thickness uniform helps the meat cook evenly.) Season generously with salt and pepper.
- In a heavy-bottom sauté pan (skillet), heat the oil until shimmering. Place tenderloin in pan and sear on all 4 sides. About 6 – 8 minutes total.
- Dust on all 4 sides with porcini powder, giving it a heavy coating.
- Slide into the oven and let it roast for 10 minutes at 400°F, then turn down to 325°F / 165°C / Gas Mark 3 for an additional 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from oven and place tenderloin on sheet pan to rest. *I let it rest for 5 minutes on one side, then flip it over and let it rest an additional 5 minutes.
- Cut twine and remove from roast. Slice and serve.
Video
Notes
- I season aggressively, which means I use a lot of salt. A couple of fat, three finger pinches. No delicate sprinkling, you want to see it. It is up to you how much you want to use, but I will say this, the reason steaks taste so delicious at a restaurant is because they are heavy-handed with salt. You can always add more, if you are afraid you’ll add too much at once, but generally speaking, use a little more than you would normally.
Nutrition
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Originally published 12/18/20, most recent update 7/30/25.