Buying and lighting calculator · Beef

How much beef tenderloin do I buy and when do I light?

Beef tenderloin is the most tender and leanest muscle of the animal, boneless and with very little fat. It is sold whole, 1.5 to 2.5 kg, or already cut to the centre cut, the even central part that is best for roasting. Since it arrives clean, loss is small: around 20 % in water and fat while cooking, so 250 g raw leaves about 200 g served. Being lean it dries out easily, so the probe matters more than the time: in the kamado, a short sear and then indirect at about 190 °C until 52-54 °C in the centre. A centre cut of 1 to 1.5 kg takes around 35-45 minutes, and a short rest finishes spreading the juices.

How to ask for it

For 4 people: Ask for the centre-cut tenderloin trimmed of chain and silverskin, even in thickness, to make up 1 kg; have it tied with string if it is uneven.

It is the cleanest cut: it loses only 20 % in cooking, so 250 g raw gives about 200 g on the plate. 52-54 °C in the centre; it rises a few degrees while resting.

How we calculate it

We start from a reasonable cooked portion (about 200 g of meat on the plate, 170 g of cleaned fish) and convert it to raw weight using each cut's bone and trim loss. "Hungry" adds 25 %. We round up to what is actually sold: quarter kilos, whole pieces, units.

To the cook time (per kilo or per piece, at each method's temperature) we add the kamado's lighting and stabilising (20-45 min depending on the method, as on the recipe pages), the rest, and a margin for long cooks, which vary from one piece to the next. Times are approximate: your kamado, the wind and the charcoal decide; on big cuts, trust the probe.

Frequently asked questions

How much beef tenderloin per person?

Plan on about 250 g raw per person if you buy it trimmed. It loses around 20 % in water and fat while cooking and leaves about 200 g on the plate. If it is sold with chain and silverskin, ask for a little more, because that trimming comes off before cooking.

How long does a whole tenderloin take in the kamado?

A centre cut of 1 to 1.5 kg takes about 35 to 45 minutes in total: around 15 minutes of searing over the coals and 20 to 30 minutes indirect at about 190 °C. A whole tenderloin of 2 to 2.5 kg takes almost the same time, because the thickness barely changes. Pull it at 52-54 °C in the centre and rest it tented.

Tenderloin or bone-in ribeye in the kamado?

Tenderloin is more tender but less flavourful, because it has almost no fat; it is the choice for many guests and a single piece to carve. Bone-in ribeye gives more flavour and crust and needs more care with the bone. With tenderloin, season well, serve a sauce, and do not go past 54 °C in the centre.

Other Beef cuts

← All cuts

Approximate figures. Sources and the portion rule are in "How we calculate it".