Beef Tenderloin in Salt Crust

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After finding this recipe I have made it probably 10 or more times and have made a few of my own changes. The meat always comes out very tender and the crust really helps to maintain all the juice. I'm happy I found this recipe.

I have been using about 1lb cuts of filet mignon each in their own separate crust. Normally I will use regular table salt in place of large grain salts which usually comes out too salty for me. Instead of chopping up the fresh herbs I use a fresh pieces of rosemary and thyme in with the meat which really seems to infuse the flavors of the herbs. I will take butter and coat both sides of the fillets then sear both sides until golden brown. Sometimes I will also inject clarified butter into the fillets before I wrap them in the crust but it comes out fine with out it.

As previous reviews state, take the meat out about 10 degrees before the desired temp and let it rest in the crust. Every time I have cooked this for someone they absolutely love it.

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I wanted to prepare a beef dish for my Christmas dinner (I was turkey and ham'ed out and found this online. It was fantastic and easy to prepare.

Based on previous reviews, I pulled the meat out of the oven when the thickest portion registered about 115 on my thermometer. I'm glad I did. I let this rest in the crust for about 20 minutes and during that time it continued to cook to perfection. The thinner ends were more medium-well and the center perfectly medium-rare.

If you do not like salt then I would suggest you cut back on the salt used in the crust. I use salt appropriately when cooking but don't add salt to my finished meals. For me, I could taste the salt. It wasn't overpowering at all but I knew this was salty. My sodium loving friends LOVED it and didn't think it was salty at all. The salt taste is subjective.

Either way, this is a great recipe and am definitely going to prepare this again.

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My husband was in love. I think I would have preferred less rare, but that just means next time I will cook maybe an extra 15 minutes. It was very very salty, if you're not quite a super salt lover, maybe reduce the salt used. I probably will. This is very company worthy.

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Excellent recipe! Friends & family loved it both times I've made it and it's a favorite in my recipe box. Does anyone have any tips about transferring the piece from the table/countertop to the cooking tray? That seems to be my biggest challenge because it's such a long piece.

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OMG. By far the best beef ever. Will be making this for all future holidays. Can I make up a holiday so I can make it more often?

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My family loves this!! they request it every year.

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I tried this recipe for Christmas dinner. I followed the direction to the letter. The salt shell retains heat and the residual cooking time leads to overdone meat. The recipe needs to reflect the need to pull the meat out at 118F instead of 125F. Also, the recipe says to let stand for at least 30 minutes! By that time the roast is well done. Don't ruin an expensive piece of meat. Skip this recipe or take into consideration that the temps and times listed need to be changed.

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Absolutely the best beef tenderloin I've ever had! Bought and trimmed to tenderloins from Costco (great place for tenderloin and made two batches of the dough. I was pressed for time on Christmas Eve due to our kids program at church so I browned the meat and let cool and placed into the dough. I was concerned about leaving the meat in the dough tube while at church for an hour and a half. I thought the dough might melt or stick to the meat. When we got home from church I put the beef in the oven. I was amazed at how quickly the meat was up to temp. I made a mistake of leaving in the oven to 130 and then resting the meat for longer than a half hour while other parts of the meal finished. The beef ended up medium to medium well but sill was outstanding. I need to remake this but will pull the meat out at 120 and watch the temp longer while it's resting. This was just great and the family has already demanded me to make it again.

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It's the day after Christmas, and everyone is still raving about this beef. I am seldom completely satisfied with anything I make, but honestly, I've never had better beef anywhere! Watching the video really helped-- I recommend it before you start. Alton's tip to brown it on an electric griddle was invaluable. I chilled dough overnight -- one hint: allow it to come to room temperature for a couple of hours before rolling, because it took a lot of pressure to roll as thin as recommended. My 6.25 lb roast was still at 100 after 30 min, so my total cooking time was closer to 40. I left it in the crust another 25 minutes, and it was just perfect-- a few end slices were more medium, and a perfect medium rare in the middle. Everyone was so impressed with the presentation with the crust! I used to make a salt-crusted tenderloin with just Kosher salt, water, and rosemary but this one blows it away! Having the flour in the crust kept the meat from getting too salty.

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Very tasty but overdone. I removed the beef from the oven at 122 and took it out of the shell at 130 because the temp was rising so quickly and it still hit about 144. Next year I'll shoot for out of the oven at 115. Also, takes longer to reach temperature than recipe. A 7lb tenderloin, trimmed and tied, took 60 minutes to reach 122.