Smoked Beef Tenderloin with White Wine Mushroom Gravy
On May 14, 2024 (Updated April 22, 2025)
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Smoked Beef Tenderloin is the ultimate melt-in-your mouth smoked beef. Topped with a light, yet luscious white wine mushroom gravy, this dish is perfect for special occasions.
Smoked Beef Tenderloin
Now, I’m partially biased, but after testing many versions of this recipe, I feel like this one makes the best smoked tenderloin ever. To begin, rub the beef tenderloin roast with garlic, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme for a bright and punchy flavor. Next up, cook the beef low and slow on a wood-fired grill to add just a subtle hint of smoke. I prefer to use oak wood; it pairs beautifully with beef. Finally, sear the smoked beef tenderloin roast over high direct heat to lock in the juices and flavor and add a beautiful exterior crust.
I could stop right there, and I would still feel confident that this is the best beef tenderloin recipe that ever was. But I didn’t stop there. Oh no, I created the perfect topping for a beef tenderloin fit for royalty. That’s right, we top this beef tenderloin with a white wine mushroom gravy to give this beef that final pizzazz. Rich and indulgent, but light enough to not overwhelm the meat itself. It adds just the right amount of fattiness to an otherwise lean piece of meat.
How to Smoke a Beef Tenderloin
Beef tenderloin is one of the most lean cuts of meat on a cow, which means it has a tendency to dry out rather quickly and become chalky. To prevent that from happening, we will be using our smoker for the reverse sear method. This allows the internal temperature of the meat to rise slowly during a low temperature smoke session and cook evenly from edge to edge. Then we let the meat rest and finish the cooking process with a direct heat, high temperature sear to lock in the juices and add flavor. I go into more detail about perfecting the reverse sear method in this recipe. You can use the same method on nearly any thick cut of meat and it works beautifully.
Temperature for Beef
When cooking beef tenderloin, it’s important to cook to temperature and not to time. I like cooking my meat to medium rare, but you should always cook your meat to your desired doneness.
- Rare: 125 degrees F
- Medium Rare: 135 degrees F (my favorite)
- Medium: 145 degrees F
- Medium Well: 155 degrees F
- Well Done: 160 degrees F
The most important thing is to keep an eye on the internal temperature of your beef tenderloin. I use and recommend an instant read internal meat thermometer. For this recipe, I used my bright orange Thermapen ONE. This thermometer delivers a quick read, and I can guarantee that my meat will be perfectly cooked every time.
More Tenderloin Recipes
Whether it’s pork or beef tenderloin, I love cooking with these cuts of meat. Check out more tenderloin recipes from Hey Grill Hey below:
Reverse Seared Tenderloin
Grilled Bacon Wrapped Tenderloin
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
MOre Tenderloin Recipes
Whether it’s pork or beef tenderloin, I love cooking with these cuts of meat. Check out more tenderloin recipes from Hey Grill Hey below:
Smoked Beef Tenderloin Recipe
Watch the video below, and let’s make something delicious. I’m all about helping you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a BBQ hero Check out more Hey Grill Hey behind the scenes action on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Smoked Beef Tenderloin with White Wine Mushroom Gravy
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1 1/2-2 pound beef tenderloin roast trimmed, with all fat and silver skin removed
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Wet Rub
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons coarse Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
White Wine Mushroom Gravy
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 8 oz baby portobello mushrooms sliced
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat smoker. Set your smoker to 225 degrees F.
- Season roast. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil for the wet rub. Spread the rub on all sides of the trimmed tenderloin roast. Place the roast on the smoker and cook for approximately 1 hour, or until the internal temperature of the roast reads 115 degrees F if you want to finish with a rare roast. For medium rare, take the temperature up to 125 degrees F for this step.1 Tablespoon olive oil, 3 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons coarse Kosher salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper, 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, 1 1 1/2-2 pound beef tenderloin roast
- Prepare gravy. While the tenderloin is smoking, prepare the white wine mushroom gravy. In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the shallots and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Carefully stir in the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are darker in color and soft, about 5 more minutes. Dump in the flour and stir until well combined.4 Tablespoons salted butter, 1 shallot, 8 oz baby portobello mushrooms, 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 cup white wine
- Add remaining ingredients. Pour the white wine over the mushrooms and stir vigorously, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any cooked on browned bits. Stir in the beef stock and heavy cream. Season with the salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. Set aside, but keep warm.1 cup beef stock, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, salt and pepper
- Sear steaks. Once your tenderloin has reached your desired temperature from the first step, remove the roast to a cutting board and allow to rest. Preheat either your grill, or a cast iron skillet with 1 Tablespoon olive oil, to high heat. Sear the tenderloin on all sides to form a nice exterior crust. This should only take 1-2 minutes per side. This final step will bring your tenderloin up to your desired doneness, 125 degrees F for rare of 135 degrees F for medium rare.1 Tablespoon olive oil
- Rest. slice, and serve. Transfer to a cutting board, rest for an additional 5 minutes, then slice into 3/4 inch thick medallions. Serve topped with the warm white wine mushroom gravy and fresh thyme leaves.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
**We originally published this post in December 2017, but we recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. However, the recipe remains the same.
For the first time, I have smoked/grilled beef tenderloin. I grew up on a farm with cattle and hogs, but I have never eaten a straight beef tenderloin. This was amazing! I altered the cooking technique with a wet rub of Duke’s mayo with seasoning for 12 hours, but the gravy was followed to the letter. I did a reverse-sear on the tenderloin and pulled it at IT of 133 degrees.
I have been grilling for many years, but I didn’t want to spend that much money which the beef tenderloin costs. However, I think this is the best meal I have ever cooked in my life! Thank you for an excellent recipe.
Amazing recipe. I made it without the gravy since we have a family member with a mushroom allergy.I’m going to make this again for Christmas and am considering making the sauce and just omitting the mushrooms. I hope this will work without compromising the flavor.
Made this for Father’s Day dinner. Everything was outstanding! That sauce was a great addition (although the beef tenderloin could have stood on its own). Thank you for all of your recipes. HeyGrillHey has become my go to site for smoked meats recipes.
Wasn’t willing to pay $27 a lb for the beef tenderloin. So I gave it a go with a pork tenderloin. Still fantastic! That sauce is absolutely uh-MAZ-ing! Thank you!
I am going to try this but I really know nothing about wine. What kind of white wine do you recommend?