My husband and I had a hard time deciding what to serve as a main course for our dinner party. We wanted a meat that everyone would like but wanted to serve it in a way that would be different. We finally decided on this bourbon beef tenderloin recipe. It’s actually quite easy to do but the flavors were just amazing.

What You’ll Need

1 cup bourbon (we used Jack Daniels—close enough)
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup soy sauce
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
½ cup lemon juice
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 cups water
3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from stems and chopped
1 5 pound beef tenderloin, silver connective tissue removed

You’ll want to marinate this beef tenderloin overnight for the best flavor. In a really large bowl combine all the above ingredients except the beef tenderloin. Mix well to incorporate all the ingredients. Submerse the beef tenderloin into the marinade and place bowl in the refrigerator overnight. Turn over once during marinating period.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place your marinated beef tenderloin into a large roasting pan or on a large sheet pan (depending on what you have to accommodate it). Insert a meat thermometer into the center of the tenderloin to monitor the internal temperature.

Cook for approximately 45 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit for medium rare. Remove the meat from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes so the meat can pull its juices back into itself.

Slice and serve with Savory Mashed Root Vegetables and Rosemary Potatoes (recipes in previous posts)

Wine: Argentinean Malbec

Next (and last) recipe in this series: Pumpkin Cheesecake