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Oh, yum! These juicy cast iron beef tenderloin steaks get seared in a hot skillet and finished in the oven. Serve them with a savory garlic-herb compound butter for the most flavorful meal of the week.
Looking for another way to dress up tenderloin? Our Steak Diane recipe adds a rich mushroom-brandy sauce that’s hard to beat.
Making compound butter is a great way to add flavor to beef tenderloin (or any steak for that matter). It’s easy to do, and the results are delicious.
Compound butter is simply butter flavored with aromatics, herbs, or spices. It’s the perfect way to take your beef dish to the next level.
Beef tenderloin is an elegant cut of meat and probably the most tender cut on the entire animal and it has very little fat to it. It is a flavorful, juicy cut of beef, and since there is very little fat, the addition of a sauce or herb rub will enhance the flavor.
This garlic-herb compound butter just oozes flavor.
Why This Recipe Works
- Searing the steaks in a hot skillet caramelizes the natural sugars and gives them a delicious brown crust.
- Finishing them in the oven controls the cooking so you don’t burn the outside before they cook in the center.
- The compound butter adds a luxurious, rich flavor to the steaks.
How to Cook Tenderloin Steaks
Here is a quick overview of the process for these steaks. We seared them on the stovetop first, then finished them in the oven until perfectly cooked. Scroll down to our printable recipe card for all the details.
- Preheat the oven and heat a cast-iron skillet on the stove.
- Sear the steaks: The beef tenderloin steaks were first seared for three minutes on a really hot, cast iron griddle then they are flipped over and seared for an additional one minute.
- Finish in the oven: Next, pop the entire griddle and steaks into a preheated oven at 450°F and cook them until done in the center. We cooked our steaks until they were a nice medium-rare. If you don’t want a medium-rare steak, refer to our doneness chart below.
Steak Doneness Temperature Chart
| Doneness level | Pull Temp | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | 115-125°F | 120-130°F |
| Medium rare | 125-130°F | 130-135°F |
| Medium | 130-140°F | 135-145°F |
| Medium-well | 140-150°F | 145-155°F |
| Well-done | 155°F + | 155-160°F |
Using a meat thermometer will guarantee that you get the perfect doneness to your steak. We like using a leave-in thermometer while the steaks are in the oven but an instant-read thermometer will work as well.
There are many variations to making compound butter, I have blended lemon zest and fresh herbs to top off vegetable dishes as well as baked fish.
In this recipe for cast iron beef tenderloin steaks, we mix garlic, fresh thyme, and fresh rosemary, form it into a log, wrap it with parchment paper and chill it. While the finished steaks are resting, a thin slice of the butter gets added to the top.
What to Serve with Beef Tenderloin Steak
Here are some suggestions to serve with this cast iron beef tenderloin.
- Ricotta mashed potatoes
- Garlic and rosemary roasted potatoes
- Roasted sweet potatoes
- Roasted root vegetables
- Roasted romanesco
You can also serve this tenderloin with our blue cheese steak sauce or peppercorn sauce.
You might also like…..
Roasted Cornish Game Hens make a great Sunday dinner. Serve it with some steamed veggies rice for a filling meal.
Pork Roast with Garlic Ginger Glaze is another great meal to make when you have a little extra time on the weekend. The glaze adds so much flavor to the pork and the leftovers are great for making pork fried rice.
If you are looking for something a little different and perhaps adventurous, try our Sake-Red Miso Glazed Sablefish with Wasabi Emulsion. The flavors are beyond delicious.
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Cast Iron Skillet Beef Tenderloin Steaks with Compound Butter
If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.
Ingredients
To Make the Garlic-Herb Butter
- 8 ounces butter, softened
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- 1 tablespoons Fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
For the Steaks:
- 2 tenderloin steaks, 8 ounces each
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
For the Garlic-Herb Compound Butter:
- In a small dish, add the butter, garlic, thyme, and rosemary. Use a spatula to combine all of the ingredients well. Transfer the mixture onto a small piece of parchment paper. Roll into a log and twist the ends shut. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or until the butter is firm.
For the Tenderloin Steaks:
- Remove the steaks from the refrigerator and place them on the kitchen countertop for 30 minutes prior to cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F
- Place a cast-iron griddle or heavy-bottomed, oven-proof skillet on the stove-top over medium-high heat and allow it to preheat for about 5 minutes. Season both sides of the steaks generously with salt and pepper. Add the oil to the griddle and tilt the pan to distribute it a little. Place the steaks on the oily pan and do not move them for 3 minutes, let them sear to get a good crust. Flip the steaks and sear the other side for 1 minute.
- Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and cook for 5 minutes or until the temperature reaches your desired doneness with an instant-read thermometer (see notes for temperatures). Transfer the pan from the oven and place the steaks on a platter, cover with foil and allow to rest for 2-3 minutes.
- While the steaks are in the oven: Remove and unwrap the chilled log of garlic-herb butter from the refrigerator, cut two thin slices, reserve until steaks have rested.
To serve:
- Add a mound of hot mashed potatoes to each serving plate, place a tenderloin steak on each mound with a slice of the garlic-herb butter on top of the steak, garnish with fresh herbs.
Notes
Temperature Doneness for Steak
- Rare 120-130°F
- Medium rare 130-135°F
- Medium 135-145°F
- Medium-well 145-155°F
- Well-done 155°F +
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
This looks like the perfect dish for valentine’s day! That compound butter makes this really special!
Thanks, Sabrina….
It’s funny, I was thinking just last night that it’s been way too long since I’ve last prepared beef tenderloin. Was actually looking at a recipe for poaching it, if you can believe that. Sounds interesting, but if I’m going to spring the big bucks for prime tenderloin, I’ll cook it the way you did. Love compound butters, btw — simple to do, but so tasty. Thanks for this.
Hey, thanks for the comments, John. A poached tenderloin??? That is a new twist for sure! I’m not willing to experiment with a nice, expensive prime tenderloin though. Glad to hear you are trying my version, you will love it. And, the garlic-herb compound butter. 🙂