Whether it’s a casual game night with friends or an elegant New Year’s Eve gathering with family, a smoked beef fillet is the ideal companion. This incredibly tender and juicy summer recipe powered by the Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) promises to leave you with a meat cut that will melt in your mouth.
A smoked beef fillet is the touch of sophistication your next dining experience needs. This incredibly tender cut of beef with melt in your mouth and leave you craving for more.
Flavoured with an African-inspired dry rub and cooked in a kettle braai, this smoked beef fillet should be the only reason you lay off chicken for a while. Created by Gerrie Du Rand, this recipe offers a culinary experience that’s pure indulgence. One that takes your taste buds on a journey of juicy goodness.
Serve this meaty treat during game night with friends or a sophisticated New Year’s Eve gathering with family.
Unlock all the flavours
The cayenne pepper smoked paprika, and dark brown sugar ensure a unique and complex flavour profile to the smoked beef fillet.
While the cayenne pepper adds a subtle to intense heat and provides a warm and slightly pungent kick that can complement the smokiness of the meat, the smoked paprika adds depth and complexity, enhancing the overall taste of the dish. The dark brown sugar offers a sweetness that can balance the heat from the cayenne pepper and enhance the savoury notes of the beef.
Nothing fancy required
Smoking a beef fillet is a simple process and the best part? You don’t need fancy equipment or years of culinary training to create this restaurant-worthy dish. With a kettle braai, a handful of basic ingredients, and a little love for beef, you can whip up a smoked beef fillet that will have you and your guests raving.
This recipe is brought to you as part of the Red Meat Industry Services’ Beef and Lamb SA consumer education project. The Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) is an organisation dedicated to the growth and advancement of the red meat industry in South Africa.
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ -2 kg Beef fillet whole
- ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon Smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon Ground Allspice
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme, powdered
- 1 tablespoon Ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
Instructions
Prepare the smoker/ kettle braai:
Prepare your smoker or kettle braai for offset heat. The fillet needs to cook gently and slowly. Once the coals are ready add the smoking chips and the prepared fillet.
Preparing the rub:
1. Combine the cayenne pepper, paprika, nutmeg, allspice, thyme powder, coriander, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small pan. Toast over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted and aromatic, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool in the pan. Stir in the brown sugar. The spice mix will keep for several weeks in an airtight container.
Preparing the fillet:
2. Remove the fillet from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. If the fillet has not been trimmed by the butcher you need to trim the fillet. On the thin end of the fillet slide the blade of a sharp knife between the meat and the shiny connective tissue (silver skin). Immediately begin to pull the connective tissue back away from the meat as you continue to cut between the meat and the connective tissue, until you reach the head of the fillet. Work in strips if necessary and repeat the process if required, to remove all the silver skin.
Tying the fillet:
3. The fillet needs to be prepared for the smoking process by tying or trussing it, this helps to keep its shape and good presentation. Use butchers’ twine and tie it at intervals of 3-4 cm, starting at the thick end of the fillet and folding over the tail end to keep the fillet a consistent thickness. This ensures even cooking of the whole fillet.
Use 30 cm lengths of butcher’s twine, tie a loose knot around one end of the meat and pull until snug to make an anchor knot. Pull a length of twine away from the anchor to create a large loop. Loop it around the tenderloin. Space it about 3-4 cm from the anchor knot and tie a second knot. Pull more twine to create a third loop and secure it 3-4 cm from the second knot. Continue tying the roast crosswise at 3-4 cm intervals until the fillet is evenly tied.
The butcher’s ties can be made by cutting individual pieces of butcher’s twine and binding each piece individually or by creating a twine vine.
4. Once you have tied the meat, season it with olive oil and sprinkle the fillet with a tablespoon of the rub mixture (refer to the recipe), cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
Preparing the fillet – smoking:
5. Smoke the fillet in a smoker at 120°C – 125°C for an hour or until the internal temperature reaches 48°C-50°C. The fillet will continue to cook when it is seared and while it’s resting.
Preparing the fillet – searing:
6. After smoking the fillet, you sear the meat, a technique known as reverse searing, to get that beautifully browned crust on the outside. Sear the fillet by either rolling it across a hot cast iron griddle or barbeque grill to get an external crust and a 54°C degrees internal temperature of the meat before resting.
Double wrap the fillet in foil and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Resting the meat helps to contain the juices and not leak out immediately as it’s sliced.
Preparing the fillet for service:
7. Remove the fillet from the foil, place on a platter, slice in 2 cm slices, pour the meat juices collected in the foil over the meat and serve with a crunchy sorghum salad and roasted vegetables. This dish can be served at room temperature.
