Saturday, November 3, 2012

Beef Medallions with Whiskey Mushroom Sauce

Alexis found a good deal on a beef tenderloin this week and last night I broke it down into a Chateaubriand (roast), 3 beef fillets, beef tips, and 6 tournedos.

Tournedos are thinner than filet mignon.  I cut mine at 3/4" while my filet are usually 1 1/2".  I usually eat two of these medallions so you might wonder why not just eat a filet if it is the same quantity.  Both weigh 6-8 ounces.  BUT (see?  I have a big but) - two tournedos have twice the surface area as the one filet.  That means you have twice the flavor from the Malliard browning which is a good thing.  Plus they grill in almost no time - about 90 seconds per side on a hot cast iron surface.

Beef medallions with Whiskey Mushroom Sauce, beef tenderloin recipe

Beef Medallions with Whiskey Mushroom sauce

by www.nibblemethis.com
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Keywords: grill entree beef

Ingredients (serves 2)
  • 4 beef tenderloin medallions, 3/4" thick
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
  • 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 Tbsp shallot finely diced
  • 1/4 cup whiskey
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat a charcoal grill to hot (500f). Preheat a cast iron griddle or pan on the grill at the same time.
  2. In a small sauce pan, saute mushrooms in 2 Tbsp butter until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove to mushrooms to a plate.
  3. Add remaining 1 Tbsp butter to the same sauce pan and saute the shallot 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add the whiskey away from open flame then ignite with a long stem lighter to flambe it. Let it burn itself out, reducing the whiskey. (NOTE: This can be dangerous. Wear heat resistant gloves and have a lid ready to cover and extinguish the flame if necessary. Read Safety Tips )
  5. Add the broth and pepper, bring to a simmer. Reduce the volume by half which should take a little over 10 minutes.
  6. Return the mushrooms to the pan and keep warm.
  7. Taste for seasoning and add salt/pepper if needed.
  8. Season the medallions on both sides with fresh cracked black pepper.
  9. Oil the cast iron cooking surface and cook the medallions until they reach an internal temperature of 125-130f, about 90 seconds per side.
  10. Lightly season with salt as soon as the medallions come off of the grill.
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beef tenderloin medallions, Craycort grates, Craycort griddle, Weber Smoky Joe, Kingsford

In the above shot, I am using a cast iron griddle insert for my Craycort grate system on a Weber Smoky Joe (also fits a small BGE).  You could also use a cast iron pan or a cast iron griddle plate.
flambe
Making the sauce.  An excuse to play with fire.

beef tenderloin medallions, Craycort grates, Craycort griddle, Weber Smoky Joe, Kingsford
Look at that flavor developing!

griddle, Beef medallions with whiskey mushroom sauce
Served with a mound of Alexis' yummy mashed potatoes.

Kingsford Invitational
Next weekend, Kingsford is hosting a "best of the best" BBQ competition and the winner-take-all grand prize is $50,000!  When I say best of the best, I am talking about the 2012 winners of select BBQ competitions like Memphis In May, Jack Daniels Invitational, American Royal, and a handful of others.  It is going to be a knock down, drag out, king of the hill competition.  When the smoke clears, one team will win bragging rights and that big check!   (For more about the Kingsford Invitational, check out Grilling.com)

I'm excited because I get to attend (spectator, not competitor) the festivities in St. Louis courtesy of Kingsford.  It is an action packed weekend and many of my favorite BBQ buds and buddettes are going to be there.  I'll be posting about it here on my blog and real time on my twitter (@nibblemethis) and Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/NibbleMeThis2).