Sous Vide Elk Tenderloin with Rosemary Shallot Compound Butter
Sous vide is the perfect cooking method to cook this prized cut of meat to perfection. Topped with a flavorful herb butter, this recipe is sure to exceed your expectations!
Servings: 4
Calories: 321kcal
Ingredients
Elk Tenderloin:
- 1 whole elk tenderloin
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoon salted butter, cut into 4 slices
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon pork lard
Compound Butter:
- 8 oz salted butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoon shallot, finely diced
- 1 ½ tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely diced
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Compound Butter:
- Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, with the butter on the bottom. Using a spoon or silicone spatula, fold butter over the other ingredients until all ingredients are uniformly combined.
- Lay out a piece of parchment paper, about 14" long. Spread butter into a rough rectangle, about 9-10" long and 4-5" wide.
- Starting on the long end closest to you, roll the parchment paper so that the butter starts to fold over itself. Keep rolling until the butter is formed into a log.
- Roll until the parchment paper completely covers the log. Squeeze tightly to compact the butter. Twist the ends of the parchment paper tightly. Refrigerate until firm, about 2-3 hours.
- Once firm, unwrap and slice into 16 slices (more or less, depending on how much you want per serving). Run your knife under hot water before slicing to make smooth cuts.
- Place slices in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined pan and refrigerate until ready to use.
- To Freeze: place slices in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined pan. Freeze until solid, about 2-3 hours. Wrap individual portions in parchment paper and vacuum seal. I like to do 2 slices per portion for 1 meal. You can place multiple portions in a single layer and reseal the bag after taking 1 portion out. Or you can do one portion per bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to use, cut open vacuum bag and thaw under refrigeration. Opening the bag before thawing will help the butter keep its shape.
Elk Tenderloin:
- Preheat sous vide machine to 115°F.
- Season steak all over with salt and pepper.
- Place rosemary, butter, and garlic cloves in the vacuum bag then place steak in the bag.
- Seal bag with vacuum sealer.
- Place bag in preheated water bath and cook for 1.5-2 hours.
- When meat has about 5 minutes left in the water bath, preheat a cast iron griddle over high heat. Watch it carefully so it doesn't start smoking.
- Remove bag from water bath. Cut bag open with scissors and remove meat. Remove the rosemary sprig and garlic and carefully pat the meat dry. Re-season with salt and pepper if it looks like it has lost the seasoning.
- Once pan is really hot, add lard and let melt. Immediately add the steak. You can also place the garlic cloves and rosemary in the lard to flavor it. Cook on all sides for approximately 30 seconds. You want the pan hot enough to brown the meat in a short amount of time without overcooking it.
- Since tenderloin is round, sear it on at least 4 sides but be careful not to leave it on the griddle too long or it will overcook.
- Remove from pan and place 4+ slices of compound butter on top. Let rest 10 minutes. Slice into ½" slices and serve with additional compound butter, if desired.
Notes
- While you don't technically need a sous vide machine to cook sous vide, it does take a lot of the guesswork out of it. If you don't have a sous vide machine but still want to give it a go, check out this resource on how to get delicious results when you sous vide without a cooker.
- Sous vide cooking works well when the bag contents are vacuum-sealed. But, you can put the ingredients into a ziploc bag, close the bag almost all the way, submerge the bag to remove the air, and then fully seal the bag for similar results.
- This recipe uses a griddle due to the size and shape of the tenderloin, but you can also use a skillet with a little creativity. Cast iron works best because it holds the heat but you can use a non-stick griddle or skillet as well.
- If you want to skip the step of rolling and slicing the butter, just spoon some of the mixed butter on top of your steak instead!
- Preheat the sous vide machine 5-10 degrees lower than your desired final temperature. This ensures the meat doesn't get overcooked when you sear it.
Nutrition
Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 292mg | Potassium: 548mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 441IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 5mg
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