I have 24 people coming for a meeting and then dinner. I want to grill a tenderloin or skirt steaks and need to do it before they come–approximately 1.5 hours before serving. How do I keep it room temp or warm?
Hi Winnie,
Unofficially, keeping food at room temperature for an hour and a half is something you could probably get away with, but, officially, we DO NOT RECOMMEND IT, because there is a very real chance that the inherent food-borne pathogens will multiply and give one of your guests an unpleasant experience the following day, or worse.
So play it safe, and play it by the book: keep the food at or below 40F or at or above 140F, where germs are slowed and killed respectively.
Of course, keeping your tenderloin or skirt steaks above 140F for that long will overcook it, so you will want to go with the first option.
Ideally you would have someone to help you, to cook off the prepared tenderloin and other food items during the meeting so that it was all perfectly cooked (and rested) just as the meeting was ending.
But since that’s not an option, cook the tenderloin to medium rare, let it rest, wrap it and chill it, and then bring it back up to temp in a 300F oven. It will reheat faster if you cut it into portions first, but just remember that you just want to get it warmed through again.
Alternatively, you can cut the tenderloin into steaks, prepare them for grilling, and then let them chill out in the fridge until you’re ready to grill them. If you have time to pull them out during the meeting to let them return to room temperature before grilling, do so, but either way they will cook up pretty quickly, say, while your guests are enjoying an aperitif, appetizers or starters.
Have fun grilling, Winnie, and contact us if you have anymore questions or comments.
One Response for "keeping grilled beef for dinner party with meeting beforehand"
Hi Winnie,
Unofficially, keeping food at room temperature for an hour and a half is something you could probably get away with, but, officially, we DO NOT RECOMMEND IT, because there is a very real chance that the inherent food-borne pathogens will multiply and give one of your guests an unpleasant experience the following day, or worse.
So play it safe, and play it by the book: keep the food at or below 40F or at or above 140F, where germs are slowed and killed respectively.
Of course, keeping your tenderloin or skirt steaks above 140F for that long will overcook it, so you will want to go with the first option.
Ideally you would have someone to help you, to cook off the prepared tenderloin and other food items during the meeting so that it was all perfectly cooked (and rested) just as the meeting was ending.
But since that’s not an option, cook the tenderloin to medium rare, let it rest, wrap it and chill it, and then bring it back up to temp in a 300F oven. It will reheat faster if you cut it into portions first, but just remember that you just want to get it warmed through again.
Alternatively, you can cut the tenderloin into steaks, prepare them for grilling, and then let them chill out in the fridge until you’re ready to grill them. If you have time to pull them out during the meeting to let them return to room temperature before grilling, do so, but either way they will cook up pretty quickly, say, while your guests are enjoying an aperitif, appetizers or starters.
Have fun grilling, Winnie, and contact us if you have anymore questions or comments.
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