If, like most of us, you possess an appetite for filet mignon that regularly exceeds your budget for it, you can save by buying a whole tenderloin and cutting it into steaks. (They are sold with the fat on, as pictured at far left, or cleaned and trimmed.) For tips on how to do this, we consulted Robert Esposito of Giovanni Esposito & Sons, a butcher shop in New York City.
1. Arrange an untrimmed beef tenderloin in front of you, with the tapered end to your right and the wider, butt end to your left.
2. Using a knife, trim off the long, 1"-wide strip of muscle, known as the chain, that runs the length of tenderloin; reserve for stew meat.
3. Use your fingers to find the seam separating the "ear" (the large, 10"-long lobe extending from the side of the butt end) from the rest of the tenderloin. Separate ear along seam.
4. Trim fat off ear; cut it crosswise into three 2"-3"-thick steaks.
5. Working with the other side of butt end, cut and remove 2 smaller lobes using same method as above; these can be treated as steaks and pan-seared.
6. Pull fat membrane off tail end; it should come off easily.
7. Slip tip of knife under the silver skin, the membrane surrounding most of the muscle. Tilt edge of knife at a slight upward angle; cut away silver skin in a thin strip. Repeat all over tenderloin. Flip; trim away fatty flaps from back.
8. Slice off tail and butt end from the thick center portion, the chateaubriand.
9. Slice butt end and chateaubriand into 2"-3"-thick steaks. Cut a 4"-5" piece off tail; cut it crosswise, three-fourths of the way through. Open this piece at its hinge so that the cut ends face up; tie them together with kitchen twine to form a steak. You should end up with 13-15 steaks; most of them are filet mignon. Wrap each steak in plastic wrap; refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 6 months.
FAQs
The three main "cuts" of the tenderloin are the butt, the center cut, and the tail. The butt end is usually suitable for carpaccio, as the eye can be quite large; cutting a whole tenderloin into steaks of equal weight will yield proportionally very thin steaks from the butt end.
How long should beef tenderloin rest before cutting? ›
Allow it to rest for 15–20 minutes before carving. The temperature of the meat will continue to rise for as much as 10°F during this time. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of your Filet Mignon to ensure it is cooked to the perfect level of doneness, from rare to medium-well.
Do you have to remove the silverskin from beef tenderloin? ›
Silver skin is a tough connective membrane that doesn't soften upon cooking, making it necessary to remove.
Do you cut tenderloin with or against the grain? ›
The better option is to cut the meat against the grain. When you cut against the grain, you're cutting through the muscle fibers, making for an easier chew. To make it even easier, think of the muscle fibers as a rubber band. If you cut the meat parallel to them, you will end up with long, tough strings.
How much will a 5 lb beef tenderloin feed? ›
The tenderloin itself, once trimmed and cooked, serves about 2-3 people per pound as part of a larger meal, so often anywhere from 12-16 people for a whole one.
Is beef tenderloin the same as filet mignon? ›
To sum up: Filet mignon is part of a beef tenderloin, but a beef tenderloin is not a filet mignon. Instead, it houses the filet mignon, which comes from the end portion of the tenderloin. The rest of the tenderloin can create other steak cuts or a delicious tenderloin roast to feed the family.
What cooking method is best for beef tenderloin? ›
The food web and a great many cookbooks (very many of them highly reputable) recommend blasting a tenderloin in a hot oven, 450–500°F (232–260°C), for a relatively short time to cook it, followed by a counter rest.
Should you sear tenderloin before cooking? ›
Should you sear beef tenderloin before cooking it? If roasting a tenderloin in the oven, you'll definitely want to sear it to get a golden brown crust. It doesn't take very long, and is so worth the effort.
Should you salt beef tenderloin before cooking? ›
Salting the roast and letting it rest uncovered overnight makes for deeper seasoning, plus a drier surface for more efficient browning. Slow-roasting in a low oven cooks the tenderloin evenly from edge to center.
Should I bring a beef tenderloin to room temperature before cooking? ›
It does not matter if you choose to cook your piece of meat in the oven or a pan, bringing your steak to room temperature will help you to have a piece of juicy, tasty meat.
Washing beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces. We call this cross-contamination. Some consumers think they are removing bacteria and making their meat or poultry safe.
What happens if you don't remove silver skin? ›
The band of silver skin is connective tissue and will not melt away (like a piece of fat normally would). Instead, it will tighten up and cause the tenderloin to twist. We don't want that. Luckily, the silver skin is easy to remove from your pork tenderloin with a sharp knife.
Why is my beef tenderloin tough? ›
Be careful not to overcook your tenderloin, as that will result in meat that is dry, tough and unappetizing.
What is the best knife for cutting beef tenderloin? ›
Butcher Knife: Use it to cut larger cuts of meat down into convenient smaller pieces, like large beef tenderloin and sectioning ribs.
Which cooking method is best for beef tenderloin? ›
The food web and a great many cookbooks (very many of them highly reputable) recommend blasting a tenderloin in a hot oven, 450–500°F (232–260°C), for a relatively short time to cook it, followed by a counter rest.
