Beef Tenderloin
Yesterday we talked about the Filet Mignon. Today we delve into the beef tenderloin which is the source of the filet mignon. Cutting a beef tenderloin into steaks is definitely acceptable but a whole beef tenderloin roast can be a thing of beauty and perfect for a Christmas dinner, anniversary, or another big event or holiday.
Where does the beef tenderloin come from?
The location of the beef tenderloin is right under the ribs next to the vertebrae of the steer. This muscle (the psoas major for those of you into bovine myology) runs from the short loin where the porterhouse and t-bone come from back through the sirloin. Since this muscle is kind of tucked under some bones it does very little work and as a result it is a very, very tender piece of meat.
That tenderness comes at a price though. The beef tenderloin has very little marbling or fat in it. As a result it doesn’t have quite the same strong beefy flavor that you would get from other cuts. That isn’t to say it is a bad piece of meat at all. Far from it. Beef tenderloin is usually the most expensive muscle on the steer regularly running $20-$30+ per pound.
The beef tenderloin can be a very versatile piece of meat. There are a number of different roasts you can craft from it, you can definitely cut it into some great steaks, and there are little bits and pieces that are excellent for cheesesteaks, stroganoff, steak tartare, or other dishes where you only need small pieces of meat. Thermoworks has this great breakdown of some of the different ways to break down a beef tenderloin:
Speaking of Thermoworks, if you are going to cook an expensive piece of meat like a beef tenderloin make sure you have a good thermometer. You want to keep tenderloin under 130 degrees maximum internal temperature. I would shoot for closer to 120-125. I have a Thermoworks DOT for a leave in probe thermometer and a Thermoworks Thermopop for more of an instant read option. The DOT sells for $40 and the Thermopop is only $30. Before you cook a $100 beef tenderloin spend a few bucks and get a good thermometer. Nothing is worse than an overcooked beef tenderloin.
How to cook a beef tenderloin
Since there are so many ways to break down a beef tenderloin it is hard to give any one method for cooking it. Generally speaking though, you want to use a dry heat and cook it fairly fast. This will usually mean some form of roasting combined with a sear. For a Chateaubriand or a center cut roast you will want to season the meat, roast it in the oven until it hits about 105 and then sear it on all sides in a screaming hot cast iron skillet.
Buying a whole beef tenderloin is definitely the cheapest way to get some nice filet mignon steaks but I am going to stick to some different recipes for roasts here.
Serious Eats has a nice, easy slow roasted center cut roast recipe. They say to pull it from the oven at 120-125 but I would go closer to 110 tops.
Here is a nice video from Snake River Farms on how to cook a petite roast
And to combine Serious Eats and Snake River Farms Kenji Lopez-Alt has a pretty sweet looking Columbian-style Cloth Wrapped Tenderloin, also called Lomo Al Trapo.
All in all these recipes for cooking beef tenderloin are somewhat similar. Get a good sear and get the meat to the right temperature. If you can combine those two you have a great tenderloin roast.
If I were to break down a beef tenderloin here is how I would do it. Let’s assume you have already trimmed it all up and removed the silverskin and fat:
- Cut a couple inches off the tail and save this for cheesesteaks
- Cut off the chain meat and again, put that in your cheesesteak pile
- Slice about 3 or 4 filet mignon steaks about 1 1/2 inch thick
- Cut the rest of the thicker end into two roasts. These should be around 1 1/2 pounds each which makes for a nice roast for two.
- Throw the side muscle in the cheese steak pile or use it as another small roast.
All told you can probably get 5 or 6 great meals for two out of a good beef tenderloin.
And don’t be afraid to roast the whole beef tenderloin. You might have to fold over the smaller tail and tie the roast up a bit but it is definitely something you can roast whole.
We also didn’t even touch on carpaccio or beef wellington or other classic tenderloin dishes. I might have to just save those for another post some day.
Where to buy beef tenderloin
If you want a whole beef tenderloin head for Costco. The have what are called PSMO (peeled, silver skin, side muscle on) beef tenderloins that weigh around 8 pounds. Trim it all up and you will have ~6-7 pounds of usable meat. Prices vary depending on where you are but you will probably be looking at $11-$15 per pound so it will end up costing you about $100. That might sound expensive but break that down into 5 meals for two and you are looking at $10 per meal per person for a great cut of beef.
QUICK UPDATE: I was in Costco today and saw their prime beef tenderloin for $14.99 per pound. Most of them were 6 1/2 pounds or so but there were a few 8 pounders. Also I saw two other beef tenderloins available:
On the left is a fully trimmed USDA Choice beef tenderloin. The chain meat has been removed and the fat and silverskin have been trimmed off as well. The side muscle appears to still be there though. You can see it is about 4.5 pounds and costs $20 per pound. YIKES!!! On the right (not a great picture) is a ~7.5 pound USDA Choice beef tenderloin that is not trimmed, still has the chain on it, and would need to have the silverskin trimmed off but it is only $10.99 per pound. So you save $9 per pound trimming it yourself which is well worth it. And you get the benefit of the chain meat and the other small bits you cut off.
Trimming and butchering a beef tenderloin isn’t hard at all. Here is a pretty solid video explaining the process:
Snake River Farms also sells quite a few different tenderloin roasts and the quality of the meat will far exceed what you will get from Costco. So will the price but for a special dinner like a Christmas dinner it might be a nice splurge to spend $200 on a roast that will delight your family and friends.
Like what you read? Be sure to share it with your friends and come back tomorrow to learn about another cut of beef.
