Later this week we come upon a holiday that all of us should be celebrating: National Filet Mignon Day. On August 13th we have a chance to celebrate one of the finest, most tender cuts of beef available and we should take this chance to fully enjoy what many consider to be the best steak available. Personally I don’t think it is the “best” but it can be very good, assuming you don’t over cook it.
First let’s talk about bovine myology or cow muscles. Of course all steaks we eat are just a muscle or collection of muscles from the cow and different muscles have different flavor, texture, and taste characteristics. For example, a brisket comes from the front chest of the cow, does a lot of work, has a very strong flavor, and is very tough. A skirt steak is basically the diaphragm of the cow and as such does a lot of work and has a very different texture than a ribeye for example.
The filet mignon is cut from the tenderloin and is one of the muscles in the cow that does the least amount of work and as a result is one of the most tender cuts of steak you can get. It is also one of the leanest cuts which means it tends to have a more delicate flavor than many other cuts like a heavily marbled ribeye.
The tenderloin sits on the inside of the rib cage right up against the spine. The technical name for it is the psoas major muscle and it runs from about the middle of the rib cage and connects down at the pelvis. The only real work this muscle does is flexing the hip joint and the vertebra so all it all it doesn’t do much compared to other muscles. The tenderloin muscle runs through both the short loin and sirloin primals.
At the front of the tenderloin is the “tail” which is fairly thin and the muscle thickens as it goes back until you get to the “butt” of the tenderloin. The best steaks come from the center of the muscle but the whole tenderloin is a very desirable piece of meat. When you butcher it the tail will give you some smaller pieces that aren’t really good for traditional steaks but can be used for things like carpaccio or steak tartare which are both delicious. The middle of the tenderloin is where you get the filet mignon steaks and the “butt” is good for applications like chili or stroganoff. You can also use the tail and butt for kabobs.
Most filet mignon steaks run from 4-10 ozs and are usually cut very thick, about 2 inches thick in most cases. One reason for this is since there isn’t a lot of intermuscular fat you really want to be careful not to cook a filet mignon past medium rare or 135 degrees. Anything beyond that and you will be left with a dry, mealy steak that isn’t really worth eating. But if you cook it rare or medium rare you will get a nice, juicy steak that you can almost cut with a fork.
There are only about 12 pounds of tenderloin on a 1300 pound steer so thanks to the laws of supply and demand it is one of the more expensive cuts of beef. At a grocery store you can probably expect to spend around $15-20 per pound for filet mignons. If you buy the whole tenderloin (also called a PISMO or which is short for peeled, silver skin removed, and side muscle (the “chain”) left on) you can probably get that down to $12 per pound but then you have to butcher the whole thing which can be a bit tricky so unless you want to do a beef wellington or chateaubriand your best bet will be to just buy the filet mignon steaks.
A great option for high quality steaks like a filet mignon is to order your filet mignons online. They will be more expensive than what you will spend at the grocery store but the quality of the steaks is definitely higher. And let’s face it, you probably won’t eat filet mignons more than a couple times a year so they are one of those steaks where it is worth the splurge. Here are a couple different online sites to check out for buying filet mignons
Snake River Farms – They are currently running a 30% off sale on all their filet mignons. Their 6 oz filet mignon runs $14 and the 8 oz version is $19. They also have their American Kobe Filets which run $25 and $35 for the 6 and 8 oz cuts respectively and these are a definite step up from what you will find at the local market or butcher shop. The petite filets are also a great deal with 4 4 oz steaks for only $25. This sale only lasts this week and you can also get free shipping on your order with code FREEAFF.
Certified Steak and Seafood – Certified Steak and Seafood sells only certified Angus steaks which are the top 8% of all steaks. Their 8 oz center cut filet mignon runs $26.95 and they also have an 8oz Prime Angus Filet which will cost you $35.69. You can also try the Certified Angus Filet Mignon sampler that contains an 8 oz prime Angus filet, an 8 0z certified Angus center cut filet, and an 8 oz all natural Angus filet. They offer free shipping on orders over $150 and they also have a “buy more save more” option.
American West Beef – For a limited time American West Beef is offering free shipping on all orders. They have 6, 8, and 10 oz filet mignons and if you buy 8 8 oz steaks it will only run you $99.95 which is only $12.50 per steak.
All 3 sites offer expedited shipping but that usually runs about $35 or more so it is probably stretching it to get your steaks by the 13th but I won’t tell anyone if you just want to eat them on the weekend. Most online meat sites ship on Monday and Tuesday and the steaks will usually be to you buy Thursday or Friday so if you are quick to order you might get your steaks by Thursday. And you also get a nice chunk of dry ice to play with!
To cook your filet mignon I would suggest either searing it and finishing it in the oven (basically salt and pepper it, coat with a bit of oil, put in a super hot pan for about 2-3 minutes per side, and finish in the oven until the middle of the steak comes to 125 degrees) or reverse sear it (start it in a 250 degree oven until the steak reaches about 120 degrees, rest for 5-10 minutes, and then sear in a super hot pan for about a minute or two per side until you get a nice crust). You don’t need much more than salt and pepper but if you really want to add a sauce I would suggest a nice Steak Au Poivre.
Hopefully you can enjoy a nice filet mignon on National Filet Mignon Day (August 13th) but if not enjoy one any chance you get.
