How to get a filet mignon steak from a whole beef tenderloin
Filet minion is the steak from the most tender part of a cow, the tenderloin. Every cow along with many other animals have two of them. They are located near the kidneys and work very little. Beef tenderloin is expensive and can cost $50-$100 for a whole "unpeeled" loin at food stores. On average, you can get around seven 6oz filets (2in thick slices) from a whole loin. You then season and grill or roast them. You should sear them first if planning to roast in an oven. You can also mark the filets on a hot grill (not cook them all the way through) and finish them in an oven later. The same can be done with searing. The filets can be prepped and finished a few hours later without sacrificing any quality. This saves time if cooking for a number of people.
Steps
- Remove the tenderloin from the plastic and clean up any spilled liquid (as seen in step 1 in the photo)
- Pull whatever membranes easily come off the loin with your fingers and discard
- Cut the "tail/chain" off the loin (as seen in step 2 in the photo) You should try to separate it down the loin with you fingers away from the filets while you are cutting with a sharp knife. "filet-tips" can be cleaned out of this "tail/chain" and are great little bites of steak. Alternatively, the whole chain can be ground into ground-beef to use in other recipes
- Remove the "silver-skin" by cutting just underneath it and pulling while cutting it away to discard (as seen in step 3 in the photo)
- Trim the bumpy rib meat away from the bottom of the lion to "smooth-out" and save for grinding if desired
- Trim away the narrowest portion of the lion and save for "tips"
- Start cutting filets from the lion, pressing and forming the steaks if needed (as seen as step 4 in the photo)
- You can get about 2 filets from the "Head/Butt" of the loin (the part that seems to double-up at one end) but they require skillful cutting to get and some of it gets "tipped-out" anyway. An alternative is to just roast it (this is called a chateau brignon) and cut slices to use for another dish
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