Never have had even the slightest hint of liver when eating or cooking tenderloin. Could you have had an ingredient that was bad? Was the meat fresh?

Nancy

The fine grain of Filet lends itself to being eaten med-rare. If it gets cooked longer it does get that off texture IMHO.

Alexa

I think it was cooked too long then. It was by candlelight and obviously not enough as I have no idea how well it was done. It would have been romantic if it wasn't for the 6 and 7 yr old running in and out the room "Why can't we eat with you?, You should move the candle here so you can see better. What is that? Why are you eating that? Ew." are just a few examples. I thought all this would be eliminated by having dinner at a separate time. Oh well, at least the baby slept. I will probably stick with my striploin although the tenderloin was tender.

Cookie, you aren't pregnant again are you? Pregnancy can effect your sense of taste? Sorry couldn't resist. LOL!

I've never had tenderloin taste like liver, but my guess is the same as Alexa's. It was probably overcooked and the texture wasn't what you were expecting.

Ann

Yes, it can be reminiscent of liver, regardless of how 'done' it is. It's a combination of the texture and flavor, although the flavor is harder to pin down. It doesn't *really* taste like liver, but there's not a better way to describe it. I think it has to do with where the beef came from, how it was raised, what it was fed, and how it was aged. I'll only buy it from Whole Foods or a butcher.

My wife insists everytime I make Filet it tastes like liver. I on the other hand who had a mother who never made us eat anything we didn't like so I have actually never tasted liver to know. But it has gotten to the point where if I buy tenderloin steaks, I will get a strip steak or something different for her. So you are not alone Ms. Cookie.

P.S. Congrats on the new addition coming soon ;-)

Duane

I've never had the liver taste or texture in a beef tenderloin, even if overcooked. I think it must have been because of what the cow ate or something.

Beverly

It may be from where I bought it. The steaks I got from the supermarket and usually don't even buy hamburger from there. The tenderloin roast I got from a butcher hence the taste difference I guess. I was shocked at the price on that one. My uncle teases that he could have bought half a cow for the price I paid - $100 for 5 lbs. I remember reading the scale $39.99 thinking that was expensive for a roast not even realizing that was per kilo! NO, NO no more pregnancies, my little one is a good as gold, happy and easy but I'm done. Oh yeah, I am probably done with tenderloin too even though I think where I bought it from may be the reason for it being liver-like. Thanks.

Ann T.....ROFL Diana55

I've done a gazillion filet mignons, at home and at restaurants.

When I buy them myself, almost all of the time they're excellent and taste like the best of a steak (especially if I wrap them in fatty bacon).

But there's been 2 or 3 times when the color, texture and taste was very different. Not subtley different -- VERY different. I'm not sure I would describe it as "liver" but they were gamey, maybe even horse-meat-flavored.

I'm sure it has to do with storage, curing time and actual cut (angle/source).

I've done my best, since then, to avoid those that look more like dark, red liver than good aged filets.

Joe

Once my husband bought some frozen steaks from a vendor who was going door to door. Not Omaha, but some other frozen meat supplier. I noticed the same thing. The cheaper cut steaks were OK, but the fillet mignon had a slight liver taste. I couldn't stand them. Luckily my husband didn't notice, so every time we had frozen steaks, I generously let him have a fillet. The fillets were very dark red meat cuts.

You have to get the prime cut. I just ate at a restaurant, and the same thing happened to me. This has happened a couple of times. I believe it is the grade of meat.

I find tenderloin too tender; it has a mushy consistency a lot of the times...and I totally know what you mean by that liver taste...it's almost like a metallic/iron flavour. Striploin can be too firm, while ribeye is just right.

The "liver-like" taste is more noticeable in filet due to its mild flavor. We eat a lot of filet mignon, usually at least once a week; mostly at home although also in restaurants. I've noticed this occasionally with cheaper filet from my local market; their sources vary so it's not a consistent issue; plus, we happen to adore liver so it's not a big deal to us.

Much of it is apparently a butchery or quality issue, since there is no single agreed-upon cause of this 'off-flavor' (it does not affect the nutritive value).

I Googled and found this website, which discussed potential causes for a 'gamey' or 'liver-y' flavor to beef.

https://sandhillfarmsarah.wordpress.com/2013/04/13/potential-causes-of-bad-taste-in-meat/

This is an interesting reboot. I'm one of the few people who does not care for grass fed beef. The taste is really offensive to me, just as Donna described: "...it's almost like a metallic/iron flavour." I won't tell you what it smells like to me -- pretty disgusting. Jakkom's article touches on that phenomenon, but the author dismisses it.

Similarly, I also can't abide the smell of quinoa cooking. I like to eat it and order quinoa salads at restaurants and delis. But don't ask me to cook it. The smell literally makes me gag.

Strange, I know.

I'm not fond of grass fed beef either, but it doesn't taste like liver. I'm a huge beef fillet fan! I was told once, that if the beef was fed a little too much protein, it could give off that flavor. I've also read articles that say it could've been improperly butchered. Who knows the real answer?

I find tenderloin a bit lacking in flavor, and always serve it with a sauce. Grand Marnier makes a terrific sauce and you can flambe it, to frighten off the irritating dinner guests who insist on hovering around your kitchen and getting in your way.

I just think it's a bit tasteless. For a steak, give me an entrecote any day. - rib?

In the US that is a "ribeye", the classic steakhouse cut. Yum.

My favorite cut is, hope I'm spelling it right, the "bavette".

If someone told me I could never eat beef again ... no big deal. Dh grills filets a few times a year and we eat burgers weekly during my tomato harvest. Maybe meatballs & meatloaf once a year. That’s about it.

Grew up eating ribeyes and occasionally flank. I don’t care for any steak with fat or one that I have to chew and chew. That’s why I love a buttery filet.

That said, tonight we dined at Sullivan’s steakhouse. It’s restaurant week (prix fixe menu) and that was dh’s choice; mine was Galatoire’s earlier in the week. I chose the filet (it is a steakhouse after all) with no sauce. I wanted a real comparison to the steaks dh grills. It didn’t even come close! Zero flavor and far from melt in the mouth tender. I can understand why some of you don’t like filets if you’ve eaten ones like that. And to think that they normally charge $32 for that cut is nothing short of criminal.

I know it's bad for you, but I think the fat gives the meat more flavour. I agree that I don't want to chew and chew a piece of meat so I'm not so fond of a bavette and peeling all those traditional shallots to serve it with makes me cry!

i have noticed the liver taste when eating overcooked filet that has been cooked slowly with liquid or steam. I've never tasted it in a medium rare filet that has been seared.

Interesting old thread......

I love beef filet...it was my choice to serve Christmas Eve....but to save a buck, I went to the supermarket where they had a special on cryo vac packed 3 to 5 pound cuts. I never read the label, my son prepped it and grilled it beautifully medium rare......and I thought it was mushy...liver like in texture. My guess is it was full of "solution" as so many meats are these days and a tender cut like the tenderloin got tenderized into a mush. There are some slices in the freezer to be eaten in a bun with lettuce, onion and tomato.

I agree, it can sometimes taste a bit liverish. Another meat that does that is wild duck breast; overcooked, it certainly tastes like liver.

One way you can cook tenderloin is to poach it--boeuf a la ficelle, literally 'beef on a string'--and I've never had it turn out badly. Very easy as well.