Beef tenderloin grades

7 years ago

Two sales going on at two different stores, one for “regular“ filet mignon at $5.88/lb (unmarked, so I’m guessing Select) and one for USDA prime at 12.98/lb.

I‘m in the camp of those that find FM nothing special, tender but lacking flavor. Wondering if Prime would add enough marbling to make a difference warranting more than double the price.

For reference, I have a clear preference for Prime strip steaks, but am happy with decent looking Choice at half the price, for a weeknight meal.

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Comments (6)

seagrass_gw Cape Cod
7 years ago
Wrap it in bacon - secure with a toothkpick. A rub with olive oil, salt & pepper. Then grill. It will be quite tasty!
2ManyDiversions
7 years ago
FOAS, I'm in the camp that feels filet mignon is more tender than other cuts, less beefy flavor. Still, we love them. I buy only prime, and cut garlic cloves in half, rub the cut sides of the garlic on thawed FM's - all sides (remove raw garlic), season with salt and fresh cracked pepper, and put back in fridge until the evening when ready to cook. The only changes I may make are my homemade version of Lawry's seasoned salt, or preparing a bearnaise sauce (skipping the Lawry's copycat) which makes it quite rich in flavor. I sear in a super hot cast iron pan, finish in the oven, and let rest 5 minutes minimum. Ann_t has a wonderful peppercorn sauce that would also add to the flavor. Still, we also enjoy FM's without sauces. Having said all that...

At my grocery store butcher market, I won't touch the Select* - it's tough, and lacking in any flavor. Might as well have a burger. If the Prime is on sale, I look at the marbling. Sometimes it's very good and I'll buy a few extra to freeze, sometimes it's lacking so I just pass it by.

Were I you, and you aren't fond of FM's, I'd pass on the cheaper cut unless you *use sous vide and season well, perhaps adding a sauce of some kind to enhance flavor. Otherwise, the more expensive cut, and look at the marbling before buying.
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A delicious, quick meal that will use some of your filet is beef stroganoff. This is the recipe I use...sounds complicated but you can simplify the sauce. The point is that the beef is sliced thin and quickly, very quickly, sauted and then tossed with the sauce and served over egg noodles. Delicious ! Beef Stroganoff (Silver Palate) 3 Cup CrÃÂ¨me Fraiche (can use sour cream) 1 1/2 Tbl Dijon mustard 3 Tbl tomato paste 3 Tbl Worcestershire sauce 2 Tsp paprika 1/2 Cup demiglace (or good beef broth) 3/4 Tsp salt fresh black pepper To Taste 1 Lb firm small sized, white button mushrooms 10 Tbl butter (or a combo of butter)and EVOO 24 pearl onions 3 Lb of beef filet Italian parsley Chopped Combine creme fraiche, tomato paste, mustard Worcestershire, paprika, demiglace (or beef broth if you don't have demi glace), salt and pepper in a medium size sauce pan. Simmer slowly for 20 minutes or until sauce is slightly reduced. Do not boil. Remove from heat and let sit covered. Cut a small x in the bottom of each onion. Bring a pot of water to the boil and drop the onions in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain the onions and run under cold water. Peel the onions. Melt 3TBSP of butter in saut pan. Saute Mushrooms until tender. Remove mushrooms and add 3 TBSP more butter, saute onions just until lightly golden. Remove the onions from the pan and add to mushrooms. Cut the meat into thin slices on the diagonal. Heat the remaining butter in the same pan. Cook on high heat just until lightly browned,do not over cook.This dish can be prepared to this point several hours before serving. To complete, set sauce over medium low heat and bring to a bare simmer. Add mushrooms, onions and any accumulated juices. Simmer 5 minutes. Add beef and juices, heat just until meat is heated through. Serve immediately over hot noodles , garnish with the parsley.
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OOH Linda, 150Â°F is well done in my book. If you want it rare I'd take it out of the oven at 120Â°F or no more than 125Â°F at the most. Resting for 20 minutes will bring it up to about 130Â°F give or take a few degrees. Anything over 135 is over cooked especially for a beef tenderloin. I usually do mine on the grill. But Barbara Kakfa's high heat oven method is fool proof. Roasted Whole beef Fillet (Barbara Kafka) According to Barbara........"I buy the meat by the inch. It cooks exactly the same way no matter the length as long as it s more than 4 inches long. When ordering, I usually allow about an inch and a quarter per person and an extra half inch for the two end slices. By this rule, six people will require an eight inch piece of fillet. The muscles in a fillet all run lengthwise so that when it is sliced across the serving it is also tenderized. The fillet is also called the tenderloin, and it is tender. It is a long round muscle that hides behind the bones on which the shell steak and the rib roast reside. T-bone steaks have some of the shell and, on the other side of the bone, a circle of the fillet, or tenderloin. A filet mignon is a slice cut across the whole fillet to make an individual steak. 4 to 5 pound whole beef fillet (about 3 to 3 1/2 inches in diameter, a good 18 inches long) 1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3/4 cup red wine for deglazing, optional, or 1 recipe semi-perigourdine sauce Place oven rack on second level from bottom. heat oven to 500Â°F Place fillet in an 18 x 12 x 2 inch roasting pan. Rub fillet with butter and oil. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. roast for 10 minutes. turn. roast 10 minutes more. Transfer fillet to a serving platter. Pour or spoon off excess fat. Put pan on top of the burner. Add the wine or sauce and bring contents to a boil while scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Let reduce by half. Season with salt and pepper.
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Thanks everyone for your feedback. klseiverd, I enjoyed your story! I can just picture your brother laughing in the next room, probably because I would have been doing the same thing at 15! I am making this for next Sunday. It is my daughter's and my BIL's b-day. My SIL and I wanted to make a nice dinner for them, but it is also Mother's Day and we don't want to do a lot of work on a day when we should be waited on! Sooo, we came up with a do-ahead menu and I got assigned the tenderloin. I do not plan on reheating before serving, but will just bring it to room temp. I was glad to hear Ann had such success with the tenderloins for the friend's wedding. I will do the same, cooking to med-rare and not slicing until the next day. Thanks again! Nicole
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LOL Stacy, I was just getting ready to post the same recipe. It is soooooo good! Here is another really good one. You will have to adapt a bit because you are doing a whole tenderloin. Just use the pan drippings from your whole roast instead of the pan fried part. To tell you the truth I don;t think you even need to do that. Filet Mignon With Mushrooms And Madeira 1 TBSP butter 2 Tbl olive oil 12 ounces button mushrooms thinly sliced 1/2 Cup minced shallots (about 3) 4 garlic cloves minced 1 Tbl chopped fresh thyme 4 5-ounce filet mignon steaks(each about 3/4 inch thick) 1/2 Cup Madeira 1 1/2 Cup canned beef broth 1/2 Cup whipping cream Melt 2 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Add 1/4 cup shallots and half of garlic and saute until shallots are soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in thyme; season with salt and pepper. Transfer mushroom mixture to medium bowl. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and cook to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to plate. Add remaining 1/4 cup shallots and garlic to same skillet. Saute 2 minutes. Add Madeira and boil until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add broth and boil until mixture is reduced to 2/3 cup, about 6 minutes. Add cream and boil until sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in mushroom mixture. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Return steaks to skillet and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Transfer to plates. Spoon sauce over and serve. Makes 4 servings.~ Bon Apptit May 2001~
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foodonastump
Original Author
7 years ago
Hmm, it’s definitely not tough, just unexciting. I’m not sure it’s select, just haven’t seen any grade labeling. I’ve got a small head roast in the freezer that might get the bacon treatment. These are sold whole, so so can’t check out the marbling... and it’d be like a $90 experiment. Maybe I’ll pass this time. Thanks!
User
7 years ago
I don't find much of a difference between Choice & Prime, except for the price. I'm not a big beef eater, so filet mignon is right up my alley for the occasional steak.
Jakkom Katsu
7 years ago
I love filet so it's 90% of the beef I buy. You're fine with Select. It's never exercised no matter what the quality of steer, so it's always tender. Either marinate, or pre-salt at least 4 hrs in advance, to help develop better 'beefy' flavor.

Prime is actually quite variable, the filet will have better marbling but that = juiciness, not necessarily better flavor.
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
7 years ago
I am not a fat eater. I am not willing to pay for fat. I don't find fat adds to flavor, it gives you a different month feel. When I buy beef, I pick the ones that have more protein and less "marbling".

"Marbling" a wonderful marketing way to sell you fat.

Since I always sous vide, tenderness is not an issue,

I will buy prime dry aged beef if I have company, just to keep my friends happy.

dcarch

Beef tenderloin grades

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seagrass_gw Cape Cod

2ManyDiversions

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Beef tenderloin grades

Comments (6)

seagrass_gw Cape Cod

2ManyDiversions

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foodonastumpOriginal Author

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Jakkom Katsu

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foodonastump
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