How
to Trim a
Beef Tenderloin
Cutting Filet Mignon Steaks
by Bobbi A. J. Holmes
Occasionally one of our local supermarkets offers a special on beef tenderloin, enabling us to purchase a $75 worth of prime beef for about $36. The first time we took advantage of the sale, the meat department offered to cut the tenderloin into steaks. Since I have experience in trimming out tenderloin, from when we had a restaurant, I know it can be a bit of a pain, so I decided to leave it to the experts. After all, there was no extra charge.
Big Mistake
When we got home and opened up the package of steaks, I was horrified to see they did nothing more than put the tenderloin on the meat slicer, and cut it into equal portioned steaks. What a mess! Before you cut tenderloin into steaks, you must remove the fat layer and membrane. Unlike other steaks, a filet mignon should be all meat, with little or no fat. In essence, the meat department butchered (literally) and destroyed our filet mignon.
Second Chance
This didn’t discourage us from taking advantage of another sale on tenderloin. Yet, we didn’t let the meat department prepare the steaks; I did it myself. While you can purchase filet mignon in pre-cut steaks, they often come pre-wrapped in bacon. Personally, I don’t like adding bacon to the steaks, as I believe it interferes with the meat’s flavor. Another problem, many of the pre-cut and packaged filet mignons I’ve tried have an inferior flavor.
Trimming
a Tenderloin
As you can see from the
photograph, the tenderloin is a long, narrow strip, which tapers to one end.
It is covered with a layer of fat, and a membrane, both of which needs to be
removed prior to cutting into steaks. The piece pictured weighs slightly
over
Filets and Steaks
The classic way to cut the tenderloin (after trimming off the membrane and fat) is to use the wider butt end (about 4-inches) for a small roast. The chateaubriand is cut from the next section, beginning about 4-inches from the wide end, about a 5 or 6-inch section. Filet steaks are then cut, with each 1 to 2-inches wide, leaving the narrower tip for use in other recipes.
All
Steaks
I had no desire to cut a roast or chateaubriand from the tenderloin; instead, I wanted individual steaks. I managed to cut 10 steaks from the tenderloin, each weighing a little over 6 1/5- ounces. Before cutting the steaks, I trimmed the tenderloin.
Use a Sharp Knife
I used a sharp fishing knife to clean the tenderloin. Removing the top layer of fat is fairly easy, as it almost pulls off. Yet, there are connective tissues securing the fat to the meat, therefore don’t yank the fat off, as you will tear the meat. Instead, gently lift off the fat while cutting the connective tissue. Once you’ve removed all the fat, you will see the silver skin or membrane. This is a tough, stringy, skin-like covering, and if improperly removed, you end up wasting the expensive meat. Slide the knife blade between the meat and skin, to strip off the ribbon-like membrane.
Of the above four images, the one on the left
corner shows how the fat lifts from the tenderloin.
The top right, shows the connective tissue, that must be carefully cut.
The lower left image shows the silver skin, being stripped from the meat.
On the lower right, I show some of the usable meat, tucked into the fat,
which I removed from the tenderloin.
Hidden Meat
Before you toss the fat, look for meat hidden in the folds. I managed to salvage about 12-ounces of meat, from the tip and fat area, to use in a stir-fry recipe. Some of the meat tucked into the folds of the fat is salvageable, while some is heavily laced with stringy fibers, making the meat useless.