Average Price Beef Tenderloin Per Pound
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Ah the Tenderloin steak.
Often referred to a Filet Mignon, which really is an actual dish, not the name of the cut of steak. Feel free to keep using that name or whatever name you want. Facts are this one tender piece of meat.
There is nothing quite like slicing through a tenderloin steak like it was a stick of butter!
The thing is tenderness comes at a price. A pretty steep price.
Don't fear, I am here to educate you on how to shop around for a tenderloin steak and what a good price is. My goal is for you to have a tenderloin and still be able to afford to have your cake too.
Tenderloin steaks are often referred to as Filet Mignon but that is actually a particular method of preparing tenderloin.
What is a Tenderloin Steak?
You know writing about this steak is so much easier than other steak cuts, where there is history and lots of different names. A tenderloin steak is a steak that is cut from the tenderloin of the cow. This muscle hardly gets put into use by the cow, so it remains very tender. The muscle is long and think, which is why these steaks are always on the small size - can you imagine the per steak cost if they were the size of a T-bone?
Tenderloin steaks have barely any fat. That is why you often find them with bacon wrapped around them - to give them fat, flavor, and to keep them from dying out.
You can find tenderloins or piece of tenderloin in other cuts. The T-bone steak usually has a little bit of tenderloin on one side of the bone. The Porterhouse steak will have even more.
How Much Does a Tenderloin Steak Cost?
Here is a list of price of tenderloin steaks I found at various stores in my area (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
[table]
Store, Price
Meijer, $19.99/lb
Whole Foods Market, $29.99/lb
Trader Joe's, $17.99/lb
Trader Joe's (Center Cut), $23/99/lb
Costco (Choice), $14.49/lb
Costco (Choice Peeled, Whole), $19.99/lb
Costco (Choice, Whole), $11.59/lb
Costco (Prime, Whole), $14.29/lb
[/table]
Buying a whole tenderloin at a place like Costco is always going to be your cheapest way to enjoy tenderloin. Just got to learn how to cut your own steaks.
What is a Good Price for a Tenderloin Steak?
This conversation starts and end with Costco. That is the place to go to get tenderloin. They offer entire tenderloins that you can cut up yourself. And if you are ever going to learn how to cut your own steaks, the tenderloin is a great start. Costco offers tons of tenderloins around the holidays. You might even be able to score a better price, especially right after the holidays when they are trying to clear out inventory.
Even if you buy them already cut up it's still cheaper than the other options. Whole Foods price is way off the charts at $29.99 and I would never pay that much. It's not worth it. That steak is not going to be that noticeably better than the Costco tenderloin, especially when Costco offers USDA Prime grade tenderloin for cheaper.
If you notice Trader Joe's has a center cut tenderloin that goes for 5 dollars more a pound. Is that money well spend? Probably not. The steaks cutting from the cut of the tenderloin are the thickest and look the nicest but not for the extra $5 a pound.
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How to Cut Your Own Tenderloin Steaks?
Without a bone to worry about, all you have to know is how to remove the silver skin, which is a tough, silver colored layer that has to go. I attached a video below so you can learn how to do this.
How to Cook a Tenderloin Steak
The name of the game for cooking a tenderloin steak is high heat and fast. Since it is lean it will dry out faster if you don't cook it quickly. If your steak is on the thick side, you can sear it on both sides and then put in in the oven to finish. That is is what I do when I have a steak that is at least a couple inches thick. Thin steaks you don't need to do that.
I like my tenderloin steak with tons of freshly cracked pepper. I fill a bowl with kosher salt and black pepper and dip each side of the steak into it. That sucker is covered in pepper and salt!
You also want to cook it not passed medium rare. Again since it's lean it needs to finish it's cooking fast. I do medium on most of my other steaks but not with tenderloin. No way.
Recommended Steaks to Order Online
Want to buy steaks online for yourself or for a very lucky gift recipient, there are options a plenty. The one I would recommend is the Chicago Steak Company. I love the Chicago Steak company because...
1. They sell quality steaks that are either prime or top choice steaks including tenderloin steaks. Chicago steaks are either wet aged or dry aged for improved flavor.
2. They educate people about steaks. Their Steak University site has a lot of helpful information on steaks.
I am always about finding a good deal on steaks. I am seen deals for free shipping and/or free steak burgers and around special occasions like Father's Day. Check out the steaks from Chicago Steak Company.
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