Beef Tenderloin With Marbling

The top sirloin the bottom sirloin and the rear part of the tenderloin.

Beef tenderloin with marbling.

Tenderloin is a lean piece of meat without a lot of marbling and sinew so it has a nicer texture when raw. Beef tenderloin costs more than other cuts because its marbled fat makes it extra tender. The beef grading system developed by the united states department of agriculture is a voluntary grading system based on the meat s maturity and level of fat marbling these two factors are indicators of the beef s tenderness. How to cook beef tenderloin to cook beef tenderloin first sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper on the meat and sear it in olive oil.

It comes from a back muscle that doesn t get much exercise. How to choose steak from the loin. Be sure to choose at least a prime grade filet. The usda defines an extra lean cut of beef as a 3 5 ounce serving about.

Beef that is given a higher grade is usually from younger cattle and has more fat marbling. Whether you choose top loin tenderloin or porterhouse steaks look for well marbled meat with vibrant color and a moist but not wet surface. For more even cooking let these beef steak cuts stand at room temperature about 30 minutes before searing. Because almost all us cattle are finished on grain and have been for decades marbling became the quickest and easiest way to grade the beef.

Usda s agricultural marketing service ams employs 200 highly skilled beef graders who sometimes with the help of electronic monitoring evaluate several factors that determine the grade including the amount and distribution of marbling. Hence the practice of wrapping tenderloin steaks with strips of bacon without it the steak would lack flavor and moisture. The sirloin is one of the most famous cuts of beef but it s actually generally divided up into three smaller cuts. These different parts vary wildly in general quality tenderness and flavor.

By and large the bottom sirloin is the inferior cut of the three. Marbling is the intramuscular fat that adds juiciness and some elements of tenderness to beef. The tenderloin does not have a lot of marbling but it is flavorful and is considered to be a prize cut of meat. Filet mignon also comes from the muscle we know as tenderloin.

When butchers cut the tenderloin into two inch steaks it becomes filet mignon.