How to Cook Beef Tenderloin
Consider buying a whole tenderloin or tenderloin in bulk., Purchase beef tenderloin labeled "prime" or "choice" for the best quality and flavor., Choose your cut of tenderloin with respect to how much extra trimming you'd expect to do before cooking.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Consider buying a whole tenderloin or tenderloin in bulk.
Beef tenderloin is expensive, meaning the more that you buy, the better bang for your buck you'll get.
Plus, beef tenderloin stores extremely well in the freezer, meaning any meat that you don't plan on using will keep until you next decide to treat yourself.
Try storing your tenderloin in a freezer-safe vacuum pack for ideal freshness.
When you're ready to defrost your tenderloin, simply remove it from the freezer and let it thaw slowly overnight in your refrigerator. -
Step 2: Purchase beef tenderloin labeled "prime" or "choice" for the best quality and flavor.
The USDA grades some cuts of meat, in part to ensure certain safety standards are met, and in part to ensure that the customer knows what they're buying.
While the grades depend on numerous factors — including marbling (the amount of fat interspersed in the muscle), maturity, and skeletal ossification — what's important to know is that beef labeled prime or choice are the two highest grades a cut of meat can get.From highest quality to lowest, the USDA beef grades go as follows:
Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, Canner.
Utility, Cutter, and Canner, while available, are rarely sold at retail and are mostly used as processed meat. , Beef tenderloin comes either "peeled," "unpeeled," or as "PSMO." Each varietal requires different amounts of labor in order to prep the meat before cooking.
Peeled tenderloin comes with the fat removed, but the silver skin remaining.
Silver skin is the rubbery, white connective tissue that's often on red meat.
Unpeeled tenderloin contains both fat and silver skin on the cut of meat.
This is the least expensive cut of tenderloin, but also the hardest and most time-intensive to prepare.
PSMOs stand for "peeled, silver skin removed, and side muscle on."Because the butcher has already done most of the work for the chef, there's very little prep work involved on these cuts, although they do tend to be more expensive than the rest. -
Step 3: Choose your cut of tenderloin with respect to how much extra trimming you'd expect to do before cooking.
Detailed Guide
Beef tenderloin is expensive, meaning the more that you buy, the better bang for your buck you'll get.
Plus, beef tenderloin stores extremely well in the freezer, meaning any meat that you don't plan on using will keep until you next decide to treat yourself.
Try storing your tenderloin in a freezer-safe vacuum pack for ideal freshness.
When you're ready to defrost your tenderloin, simply remove it from the freezer and let it thaw slowly overnight in your refrigerator.
The USDA grades some cuts of meat, in part to ensure certain safety standards are met, and in part to ensure that the customer knows what they're buying.
While the grades depend on numerous factors — including marbling (the amount of fat interspersed in the muscle), maturity, and skeletal ossification — what's important to know is that beef labeled prime or choice are the two highest grades a cut of meat can get.From highest quality to lowest, the USDA beef grades go as follows:
Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, Canner.
Utility, Cutter, and Canner, while available, are rarely sold at retail and are mostly used as processed meat. , Beef tenderloin comes either "peeled," "unpeeled," or as "PSMO." Each varietal requires different amounts of labor in order to prep the meat before cooking.
Peeled tenderloin comes with the fat removed, but the silver skin remaining.
Silver skin is the rubbery, white connective tissue that's often on red meat.
Unpeeled tenderloin contains both fat and silver skin on the cut of meat.
This is the least expensive cut of tenderloin, but also the hardest and most time-intensive to prepare.
PSMOs stand for "peeled, silver skin removed, and side muscle on."Because the butcher has already done most of the work for the chef, there's very little prep work involved on these cuts, although they do tend to be more expensive than the rest.
About the Author
Diana Russell
A passionate writer with expertise in home improvement topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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