20 replies to this topic

[Rail Paul]

The Bergen Record continues to mine columns left behind by Bill Pitcher. This one discusses the increasing interest in bone in filet mignon. The meat is usually served off the bone, which remains with the strip steak cut. Since many meat packers need the bone to keep the filet's shape during dry aging, that's where the bone goes.

"There are so many steakhouses, especially in places like Manhattan, so restaurants are catching on that they have to find other ways to offer classic steak," Stark said.

Here's why it's so unusual: The tenderloin shares most of its bone with the sirloin strip, also known as the Kansas City or New York strip, said Hyung Kyu Lee, who runs Fort Lee's Prime & Beyond, a steakhouse and premium butcher shop.

Given the choice, butchers and meatpackers are more inclined to leave the bone with the strip, which helps the meat keep its shape during the aging process, when the steak's flavor becomes concentrated. Lee doesn't offer it, opting for wet-aged prime steaks instead.

Bone-in filet mignon also is on the menu at Hamilton & Ward ($45 for 18 ounces), which opened in Paterson three months ago. It's not the most popular steak in either restaurant, but it has its fans. "It's more of a businessman's steak, because a lot of people are afraid of the bone," said Stark, who added that more customers buy it on weekdays than weekends.

Flavor

[g.johnson]

Didn't I have an argument with Nathan about the stupidity of a calling something a "bone-in filet"?

[Wilfrid]

A bit like calling someone an interesting Belgian, it's just not allowed.* There must be an American name for the cut which might be more suitable.


*Irony.

[g.johnson]

I think it's the tenderloin.

[Suzanne F]

Didn't I have an argument with Nathan about the stupidity of a calling something a "bone-in filet"?

If you didn't, you should have.

I find nothing in The Meat Buyer's Guide from the North American Meat Processors Association to indicate that any cut of the beef tenderloin (whole tenderloin #189 through 192; portion cuts #1189 through 1190C) has a bone; nothing but muscle, with or without fat and silverskin. And there is no standard for what is popularly referred to as "filet mignon" (aka petite filet, aka tenderloin steak). Which all means that those establishments could be taking some lesser cut that includes a bone and passing it off as higher-price-fetching "filet mignon." They're probably making a tidy markup fooling the public.

I would expect the public to fall for that, but what a shame that the press did, too.

[Ron Johnson]

Didn't I have an argument with Nathan about the stupidity of a calling something a "bone-in filet"?

If you didn't, you should have.

I find nothing in The Meat Buyer's Guide from the North American Meat Processors Association to indicate that any cut of the beef tenderloin (whole tenderloin #189 through 192; portion cuts #1189 through 1190C) has a bone; nothing but muscle, with or without fat and silverskin. And there is no standard for what is popularly referred to as "filet mignon" (aka petite filet, aka tenderloin steak). Which all means that those establishments could be taking some lesser cut that includes a bone and passing it off as higher-price-fetching "filet mignon." They're probably making a tidy markup fooling the public.

I would expect the public to fall for that, but what a shame that the press did, too.

leave the bone on and get an additional $10 for the same piece of meat. silly.

[Really Nice!]

Didn't I have an argument with Nathan about the stupidity of a calling something a "bone-in filet"?

From what I've seen of his book, and that isn't much, he's tossing around a lot of revisionist culinary terms in his book; a big risk if you want to be taken seriously in this field. One snippet instruction was to dehydrate a duck breast on a bed of salt for an hour. You can't remove moisture (i.e. dehydrate) from a protein like that in just an hour. It's called curing. Why not call it what it is?

[Really Nice!]

I find nothing in The Meat Buyer's Guide from the North American Meat Processors Association to indicate that any cut of the beef tenderloin (whole tenderloin #189 through 192; portion cuts #1189 through 1190C) has a bone; nothing but muscle, with or without fat and silverskin.

Take a look at 1173/1174. It's called a porterhouse steak/t-bone steak and comes from cut 174. When breaking down 174 into steaks, the steak has a bone shaped like T with meat on each side. Although I can't find it spelled out in TMBG, one side of the bone is short loin, the other is tenderloin. The Porterhouse steaks have a greater portion of tenderloin (coming from closer to the head) and t-bone steaks have a smaller portion of tenderloin (coming from the tail end).

[splinky]

Didn't I have an argument with Nathan about the stupidity of a calling something a "bone-in filet"?

From what I've seen of his book, and that isn't much, he's tossing around a lot of revisionist culinary terms in his book; a big risk if you want to be taken seriously. One snippet instruction was to dehydrate a duck breast on a bed of salt for an hour. You can't remove moisture (i.e. dehydrate) from a protein like that in just an hour. It's called curing. Why not call it what it is?

people like to reinvent the wheelso they can feel like they invented something. it's like martha stewart taking a traditional one bowl/pot recipe and rewriting it to use 5 bowls of different sizes and 3 different cooking vessels.

[g.johnson]

Although I can't find it spelled out in TMBG, one side of the bone is short loin, the other is tenderloin.

I thought one side was the strip, the other the tenderloin.

[Anthony Bonner]

Although I can't find it spelled out in TMBG, one side of the bone is short loin, the other is tenderloin.

I thought one side was the strip, the other the tenderloin.

strip:short loin::filet mignon:tenderloin

[splinky]

if omaha steaks sells it, it must be good

[Suzanne F]

Didn't I have an argument with Nathan about the stupidity of a calling something a "bone-in filet"?

From what I've seen of his book, and that isn't much, he's tossing around a lot of revisionist culinary terms in his book; a big risk if you want to be taken seriously in this field. One snippet instruction was to dehydrate a duck breast on a bed of salt for an hour. You can't remove moisture (i.e. dehydrate) from a protein like that in just an hour. It's called curing. Why not call it what it is?

Aren't the two of you talking about different Nathans? I think Dr J means our self-proclaimed expert on NYC neighborhood boundaries, whereas Really Nice! means Dr. Myhrvold.

I find nothing in The Meat Buyer's Guide from the North American Meat Processors Association to indicate that any cut of the beef tenderloin (whole tenderloin #189 through 192; portion cuts #1189 through 1190C) has a bone; nothing but muscle, with or without fat and silverskin.

Take a look at 1173/1174. It's called a porterhouse steak/t-bone steak and comes from cut 174. When breaking down 174 into steaks, the steak has a bone shaped like T with meat on each side. Although I can't find it spelled out in TMBG, one side of the bone is short loin, the other is tenderloin. The Porterhouse steaks have a greater portion of tenderloin (coming from closer to the head) and t-bone steaks have a smaller portion of tenderloin (coming from the tail end).

Well, yeah. Okay. So they are trimming the short loin to get a boneless strip loin steak (1180) and leaving the bone on the tenderloin side.

And then charging an even higher price than for (undefined) "filet mignon" AND making it heavier with the inedible bone. Adding flavor with the bone? Give me a break. Adding weight and therefore revenue, yes.

PT Barnum was right, even if he didn't actually say it.

[Really Nice!]

Although I can't find it spelled out in TMBG, one side of the bone is short loin, the other is tenderloin.

I thought one side was the strip, the other the tenderloin.

Good point, I just checked two other sources* and they mention that strip/short are interchangeable terms.
Field Guide to Meat, pg 52
The Complete Meat Cookbook, pg 93

[Really Nice!]

Aren't the two of you talking about different Nathans? I think Dr J means our self-proclaimed expert on NYC neighborhood boundaries, whereas Really Nice! means Dr. Myhrvold.

Too many people using their real names on these boards!

And then charging an even higher price than for (undefined) "filet mignon" AND making it heavier with the inedible bone. Adding flavor with the bone? Give me a break. Adding weight and therefore revenue, yes.

Don't forget the 1/2-inch thick layer of fat.

"You gonna eat your fat?"
Spaulding Smails - Caddyshack