What to Look for Before Buying Filet Mignon Steaks

Filet Mignon Steaks are the most prized in the world, at least according to most people. This incredibly lean, very tender cut of beef is expensive and hard to get, and it needs to be cooked correctly. However, you have to start with a great piece of meat before you can even think about cooking. Filet mignon may be the best cut, but in all fairness it also comes in various grades. If you want quality Filet Mignon Steaks, you have to know how to choose one correctly. Let's take a look.

First, you'll need to know the characteristics of a good Filet Mignon. It's a relatively lean cut of meat with extreme tenderness, because it comes from the tenderloin, an area not used much by the animal. The low fat content of this steak means that it must be cooked with extreme care to lock in juices and prevent drying.

It also means that choosing Prime grade over Choice or Select makes less of a difference than it does with some of the fattier cuts. Grades of Beef are determined by the visible fat marbling in the steak. Filet Mignon Steaks have very little fat, and thus are not likely to show much visible marbling.

Another factor that you need to consider when you want to purchase a good Filet Mignon is the color. Never choose meat that has a grayish tinge or darkening tinge to it. In order to make sure that you are choosing a good cut of Filet Mignon, you will find that it should actually be bright red, shading towards a dark red. This color means that the meat that you have chosen is much fresher. Fresher meat, in this case, is going to be much preferred.

This lower fat content does mean that an incorrectly cooked Filet Mignon Steaks will be less flavorful than you might like. To prevent a bland steak, you'll have to cook with care. We have mentioned the color above, but also remember that the fat that appears on the cut of meat is going to be a good signifier of quality as well.

Dingy or very yellow fat is undesirable; instead make sure that the fat of the filet that you have chosen is close to a true white. The difference between the red and white might actually be a little shocking! Look for consistent thickness to ensure proper cooking throughout. A steak that's thin in one spot and thick in another will cook unevenly, resulting in dry or underdone meat.

Dry aging is another area to pay attention to when you're looking for the best Filet Mignon Steaks. This meat will taste more flavorful, smell stronger, and cost more. This is because the beef is hung in a cooler, which breaks down tough tissues and concentrates flavor as the moisture evaporates. This kind of steak will taste the most flavorful and will have the most tender feel in the mouth, which makes it well worth the extra cost.

Be aware that most beef is wet aged, which produces an inferior steak. This is because wet aging preserves more of the water, allowing greater profit from the beef and a faster aging process. However, the meat won't taste as good or be as tender.

For additional flavor in Filet Mignon Steaks, look for specialty meats. Pasture raised and finished meats are said to have stronger, more interesting flavors than conventional corn finished ones, and can be worth it for a steak that has a low fat content. We usually get most of the flavor from the fat, after all. However, a Filet Mignon is the best for a reason. Its tenderness and delicacy are worth the cost, if you choose a great steak and know how to cook it.

There are many things that you need to consider when you are thinking about purchasing Filet Mignon Steaks, but remember that at the end of the day, you should look at the source. What is the reputation of the place that you have ordered or purchased from and do reviewers find that they are satisfied? Also remember that you are going to need to think about how well the vendor answers your questions and whether they can answer them clearly and concisely.

Through taking the time to make sure that you are going to get the right cut, you will find that you can get a much more delicious cut of beef. While Filet Mignon Steaks are typically very tender, they have a tendency to be tasteless unless you take pains to select the right cut. Make sure that you get the cut that will give you the best results.

Learn all about how to Order Meat from Brian Garvin and Jeff West on our blog.