Filet Mignon

Guide Note

Filet Mignon is a cut of meat from the thin layer of beef called the Tenderloin. This meat runs along the spine of the steer, and sits just below the Sirloin and just in front of the Round, near the backside.

Filet Mignon is one of the most tender cuts and may be the most expensive, as each cow produces only around five pounds of tenderloin.

Fast Facts

1. AKA: Chateaubriand
2. Mignon means small in French
3. Considered the most tender cut of beef
4. One of the most expensive cuts
5. The average steer produces only four to six pounds of filet

Filet Mignon has very little fat around its exterior and thus benefits from a high heat method of cooking. Slower cooking processes may result in the beef drying out. The steak is typically grilled or broiled, with a rarer finish preferable.

Restaurant menus may often describe a steak without delineating the inclusion of filet mignon. Menus offering "medallions" usually mean filet, referring to the shape of the meat when served with bone. A Porterhouse steak refers to a large cut, served with the bone, that includes both the strip steak and the filet.