A braised tenderloin of beef that has been seared in a heavy skillet on all 4 sides until browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. As with all quadrupeds, the tenderloin refers to the psoas major fillet steak ventral to the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae, near the kidneys. The three main “cuts” of the tenderloin are the butt, the center-cut, and the tail. Archived from the original on 5 May 2014.
The Butcher’s Apprentice: The Expert’s Guide to Selecting, Preparing, and Cooking a World of Meat. The Laws of Cooking: And How to Break Them. A steak this good doesn’t need much with it, but to really gild the lily, add delicious morel mushrooms. For a more elaborate dish, a whole fillet can be used in beef Wellington.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Trust me because it’s going to go really dark and look burnt, but it’ll be perfect inside if you do it right. Squeeze out the air then spend a few minutes massaging all the flavours into the meat. Put in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Put a few knobs of chilled butter into a bowl of cold water and take those outside with you when you’re ready to cook.
This next bit is going to be down to you and your intuition. What works for me every time is taking the fillet out of the bag, quickly patting it with kitchen paper then rolling it in olive oil and putting it on the hottest part of the barbecue to give it colour. Rub it with a chilled knob of butter as you cook it for about 8 to 10 minutes, turning every minute. Once it looks good, move the fillet to a cooler part of the barbecue to finish cooking to your liking. Another 4 to 5 minutes, turning every minute, should give you medium-done meat. If you like it medium rare, cook it for less, or more for well done.
It’s better to err on the side of under-done. That way, the worst-case scenario is that you take the fillet off, slice into it and find that it’s under-cooked, then have to put it back. When you’re happy, put it on a platter, rub it again with butter so it really shines, then drizzle over more Worcestershire sauce, extra virgin olive oil, and thyme and rosemary flowers, if you have them. Let the meat rest for a few minutes, before slicing at the table. Season from a height then quickly rub the slices in the juices before you let everyone grab some.