Filet Mignon/Tenderloin Steak

What is the difference between Filet Mignon steaks and Beef Tenderloin steaks? Can one successfully interchange recipes from one to the other? Thanks!

[LonnieG5]

The tenderloin has 3 parts: the chain, a long ropy piece that runs down the side of the loin; the center-cut loin; and the head, a piece of muscle at the top of the roast. A cut that contains all of these parts is a tenderloin steak. A proper Filet Mignon must have the chain and head removed.

[alanbarnes]

Good info. Too bad it's incorrect (at least according to classical definitions). But given that this post is ten years old, it probably doesn't matter.

Filet Mignon is french name.
Beef Tenderloin is the english name.

same thing.

Thanks guys. I ended up using a wonderful recipe for Beef Tenderloin Steaks with Port-Rosemary Sauce from Epicurious.com. I put them on the grill though, and cut the rosemary in half. Sheer Bliss!

I'm afraid you are all wrong. A beef tenderloin is the strip taken from the small side of the whole loin. What's left on the other side is the "strip", sometimes called a "New York" steak. The tenderloin is usually about 4-5 pounds, and normally contains quite a bit of fat. Some packers will remove most of the fat, and raise the price of the whole tenderloin. The tenderloin is traditionally divided into sections, starting with the large (or butt) end. In French, this is called the "biftec", usually about 6 inches. Next comes the "chateaubriand", the next six inches (normally a knob of gristle is left on the butt portion. It should not be part of the chateaubriand). Since the whole cut is sometimes called the "filet", which is more a "cut" rather a piece of meat, the next four of five steaks are "filet mignon" or small filets. The end or tail can have many names, but tapers so that it does not make a satisfactory cross-cut steak. It was created by Almighty God to be cut into thin strips, sauteed lightly, and served with real hi-caloric sour cream as beef stroganoff. Some stores will misname beef cuts, and can be very deceptive.

Great Post!!

Thanks for all the info! I just found a great site from the Minnesota Beef Council called Beef Trivia that answers this question, and has lots of other beef trivia. It says "Filet Mignon is just a fancy name for a beef
tenderloin steak". It goes on to say Q. What famous author coined the term filet mignon?
A. O. Henry used the term in his book, The Four Million in 1906. A
French derivative, the literal meaning is small (mignon) boneless meat
(filet). Cut from the small end of the beef tenderloin, a filet mignon is sometimes wrapped in bacon. It also tells how chateaubriand and porterhouse steaks got their names, etc, etc.

http://www.mnbeef.org/trivia.htm

Actually the Tenderloin comes from the Short Loin section. Other cuts of meat from this section are Top Loin steak, T bone steak, Porterhouse steak, Boneless Top Loin Steak and Tenderloin Steak. And yes...Filet Mignon/Tenderloin Steak are the same thing.