Meat ── Beef cuts
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beef tenderloin — the leanest, most delicate cut
A rarely-worked muscle inside the spine, the leanest and most tender cut of beef. Overcooking toughens it quickly; the center portion alone, served as chateaubriand, is said to be especially scarce.
What it's made of
A rarely-worked muscle running along the inside of the lumbar spine, the leanest and most tender cut of beef. Its lean flavor is light and refined; with little fat asserting itself, the meat's own delicate savoriness comes forward, and it's fine-grained enough to cut with almost no resistance. Only two long, narrow strips of this muscle come from each animal, and trimming away the thin membrane and fat coating it is said to be the basic first step in prep.
How it's made
Because the muscle barely moves, it toughens quickly if overcooked, and how it's fired is said to make or break the result. Only a small amount comes from each animal, and the single most even center portion, cut out on its own, is served as chateaubriand — considered rarer still. Cut into round steaks from the thick center portion, it's typically seared quickly on both sides.
Why it took this shape
With little fat and a light flavor, it's often discussed alongside French-influenced preparations like steak or carpaccio that put the quality of the meat itself to the test. At yakiniku restaurants, too, it's commonly treated as a premium item set apart from the rest. As a symbol of eating lean beef at its purest, how it's fired is said to draw more scrutiny here than with almost any other cut.
Before you go
Dishes in the same style
- NeckFrom the neck, a constantly-worked muscle that is firmer but rich in flavor. Often used ground or processed, including in corned beef, and said to rarely appear as a retail cut on its own.
- SuneFrom the hard-working fore and hind legs, dense with sinew and firmer in texture. Long simmering melts its gelatin, suiting stews and soups, while the foreleg portion is tender enough to grill.