Country: USA/Canada

Filet mignon is considered the king of steaks because of its tender, melt in the mouth texture. A prime filet mignon can literally be cut with a fork. This beef cut can be quite expensive when dining out, but much more reasonable to make at home, especially if you purchase a whole tenderloin.

Comes frozen. U.S.D.A. grade: Choice.

Filet mignon is French, of course, with filet meaning "thick slice" and mignon meaning "dainty." It first appears in American print in 1899. Filet mignon comes from the small end of the tenderloin (called the short loin) which is found on the back rib cage of the animal. This area of the animal is not weight-bearing, thus the connective tissue is not toughened by exercise resulting in extremely tender meat.

The tenderloin term applies to the entire strip of tenderloin meat, whereas slices of the tenderloin are termed filet mignon.

Preparation

High heat is the usual method for cooking the fillet. Either grilling, pan frying, broiling, or roasting is preferred.

Bacon is often used in cooking the fillet because of the low levels of fat found in the fillet (see barding and larding). Fillets also have low levels of marbling, or internal fat. Bacon is wrapped around the fillet and pinned closed with a wooden toothpick. This adds flavor and keeps the fillet from drying out during the cooking process. Traditionally, filet mignon is seared on each side using intense heat for a short time and then transferred to a lower heat to cook the meat all the way through. Filet mignon is often served rarer than other meats.