Eat Filet Mignon for the Price of a Burger!
Here's our solution:
Kroger, maybe every month or six weeks or so, puts whole beef tenderloins on sale at 10.99 (and sometimes at 9.99) a pound. You have to buy the whole tenderloin, of course. They usually run six to eight pounds.
At Kroger, a union butcher will skillfully remove the silver skin, excess fat, and the "chain," and then cut the steaks the way I like them, about 1-1/2 inches thick. He will discard the silver skin and excess fat, and cut up the "chain" into one-inch pieces. We use those to make stir fry.
We usually get 10 1-1/2 inch thick steaks out of one of these whole tenderloins, which are graded "Choice." A little less fat content than "Prime," which I like better anyway. I figure, not counting the stir fry meat, that one of these fresh, perfectly trimmed, filets costs less than $8.00. You can't eat for eight bucks at Mickey D's anymore. A little asparagus and a baked Russet potato, and you're in business for less than $20.00 for two people. Try that at your local steakhouse!
Mrs. Blue Ridge Boy sears them in a skillet until they turn a nice brown on both sides, and then, still in the skillet, pops them in the oven at 425 for a 3 minutes on one side and then 2 to 3 minutes on the other side and tests for doneness using pressure from a finger tip. The firmer, the more done. Using the times above in our oven, they always come out perfectly medium rare, juicy, and very flavorful and tender.
