With a little love and tenderness…

Alberta beef tenderloin – a delicate and delicious favourite at the meat counter.

Beef consumers have a longstanding love affair with beef tenderloin. It is a favourite at the meat counter and understandably so. 

Beef tenderloin is widely regarded as the most tender cut of beef. Part of the long loin, the tenderloin is the under round portion of the ever-popular T-bone. These tender steaks do well with a quick stove-top sear before getting finished to perfection in the oven, in a roast, or in the indulgent and decadent Beef Wellington dish.

Despite being one of the more expensive cuts of beef at our meat counter, consumers have transitioned from buying individually cut steak portions to buying either a half or the whole tenderloin.

The tenderloin is exactly that – a “tender” and delicate cut of meat. That’s literally the wording that I use with my customers at the meat counter when they ask for advice on how to best prepare and cook it. I tell them it is very delicate, so to truly enjoy its flavor and texture, treat it with a little love and tenderness when you prepare it. I advise my customers not to cook tenderloin past medium rare and commonly recommend they stop cooking it when it has reached rare and then let it sit for three to five minutes before enjoying. That timing will usually bring the meat to medium rare and otherwise prevent overcooking.

Despite being one of the more expensive cuts of beef at our meat counter, consumers have transitioned from buying individually cut steak portions to buying either a half or the whole tenderloin. They are either portioning it out themselves at home, so they cut the desired thickness of the steak, or they’re using it to make Beef Wellington.

Any way you slice it, Alberta beef tenderloin is world-class.

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This article was first published in Volume 2 Issue 4 of ABP Magazine (October 2022). Watch for more digital content from the magazine on ABP Daily.