Last week the wife and I were in Sam’s and while purchasing some baby back ribs and pork tenderloin I decided to purchase a full uncut beef tenderloin....Looked to be a beautiful piece of meat and was “fresh” based on the sale by date on the package. After arriving home I decided to cut it up into 1.5” to 2” thick filets....Cut up beautifully and four went into the frig for cooking this weekend while the other four went into a vacuum packed freezer pack....

I cook our beef tenderloin to an internal temp of 140F - 145F and allow the steaks to rest for 5-10 minutes before we cut....

Not sure why but there was some weird textured meat coming out of this tenderloin....About 10-15 percent of this meat, that looked perfect when cooking had a texture when we went to eat it of damn near potted meat/hot dog consistency.....What was so weird is the meat looked just like the other meat and cut almost the same but when we put it in our mouth to chew it - this meat turned to mush.....

Any meat experts that can tell me what the heck is going on with this meat? The meat did not have a spoiled smell and was in a vacuum packed package and was cold when I bought it and I always transport my meats in a cooler with blue ice packs....so this meat never got to room temp before I cut it or cooked it.....Thanks Mark

I have experienced similar textures from prime rib at times. Always from commercially packaged beef. I have suspected it may have been from cattle that are never in the pasture.

It may also be from possible use of growth hormones. I generally try to buy beef locally (Iowa) and have never gotten the mush meat syndrome that occurs occasionally from big box store purchases.

Locally raised corn finished beef that has spent time in a pasture while growing up is some of the best in the world for flavor and texture.

I have had a few tenderloins that were exceptionally soft. Cuts of tenderloin like that are best used for tartare.

The tenderloin is a muscle that doesn’t get used much. Because of its lack of exercise, it is pretty tender. There also isn’t much fat in a tenderloin, which means it is also missing some of the connective tissue.

Cooking it to 145° and letting it rest, means it’s medium to medium well. Cooking it that warm will also break down some of those connective tissues and make the meat even more tender.

It sounds like you got a pretty good tenderloin. Try cooking it a little faster. Get a cast iron skillet good and hot and let it cook in there on both sides. Pull it when it’s a few degrees cooler and it may me a little more to your liking.

While tenderloin is great for tartare, I prefer a rib eye for a steak. More fat, more flavor, in my opinion, a better cut of meat, and half the price of tenderloin.

For a whole tenderloin medium rare I cook it in the smoker at 225 degrees for about 2 hours. I take it out at 125 degrees internal temperature. You really have to monitor that internal temp. Tenderloin is our favorite steak. If you slice it into 1.5 inch steaks grill at 425 for 4.5 minutes per side then reverse sear in a really hot pan for less than a minute per side. The operative word in tenderloin is tender. Don't overcook it, it breaks down. If you want well done choose a different cut of meat.

I believe you are talking about a section of the meat called "The chain" or the other section they call the "muscle on roast" and it is normal for the meat there to have that texture, but it also has good flavor as it's fattier......sounds like you're talking about the muscle on roast section. The Filet mignon is only considered the center section and most butchers cut out the other sections and sell it as filet mignon medallions or something else.

Here's a website that identifies the parts:
https://www.themountainkitchen...ole-beef-tenderloin/

Thanks to everyone who responded. I will pay close attention to the tenderloins I purchase in the future as it relates to possibly trimming the unit before I cut it into individual steaks. I will also try increasing the heat on the grill and maybe even use a iron skillet to brown the outside at the start of my cooking cycle. The texture of this meat was so different, as I previously stated, that it concerned me. It was an expensive cut at almost $17.50 a lb. Greatly appreciate the feedback, comments, and especially the links. Reading and watching the link videos and pictures helps me make sense of how to manage, handle, and cook this selection of meat going forward. Mark

We had this same experience lately, but it was with two large chicken breasts. The meat looked fine, cooked nicely and it tasted fine. However, the meat had no texture. No muscle fiber could be felt on the palette. It was surprising how disappointing they were to eat. Made my wife and me very aware of how important the proper texture is to the enjoyment of the meal.

I also suspect that the chicken may have had a high hormone diet since the chicken breasts were almost the size of turkey breasts.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Av8nShooter,

Alton Brown did a couple episodes on tenderloin on Good Eats. Here is a link to the first one, you can probably find the second one from there or Google, "Tender is the Loin"

Tender is the Loin

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
I believe you are talking about a section of the meat called "The chain" or the other section they call the "muscle on roast" and it is normal for the meat there to have that texture, but it also has good flavor as it's fattier......sounds like you're talking about the muscle on roast section. The Filet mignon is only considered the center section and most butchers cut out the other sections and sell it as filet mignon medallions or something else.

Here's a website that identifies the parts:
https://www.themountainkitchen...ole-beef-tenderloin/

dude on that article needs to work on his skills,

when I was in the biz, if a cutter did that to a fillet he would never touch another one,,