The muscle-on roast can be found at the end of the tenderloin
Step 2: Remove The Chain
The tenderloin has a tapered end and a fatty end. Along the length of the tenderloin, there is a narrow strip of loosely attached meat and fat. This trip is called the “chain”. If you grab it with your hands you will notice that it doesn’t take much to loosen it and pull away from the tenderloin. It only takes a few short strokes of the knife to take detach it completely. Now you have the main tenderloin to work with.
Step 4: Excess Fat and Silverskin
The tenderloin is covered with a white sheen of connective tissues called “silverskin”. Silverskin is extremely tough and will not break down during the cooking process. It’s important to remove all of the silverskin from the tenderloin so that it is as tender as possible. To remove the silverskin, carefully glide the knife along the surface of the meat, while pulling the silverskin away from the meat. This is why it is important to have a very sharp knife when cutting the tenderloin. When trimming off the silverskin, it’s also important to trim away any pockets of excess fat. A little is ok, but excessive amounts of melted fat can mask the flavor of the meat.
Step 3: Trim Off The Tail
To make the tenderloin more uniform for even cooking. Use the knife to cut off the tail and save it when your salvaged meat.
Step 5: Cut Off the Tip (ChateauBriand) or Tie it
To make the tenderloin more uniform for even cooking you can either tuck it under and tie it up with butcher's twine OR cut off the narrow portion (also known as the “ChateauBriand”) and save it when your salvaged meat. (see notes)
Notes
To Cut or Tie? David and I tucked and tied up the first beef tenderloin we cut. However, it’s a lot easier to just cut off the end and save it with the other scraps. You decide what is best for you.
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