Cheaper alternative to filet mignon?

Question

Wanting to make a romantic dinner for Valentine's Day and was going to do filet mignon but it's so expensive. Is it like reaaalllly worth it or is there another type of steak I can buy that would still be really nice and good but less costly?

Answer 1

a nicely marbled rib eye is a great alternative

Answer 2

Substitute For Filet Mignon

Answer 3

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RE:
Cheaper alternative to filet mignon?
Wanting to make a romantic dinner for Valentine's Day and was going to do filet mignon but it's so expensive. Is it like reaaalllly worth it or is there another type of steak I can buy that would still be really nice and good but less costly?

Answer 4

Filet Mignon is nothing more than a bacon wrapped, thick cut piece of tenderloin. Tenderloins are available whole, or cut into portions. With a whole one you can cut individual servings, or roast or grill the piece. The nice thing about a whole tenderloin is you can determine the thickness you want your steaks to be. If you want Filet Mignon simply wrap in bacon and cook.

My Grandma taught me how to make a cheater's Filet. Prepare tenderloins and set aside. Cut some bacon and begin frying. When it is almost done, remove bacon and set aside. Drain most of the grease and start frying your steaks in the drippings. After you turn the steaks over, add some chopped onions and mushrooms, if you like. Return the bacon pieces to the pan just long enough to reheat before serving. Voila! Easy Filet Mignon.

Another way to get a tenderloin, AND a New York strip, is to purchase two T-bone steaks, and debone them yourself. The small section is the tenderloin, the larger portion is the strip. You're ready for two meals. Now can have your steak, and eat it too!

Enjoy your dinner.

Answer 5

Ribeye would be my first alternative choice. Sometimes we can find sirloin tip steaks that look almost like filet mignon, and are not quite as tender as filet mignon.

To grill steak to perfection we use the cookout calculator at charcoalbob.com. It has specific instructions for how to grill steak.

Another alternative is the Porterhouse, since the large side is the NY strip steak and the smaller side is the filet mignon, all in one piece of meat.

Best of luck for a nice Valentine's Day dinner!

Answer 6

I'd suggest a Cabernet Sauvignon. A good buy on a quality Cab would be Hawk's Crest or Louis Martin. Wine does enhance the flavor of the filet mignon in a way that cider will not. The steak will not, however, taste like wine. If you really don't want to use wine, I'd suggest a beef broth.

Answer 7

Nothing can beat fillet mignon of course, but your second choice could be contre-fillet. I can also suggest a veal tongue.
Wash it well and boil it in a pressure cooker for half an hour. Then take the skin off with a knife. Cut it into half inch slices. You can either grill them or do the following:
Fry the slices in a small amount of veg. oil or olive oil.
Add a few cloves of garlic, chopped.
Add some sliced carrots.
A bay leaf.
A tablespoon of tomato paste.
Enough water to cover the tongue slices.
Half a glass of red wine (put on high heat so the wine evaporates).
Season to your taste.
This will be a very tender and delicious meat dish. As tender as fillet mignon. You can accompany it with some mashed potatoes or rice pilaf.

Answer 8

Rib-eye is an incredible steak. I prefer it over filet mignon. Just be choosy and don't get one with too much marbling and don't overcook of course.
If you are averse to rarish type steaks, and want something well done but with an incredibly good flavor, go for a tri-tip. They are not really well known like some cuts, but they are fabulous. Any time I cook tri-tip for a crowd, people carry on and carry on.
Tri-tip is the lowest end of the sirloin on a cow in front of the hind leg. It's fatty on the outside, lean on the inside. The fat gets cooked off when you sear it in direct flames and leaves a very flavorful edge. Somebody discovered that left alone, it's a fairly tough cut of meat, so the meat companies started pre-tenderizing them with pineapple enzymes. I get a brand called "Morton's" from Costco. You may have to look hard to find it though. I grill it. I use natural charcoal and throw in a couple pieces of mesquite wood. Sear it in open flames for 3-5 minutes per side until it starts to look burnt. It won't be. It will still be raw as hell on the inside. After you get it seared, move it away from indirect flames on the grill and cook it that way with the lid on for another 35-45 minutes. Cut it up the center after 30 and you'll get a feel for how much longer it needs. You can serve it medium well, and it's fine, or you can serve it med-rare. Like anything, it can get dried out, and that's not good, but any level of done until it starts to dry will be super tender and delicious. These steaks are also called "Santa Maria" steaks because of becoming popular first in Santa Maria, California.
If you aren't up to experimenting, save the tri-tip for another time, and go with a good rib-eye.

ps. While I'm opinionating here on steaks, I'd like to add that, although I've eaten my share of regular sirloins, that if you are having a special occasion, the difference is worth it to get the rib-eye. The rib-eye will also usually be more tender and flavorful than a t-bone/porterhouse. Porterhouse is good if you want a really big decent steak, but I'd rather just have a thicker Rib-eye than a bigger Porterhouse. You should be able to find good boneless Rib-eye for less than 12 a pound, and if it's not overdone, it will still weight about that when it's cooked.
If you are a student or something and just need to go with the sirloin, which will be one of the least expensive, then, what you need to do is soak it in beef fajita marinade for a full day before you cook it. It will improve the flavor, but mostly it will really tenderize it to a nice level.


Good luck!
Kevin

Answer 9

a small pork tenderloin? Or stuffed chicken. Take a chicken breast, butterfly, and flatten with a rolling pin as the breast lays between two pieces of plastic wrap, and fill it with pesto or smoked ham, rauw ham, a slice of cheese and pesto, and roll it shut. Brown in the pan, place in the oven 15 minutes at 350. Check to make sure its done but not dry. Serve with rice or potatoes. Steamed vegetables or steam broccoli. Saute garlic with olive oil on a low flame. Sprinkle over the vegetables and then a little lemon juice.

Answer 10

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