6 Best Filet Mignon Substitutes

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I’m going to leave the benefits of filet mignon out of this article since I’m sure you already know how good it is. But sometimes it’s not on the menu, and this can be disappointing, especially if you’ve spent a decent amount of money and want the best for your meal.

A way to make up for the loss is to find other steaks similar to filet mignon in taste and tenderness. So, in the article, we’ll be discussing some of the best filet mignon substitutes that you can use if you don’t have any on hand.

Some of the most suitable substitutes for filet mignon include top blade roast, top sirloin roast, rib roast, strip loin roast, sirloin tip roast, and eye of round roast.

Let’s quickly learn more about these alternatives!

What Is Filet Mignon?

Filet mignon is a cut from the narrow end of the beef tenderloin. It’s a lean steak with a soft, buttery texture and flavor. It’s often considered one of the most desirable cuts of steak, although it can be hard to come by and quite expensive.

The best place to find filet mignon is specialty butcher shops, high-end supermarkets, and gourmet restaurants. If you’re looking for an option that’s more accessible and budget-friendly, there are plenty of filet mignon substitutes you can use instead below:

Best Filet Mignon Substitutes

1. Top Sirloin Roast

The filet mignon and top sirloin roast are significant beef cuts, but they won’t give you the same results. While they may be similar in appearance and popular with steak lovers, you will find that filet mignon is a much more tender cut of meat than top sirloin roast.

If you were to cook them the same way — say, on the grill — you would find the filet mignon easier to chew. However, you will also find that the filet mignon has less flavor than the top sirloin roast.

So if you’re looking for a more flavorful piece of meat, go with a top sirloin roast. However, if you’re looking for something easy to eat, go with a filet mignon.

See Also: How Much Does A Whole Beef Tenderloin Weigh?

2. Rib Roast

There are plenty of similarities between filet mignon and rib roast. Both have a rich, meaty flavor and a relatively high-fat content.

Their main difference is in where they’re cut from the cow.

Filet mignon comes from the small end of the tenderloin, usually from the rear part of the cow’s body. Rib roasts come from the rib section, which is closer to the middle of the animal. However, Filet Mignon is a more expensive cut of meat because it’s less common, and there is less of it on every cow.

A Rib Roast has more portions per pound than Filet Mignon. In addition, Rib Roast has a lot more marbling (fat) than Filet Mignon. The fat in the Rib Roast helps keep the meat moist during cooking, while the Filet Mignon is less marbled and needs to be cooked at lower temperatures or become dry and tough.

Filet Mignons are much smaller than Rib Roasts and can only feed up to 2 people. A Rib Roast can feed up to 9 people for a smaller roast or 20 for more significant cuts.

3. Top Blade Roast

Were you thinking of substituting filet mignon for the top blade roast?

Both cuts are from the chuck portion of the cow, which means they’re both leaner than other cuts but not as lean as cuts taken from areas like the loin or sirloin. There are some crucial differences between these two to keep in mind.

First off, the filet mignon is a cut of steak taken from the longissimus dorsi muscle of the cow, and it’s part of the rib eye family.

The top blade roast is cut from the infraspinatus muscle. They might have similar amounts of fat, but it’s located differently — filet mignon tends to be fattier around its perimeter.

Although filet mignon is the more expensive cut, it’s also the more tender. It has a much milder flavor than top blade roast or other cuts with more fat. But if you’re planning to cook on a grill or cast iron oven pan, you can use either cut and still get similar results.

The filet will probably be a little more tender, but both will offer similar flavor and texture. However, if you’re cooking in an oven, you’ll want to stick with the top blade roast — the filet mignon can be dry-cooked without being braised.

4. Strip Loin Roast

Strip loin roast and filet mignon are similar cuts of meat. They have a similar flavor and texture, but they are not the same. The most significant difference is that filet mignon is usually sold as individual steaks, while strip loin roasts are sold as a whole.

The main reason for this is cost: because they’re boneless, filet mignon steaks are much more expensive than strip loin roasts. Another thing to consider is that the strip loin roast still contains a bone (the backbone), whereas a filet mignon does not.

This means that you will have to remove the bone before you cook a strip loin roast, but you don’t need to do anything to prepare a filet mignon.

Other than those differences, there aren’t many: both filet mignons and strip loin roasts come from the cow’s short loin section and are very tender, flavorful cuts of beef that are ideal in almost all dishes.

5. Eye Of Round Roast

Another filet mignon substitute that can also be used for roasting or sliced thin for stir-frying or barbecuing, like flank steak, is the eye of around roast.

Both are lean cuts of meat, so they are similar. However, the eye of round is tougher and less tender, with a more robust flavor. Filet mignon is tender, juicy, and rich with fat. Filet mignon comes from the center of the loin, which is a muscle that gets minimal exercise — so it’s tender and full of marbling (fat).

Eye of round roast comes from the hindquarters, a muscle that gets a lot of exercises — so it’s much more rigid than filet mignon and healthier because it doesn’t have as much fat.

You can still use eye of round roast in place of filet mignon if you’re trying to be healthier or save money on high-quality cuts.

If you do this, you’ll want to cook your meat a bit differently:

Filet mignon should be cooked quickly over dry heat (like grilled or pan-seared), but cooking it this way will make your leaner cut dry out and toughen up even more.

Instead, try simmering the eye of round roast with moist heat like braising or stewing, and more.

6. Sirloin Tip Roast

Filet mignon and Sirloin Tip Roast are very tender to be used interchangeably. But they have a few differences. The first difference is the cut of meat; Filet Mignon is a cut from the tenderloin, while Sirloin Tip Roast is a cut from the sirloin.

Both cuts are tender and flavorful. The second difference is how they’re prepared. Filet Mignon is a steak made by cutting the beef into small chunks, while Sirloin Tip Roast is made by roasting the beef in an oven.

An excellent way to tell if you should use a filet mignon or Sirloin Tip Roast is if you want to grill it or roast it. If you want to add spices to your meat, you will want to use a filet mignon. However, if you’re looking for a “steak” flavor with less spice, go for Sirloin Tip Roast.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Steak Cut Is Closest To Filet Mignon?

The best steak cut closest to filet mignon is tenderloin and a top sirloin steak. They have similar tastes and tenderness.

Is Tenderloin Steak The Same As Filet Mignon?

Tenderloin and filet mignon are very similar cuts of beef. Both come from the tenderloin muscle, which is found inside the animal’s side. The tenderloin usually measures about two to three pounds in total. Filet mignon refers to slices cut from the center of the tenderloin muscle.

This portion tends to be particularly lean and soft, making it an ideal candidate for grilling or roasting.

Tenderloin steak can refer to either whole pieces of meat cut from the end of the tenderloin (which are less desirable due to their uneven thickness) or steaks sliced from any part of the tenderloin muscle.

Why Is Filet Mignon So Expensive?

There are multiple reasons why filet mignon is such an expensive cut. The first reason is that it is so tender. This means that it requires very little preparation and cooking time, making it a desirable purchase for many people.

This cut of meat is so expensive because it comes from a smaller portion of the cow than other cuts. So it is expensive because there are only two per cow.

What’s The Most Flavorful Cut Of Steak?

That should be ribeye! The ribeye has long been a favorite in steak restaurants and butcher shops because it’s incredibly tender and well-marbled with fat.

If you want to know that you’re getting the best cut, look for a red or dark red piece, and make sure there are no gray streaks or yellowish spots in the meat. This indicates age, which will affect the flavor of your steak.

The ribeye is also one of the most versatile cuts and can be used in a wide range of dishes, from grilled steaks to sauteed vegetables.

See Also: Different Cuts of Pork

Conclusion

Filet mignon is a luxurious, tender cut of beef, but it’s not the only steak that qualifies as ‘filet.’ You can leave the filet behind and enjoy a fantastic steak dinner at home with various cuts of beef.

Hence, the next time you crave filet mignon, try out some of these filet mignon substitutes. They may not be precisely the same flavor or texture as filet mignon, but they are a close substitute.

And all of them are cheaper, healthier substitutes that will satisfy your cravings just as well.