Chateaubriand: Tenderloin or Top Sirloin?

dmourati

I had a strange encounter with my butcher shop today via their online ordering app and a butcher over the phone.

I placed an order for "filet mignon roast" which I interpreted as tenderloin, sold by the pound. I ordered 3lbs and left a note saying Chateaubriand, center cut. 

The butcher called and said, you ordered filet mignon roast, and asked for Chateaubriand, center cut 3lbs. We sell Top Sirloin as Chateaubriand, do you want that instead.

I answered no but now I am confused. I've read a little about this and seen both sub-primals called Chateaubriand. 

unoriginalusername

I think your butcher is confused lol. Chateaubriand Is the middle section of a tenderloin 

Langner91

I learned something today.  I always thought chateaubriand referred to the wine sauce and it could be served on just about any cut of beef.  Probably because one of the local places here has a Chateaubriand Ribeye on the menu that comes with a red-wine reduction sauce.  I doubt there has ever been a French Chef in the kitchen there, so I imagine they can fly fast and loose with the term.

But, the googlez says it is a portion of the filet mignon (tenderloin) roast.

What time is supper?  It sounds really good!

billyray

dmourati said:

I had a strange encounter with my butcher shop today via their online ordering app and a butcher over the phone.

I placed an order for "filet mignon roast" which I interpreted as tenderloin, sold by the pound. I ordered 3lbs and left a note saying Chateaubriand, center cut. 

The butcher called and said, you ordered filet mignon roast, and asked for Chateaubriand, center cut 3lbs. We sell Top Sirloin as Chateaubriand, do you want that instead.

I answered no but now I am confused. I've read a little about this and seen both sub-primals called Chateaubriand. 

I was a meat cutter back in the late 60's, what was called Chateaubriand at that time was the first cut off of the top sirloin. We would make a small cut to square off the whole piece and then cut the first piece about 2-1/2 inches thick. Today the term is mainly used to mean a center cut filet roast.

Legume

This doesn’t count as legit butcher info, but memories from when I was a kid and my mom was in her fancy cooking phase, chateaubriand was a big, flat, flintstone-sized steak.  I guess that leans sirloin as there is no way my parents were buying a chunk of tenderloin.

4TheGrillOfIt

Fresh Market sells individual filets allegedly cut from the center and calls them Chateaubriand filets…I think they’re getting rather creative in justifying the expense.

paqman

Chateaubriand is both a cut and a method of cooking.  The cut is from the center of the tenderloin (from the short loin) which is then cooked between two pieces of lesser quality meat (often top sirloin). This results in a piece of meat that is cooked uniformly and is typically shared in a meal for two with, you guessed it, Chateaubriand sauce.

Your butcher probably looked up his school books or only remembered the two pieces of top sirloin 😂🤣