Fillet Steak. Is my butcher a robbing git?

[Jer_1974]

I asked my wife to get me some steak from the village butchers today for dinner. I have just opened it and as before it has fat round it:



I don't normally get fillet from him as I have had it like this before. If I go out I get a lean piece of meat so why does my butcher give me fat? Is it normal or is my butcher a robbing git?

[Alfa_75_Steve]

I'm by no means an expert, however, I do deal with meat / fish / deli products every day of the week as part of my job....
(I'm a 'retail specialist' in this field, but have several master butchers working for me who have forgotten more than I know)

That doesn't look like any of the fillet I've ever seen! - looks like it could be Sirloin, but who knows? - it's hard to tell unless it's actually sat in front of you.

AFAIK, there shouldn't be any hard fat on the outside of the tenderloin / fillet.

[CommanderJameson]

On the other hand, that steak has a fighting chance of actually tasting of something.

[mechsympathy]

Could be a ribeye. How much was it? And how big is it across? A fillet is about palm sized.

[Jer_1974]

Alfa_75_Steve said:

That doesn't look like any of the fillet I've ever seen! - looks like it could be Sirloin, but who knows? - it's hard to tell unless it's actually sat in front of you.

AFAIK, there shouldn't be any hard fat on the outside of the tenderloin / fillet.

I thought it was Sirloin with most of the fat cut off when I saw it. It was tender but I not sure if was fillet. I thought the fillet came off the cow in a cylinder shape with no fat on it.

[Alfa_75_Steve]

mechsympathy said:

Could be a ribeye. How much was it? And how big is it across? A fillet is about palm sized.

Doesn't appear to have enough veins of fat to be ribeye.

My money is on sirloin.

It's true, though, it'll taste one hell of a lot better than fillet.

[Jer_1974]

mechsympathy said:

Could be a ribeye. How much was it? And how big is it across? A fillet is about palm sized.

It was about palm sized. I don't know how much it was.

[Alfa_75_Steve]

Jer_1974 said:

Alfa_75_Steve said:

That doesn't look like any of the fillet I've ever seen! - looks like it could be Sirloin, but who knows? - it's hard to tell unless it's actually sat in front of you.

AFAIK, there shouldn't be any hard fat on the outside of the tenderloin / fillet.

I thought it was Sirloin with most of the fat cut off when I saw it. It was tender but I not sure if was fillet. I thought the fillet came off the cow in a cylinder shape with no fat on it.

Pretty much.

They do come with an obscene looking bulbous end at times..... 'like a baby's arm holding a tennis ball'

Christ knows what it was, really - but it's not fillet.

[Plotloss]

No you haven't been ripped off, that's a nice bit of meat.

The fillet does have fat on it on the carcass, its just trimmed off.

Enough fat on it to give it some flavour but thick and moist and soft.

[anonymous-user]

Definately not fillet! though 2 minutes either side and it it will be lovely!

I'd blame the wife she must have seen him weigh it out! I suggest you buy her the River Cottage meat book and tell her to get learning!

[Shaw Tarse]

From what I remember,is it entrecote <sp> ,"otherside" aka Sirloin.

[Jer_1974]

She watched the butcher cut it and said he had what looked like a pelvis and cut if right next to the bone.

[Shaw Tarse]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrec%C3%B4te
Will have another look when I haven't

[neilsfishing]

my 2 penny’s worth, not fillet! I normally by a hole fillet and cut it up for family servings (4) I get about 16 servings in total + a feast on the trimmings none of which look like yours but I might be wrong it has been known

[taldo50]

not a fillet im my opinion, see a lot of whole fillets in my line of work. butcher them myself and roll them in greaseproof and clingfilm to get nice perfectly round steaks. hope you didnt pay too much for it???

[spikeyhead]

whatever form of steak it is, it looks like it needs hanging for another two weeks.

[YoungTom]

it isn't a fillet... its a rib eye by the shape of it, a supermarket would retail that as a "frying steak"

[Alfa_75_Steve]

YoungTom said:

it isn't a fillet... its a rib eye by the shape of it, a supermarket would retail that as a "frying steak"

No, they wouldn't.

If it's rib eye, they'd sell it as rib eye.

'Frying steak' comes from the topside / silverside cut.

I've just referred to my range review / meat bible from work and can confidently say that's not fillet - almost certainly sirloin, which was my original thought.

The fat on a fillet / tenderloin isn't as 'hard' or thick as the fat on that cut.

[bridgdav]

Sirloin Steak

http://images.google.co.uk/images?q=sirloin+steak+...

Fillet Steak

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&um=1&a...

Rib Eye

http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&um=1&a...

Looks like a Sirloin to me..!

[sleep envy]

Alfa_75_Steve said:

Doesn't appear to have enough veins of fat to be ribeye.

My money is on sirloin.

It's true, though, it'll taste one hell of a lot better than fillet.

doesn't have to be marbled to be rib-eye - mrs envy will pick a steak to bits so I buy the first cut which isn't at all marbled

agreed, that's sirloin and both that cut and rib tastes miles better than fillet as a fried/griddled steak