Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin


 
R

Robert McGee

TVWBB Gold Member
It was twenty degrees, my patio was covered with snow and ice and I really had no business thinking of grilling last night. However, my wife and I had stopped by Wal-Mart's to pick up a small corned beef brisket to smoke this coming weekend (it is supposed to warm up). They had two packs of little bacon wrapped beef tenderloins (the two totaled 10 ounces) for a VERY good price. Actually, the price was difficult to determine - they had two different packages of about the same thing, side by side, and the price on the shelves was different (one was $3.88 a package and one was $6.88 a package.

When we got to the cashier, I asked her to scan the price. Of course, as suspected, the REAL price was the higher one. Now, even the higher price was no big deal, but this store often seems to do that (kind of a modified "bait and switch"). I complained to the cashier and she said she had discretion and she gave it to us at the lower price. Hm-m-m, almost as if she had instructions to "cave" if there was a question or complaint. She was very nice, we got what we wanted and all was good. That is, until we got home.

Due to the weather I really didn't have any intentions of grilling. It was too dern cold - wind blowing, all of that. However, I NEEDED to grill and the bacon wrapped tenderloins were so CUTE that they DEMANDED to be grilled. Well, I shoveled a path to the grill (except for 3/4" of ice underneath) and using left over charcoal from the WSM, LIT IT UP!

I placed two thin fire bricks over about 1/4-1/3 of the grill to raise the chimney full of lit up a bit nearer the food grate. I prefer an "all over" crust, so didn't use the Grill Grates. The steaks were packed in a heavy plastic cover that required a good pair of scissors to remove. We got the steaks out of the plastic, dried them off, applied a rather heavy coat of McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning and when the grill was hot put the steaks on. It took about five minutes a side. I had a very nice crust and they were done, using a Thermapen, to our liking (medium rare- the wife thought they were more towards rare but they really were medium rare:rolleyes:).

We let them rest and dug in. The wife did baked potatoes and broiled asparagus (I could have done these on the grill but wished to spend minimum time outdoors). She also made a nice salad.

Here's the point of this long winded tale - these steaks were some of the finest meat I have ever eaten. They were running with juices, buttery tender (REALLY) and nearly melted in our mouths. Surprisingly, in spite of their small size, they were satisfying and we each found them to be enough (we have both been on Doctor mandated "portion control").

I have been so turned off beef in the past few years. With the "lean craze" it is difficult to find beef that I can identify with having grown up on a farm where we raised REAL beef. It has gotten to the point that we tend to buy and eat MUCH more pork and chicken. It just flat tastes a world better to us. The high prices of beef due to the drought doesn't help. I suspect if we bought prime we could approach what my idea of beef is but we are reluctant to pay extortion prices for a less than satisfactory experience.

These little babies may have me re-thinking the above. They were WONDERFUL!

I have NO pictures, because of the weather (that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!:o). However, the meat was SO good that I HAD to share it with you.

I am sure your nearest Wal-Mart carries the same thing. Keep an eye out. Give them a try and let us know what YOU think!

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
I've found choice t.l. is just perfect (no need for prime just because of the cut itself is the tenderness part of the cow-- but has less flavour than other cuts IMO). Now, getting the bacon done when attached to that cut is another story (it is "filet mignon" FWIW). Nice to hear it worked out for you.
 
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Sounds like a terrific dinner, Robert!
You're right about the price of beef.
You almost gotta take out a mortgage to buy a decent rib roast these days.

JP
 
Len;
I do know that they were filet mignon (should be petite filet mignon:rolleyes:) but they were marked beef tenderloin and I wanted to direct anyone interested to the right thing.

One thing that really surprised me is the excellent beefy taste along with the buttery tenderness. In the past, a lot of "filets" have lacked flavor. These were really good. Frankly, I believe I'll make a trip back there in the next few days and lay in a supply for the freezer (my kids are coming in a couple of weeks and they will be a hit with them). Even at the higher price, they are still a very good value for the money simply because of their quality.

The bacon (which was quite thin) cooked pretty dern well. It was well cooked but not quite crisp. It DID add a good bit of flavor, I believe (guess maybe that's why they do it:rolleyes:).

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Tony R;
Just check out your local Wal-Mart. I expect they'll have the same thing. I would be interested in YOUR take on them.

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Will look for them next time I'm in the store. I've been getting the Prime Rib Eyes or New Yorks at Costco occasionally. They have been outstanding.
 
Well the 2nd worst steak that I ever had came from a Florida (DeLand) Walmart about 3 years ago. So Robert, I'll take you at your word
on this and give them another try.
 
Bob H.
I went back to Wal-Mart's today and picked up a half dozen packages. We AGAIN had a discussion about the marked prices. This time I think that they will correct the "error" (I talked to a supervisor).

I would caution anyone interested in these to look at each package. Just like "loose" steaks, some are better appearing than others. I looked at each steak and only took those I was happy with. The next time I grill these, I'll post pictures.

FWIW
Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Cliff;
The ones I got yesterday were marked "Filet Mignon". The price was the same. It's a good value for the money if the next ones are as good as the first ones (and I have no reason to doubt that). Aside from the "good value" is that they were an unusually good piece of beef. Today, that amounts to a "home run"...

You might want to look up the meat manager and ask him if he has any in some place else in the store. It just might get you some.

FWIW
Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Bob I found the Filets today at our Wal Mart. As you said there were two stacks of them side by side. One stack was $3.99 for two filets, 10 oz. total. The second stack right next to it was $5.99. They looked identical. The meat guy happened to be there doing some stocking and I asked him what the difference was and he didn't know. I did notice the filets that were $3.99 were labeled "Filet of Beef" and the $5.99 package was labeled simply "Filet Mignon". I flipped them over and the bar codes were different. My guess is that the $5.99 is a better cut of meat. I caved and got the $5.99.
 
Cliff;
I think that you may have hit on the difference. Looking at them, I couldn't see the difference other than differences that two identical cuts of meat might exhibit (some are better than others with the same grading, etc.). I took home the Filet Mignon, yesterday, my self. At any rate, I am looking forward to seeing if the next package is as good as the first. I believe it will be. It'll be interesting to see what you have to say after you grill and eat it.

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
I was at Half Price Books, the other day, and picked up a copy of Adam Perry Lang's book, "Charred and Scruffed". He has a bit different take on many BBQ and Grilling subjects that I find interesting. It's definitely worth a read - for me, it's worth keeping in my personal library.

In it he suggests a clever little trick for crisping that bacon on bacon wrapped steaks. He foils a brick, sets it on the food grate, and after the steaks are properly cooked, he leans the steaks against the brick (you can lean a whole roll of "filets" against the brick) and does a minute or so, direct, on each of the four "sides" of the steak. I'll be doing that the next time I grill those bacon wrapped steaks. That should crisp up the bacon nicely...

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Just in case anyone makes these themselves (buys the steaks and bacon separate), a trick I learned for making bacon wrapped scallops is to par cook the bacon in the oven (425* for 5 mins). This renders some of the grease out to prevent flare ups and it also allows the bacon to cook on time.
 
Thoey;
That's a good tip. Someone mentioned running them through the micowave (the bacon) for a minute before wrapping around the steaks.

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Cliff Bartlett said:
Bob I found the Filets today at our Wal Mart. As you said there were two stacks of them side by side. One stack was $3.99 for two filets, 10 oz. total. The second stack right next to it was $5.99. They looked identical. The meat guy happened to be there doing some stocking and I asked him what the difference was and he didn't know. I did notice the filets that were $3.99 were labeled "Filet of Beef" and the $5.99 package was labeled simply "Filet Mignon". I flipped them over and the bar codes were different. My guess is that the $5.99 is a better cut of meat. I caved and got the $5.99.
Click to expand...
Filet of beef or beef tenderloin has loin, part of the chain, and part of the head. Filet mignon has had the chain and head pieces removed
 
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