Beef tenderloin, also commonly referred to as a filet mignon is a popular cut from the loin of beef. People absolutely love eating this filet mignon as it is one of the best cuts that one can find in stores.
Why Is Beef Tenderloin So Expensive?
Despite its popularity, we’ve seen people being hesitant about buying beef tenderloin as it is mostly really expensive. As they don’t have much idea behind the high price of beef tenderloin, they often wonder why this particular piece of meat is so expensive compared to the others?
In case you have been wondering the same thing yourself, then this article is for you! Using the article, we will be explaining everything that you need to know about why is beef tenderloin so expensive. So, without wasting any time further, let’s get started!
- Popularity in Restaurants
If you have ever ordered filet mignon in a restaurant, you may have noticed its high cost. The reason behind it is mostly because of how it is considered to be a premium meal in any high-end restaurant you come across.
Even though you are bound to find it cheaper in a grocery store, it should still cost you quite a few bucks. This is because the recipe is quite popular in most restaurants, ultimately causing the wholesale rate and the retail price to skyrocket.
Unless the prices of filet mignon go down in these restaurants, the price of the product will most likely keep increasing in these regions as well.
- Less Concentration
Although a cow mostly consists of meat, the amount of tenderloin present inside a cow is quite low. As a matter of fact, you will notice the amount to be as low as 8%. Compared to the other 92% part of a cow, which mostly comprises meat, this is considerably low.
Likewise, when a whole cow is butchered, you will only get a few pieces of filet mignon. This plays a big role in increasing the price of this certain part of the cow, as you will only be getting 8% of meat that belongs to tenderloin.
- Demand
Another huge reason behind the high price of the product is the filet mignon’s demand. As explained earlier, getting tenderloin from cows is exceptionally hard as the amount of tenderloin meat present in a cow is quite low. Comparatively, the demand for such meat is really high.
The short supply and high demand for meat result in significantly increasing the price of tenderloin meat. With time, the demand for filet mignon’s only increasing due to which increasing the prices of this specific part of the meat is the only outcome.
- Labor-Intensive
In order to get meat from a cow, a cow needs to be butchered and a certain part of the meat belonging to the tenderloin region needs to be separated. After then, the meat is cleaned and shipped into stores from where you can purchase them.
Before all this, cows need to be first raised and fed to ensure they grow properly. The whole process of raising a cow and shipping it after it is finally butchered is not only time-consuming but also requires a lot of labor. This all plays a role in increasing the prices of meat.
- Texture
An interesting fact about tenderloin meat is that it is actually one of the most tender parts of a cow. It is also one of the most desired parts of the meat. Due to this, the demand of filet mignon is quite high. The soft and juicy texture of beef tenderloin makes it an ideal meal for most.
As people are willing to pay more for meat, the price increases.
The Bottom Line:
Why is beef tenderloin so expensive? For those of you wondering, beef tenderloin is actually one of the rarer parts of the beef which are quite hard to get. Furthermore, there’s a huge demand for filet mignon all over the world. Taking all of this into account, the price of meat is only bound to increase.