Blue Cheese Stuffed Tenderloin

After watching a Discover channel feature on butcher shops, I decided that I'm sick of paying a lot of money for meat that isn't up to my snobby standards.  Jewel, Dominicks, Strack & VanTill, wherever you shop all have the same meat.  So, I decided to check out a butcher shop here in the city, but the Beef Tenderloin I wanted was $19.00 a pound, untrimmed.  I felt that was really high, especially since you cut off about a pound of fat off a 6-7 pound slab of meat.  Since we used to live in the West Loop, I remembered that Peoria Packing on Lake Street carries a ton of cuts, from pork, chicken to beef and even some fish.  I went over there and got a 7 lb Beef Tenderloin, untrimmed for $9.99 a pound.  An incredible price for a very nice piece of meat.  This recipe uses about 1 to 1.5 lbs of the center cut of the loin...the filet mignon area.  Mmmmm

Blue Cheese Stuffed Tenderloin

Adapted from Alton Brown

• Head roast of tenderloin, approximately 1 to 1 1/2 pounds
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil
• 3 ounces blue cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Slice roast open lengthwise in middle to create a pocket, being careful to not slice all the way through.

Salt and pepper the meat on all sides.

Heat a grill pan over high heat and brush roast with olive oil. Sear the roast on all sides. Remove from the heat, tent with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

After the meat has rested, stuff pocket with the blue cheese. Tie the whole thing together with kitchen string. Return the tied meat to the grill pan, place into the oven and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees F, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, wrap in aluminum foil and allow to rest 15 minutes before serving.

If you like your meat more on the medium side, let it hit 130 degrees. 

This incredible meal in a restaurant would easily run 25-30 bucks a person...but you can have this tasty delicious filet if you know where to shop and how to trim it yourself, all necessary skills in order to be a good home cook.

Enjoy!

-Dan