Nearly Beef Sashimi

Midday Monday afternoon Ken and I stopped at the local butcher shop to pick up pork chops for supper.  We also planned to inquire about ordering a beef tenderloin.  The shop around the corner from us doesn't keep tenderloin in the case (much higher in price than their average beef/pork/sausage/chix offerings), but at times has frozen ones on hand.  We decided that we really didn't want frozen and from an earlier conversation we knew that if we gave them a day or so lead time that they'd be happy to put one aside for us.  So... we're picking up the pork chops and when the butcher asks, as on every occasion, 'is there anything else?' I said, 'Do you have beef tenderloin today?'  His response, 'let me ask.'  (Good answer)  

I anticipated that he'd come back and tell me that they had some frozen ones at which point I was going to ask if I could order a fresh one -- they could just call me when it came in.  When he came back he said, 'Yes.  We do.'  'Fresh?' 'Yes, fresh.  It will just take a couple of minutes to cut it'  When the butcher guys says "cut it" he means butcher the beef right then and there.  There were probably 4 or 5 sides of beef hanging behind the window (you can see into the big cooler from in front of the meat counter.  It is VERY cool-- the scene...I guess the cooler is cool, too! LOL) and all of a sudden we see our butcher guy moving the sides around, pushing them to the side like starched shirts on hangers in the closet.  Suddenly, he lifts a LARGE knife and begins to hack away at the side of beef.  Cut, cut, cut, cut....trim, trim, hack, cut... trim, trim...he pulls out a huge hunk o' meat.  Cut, cut, trim...then he disappeared from our sight line.  In another 5 or 6 minutes he appears with a beautiful, I mean beautiful --could-have-taken-a-slice-right-off-and-eaten-it-like-sashimi beautiful.  YUMMY!  He had trimmed it perfectly, there wasn't a piece of nastiness on it anywhere.  "Steaks?  1 - 2 inches?"  he asks.  "YES!!"    I tell you, had he still had the knife in his hand I would have asked for a taste!

Needless to say, we didn't have pork chops for supper on Monday... we had BEEF!  (Pork chops moved to Tuesday's supper)

 

Ken grilled the tenderloins to perfection and we ate them with a sweet potato that we shared, grill-roasted asparagus, and other raw veggies.  Even MELG ate a nice portion of the beef and then took the rest of the pieces in her lunch the next day. (She's at 'camp' this week at Sagebrush).  

 

BTW, what does beef tenderloin usually cost?  I remember paying $16.99 in South Bend and have seen it here at HEB for $22.99.  We didn't even get close to that price ---- I love Texas!