Tenderloin, Short-Cut

One of the carcass’s most coveted cuts, the tenderloin is made up of three long muscles—psoas major, psoas minor, and iliacus—rarely utilized by the cow; this gives it a unique tenderness. The tenderloin sits inside the short loin and extends from the pelvic girdle along the spinal column. Since the tenderloin runs through both the short loin and sirloin subprimals, butchers will isolate the tenderloin based on its location. The short tenderloin refers to the portion of tenderloin contained within the short loin. The tenderloin butt is the section that is located in the sirloin.