Make Beef Wellington on a Budget with Butcher's Secret Cut!

Beef Wellington is a showstopping classic, but it can easily cost upwards of $100 if made with tenderloin and expensive pate. This recipe costs around $25 (for 4 servings) when made with the Teres Major (Petite Tender) cut.

Beef Wellington (Teres Major)

Beef Wellington ranks among the most celebrated dishes, cherished for its flavorful blend of tender beef, umami-rich mushroom duxelles, and flaky pastry. Traditionally, high-cost cuts like beef tenderloin (filet mignon) take center stage, making the dish a luxury. But what if you could whip up this gourmet classic using the budget-friendly Teres Major cut? Any good butcher can tell you this cut can be used instead of the tenderloin, but they won't because they take the Teres Major home. In this blog post, we'll show you how to create a remarkable Beef Wellington that won't empty your wallet while impressing your guests!

Understanding the Teres Major Cut

Let’s take a moment to appreciate the Teres Major cut, known as "shoulder tender." This hidden gem hails from the chuck area of the cow and offers a fantastic combination of tenderness and flavor. While beef filet can cost upwards of $25 per pound, Teres Major typically ranges from $8 to $12 per pound, making it a much more accessible option. (Look at Wild Fork Foods, which ships nationwide in the U.S. and parts of Canada. They sell two shoulder tenders for $7.98 per pound --see complete information later in this post.) It does need a little work to be ideal for Beef Wellington, however, since it is a little longer and thinner than a filet.

This versatile cut is excellent for roasting, grilling, or, as we're doing today, making Beef Wellington. When cooked properly, it can rival the taste and tenderness of pricier cuts. However, when making Beef Wellington, you need a fairly thick cut so that the pastry will be golden and delicious while the beef remains a lovely medium rare. To solve this problem, double up two teres major pieces and tie them together with butcher's twine or food-grade string. Trim off the very ends as they taper off. This creates a roast that resembles a traditional center-cut tenderloin very closely. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Gordon Ramsay's Beef Wellington on a Budget

No TV chef is more synonymous with Beef Wellington than Gordon Ramsay. On his Hell's Kitchen television series, the young chefs often struggle to cook the Wellingtons and face the consequences. But you can avoid all the pitfalls of Wellingtons if you follow this step-by-step guide. The best part is that you can make this tender and delicious Wellington for a fraction of the cost.

Ingredients You'll Need (Cost $25-30 for 4 servings)

To recreate this budget-friendly version of Beef Wellington, you will ,need the following ingredients:

Ingredients for Beef Wellington

• 1.5-2 pound section of Teres Major beef (chuck tenderloin) (Wild Fork Foods, $12)

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 -2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, with a dash of soy sauce (optional)

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 12 ounces of mushroom of your choice, or mixed mushrooms (button, baby bella, shitake, portobella, etc.), finely chopped (Aldi, $3)

• 2 shallots, finely minced (local Asian grocery, $0.30)

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 6 oz. of prepared pate (optional)

• 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme, finely chopped (optional)

• 1-2 sheets of phyllo frozen phyllo douch, thawed

• 6 slices of prosciutto (Aldi, $3.50)

• 1 package of puff pastry (Standard puff pastry at Walmart, $5.50, Gourmet Puff Pastry at Whole Foods, $11)

• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

• Flour (for dusting)

  
  

Shopping Strategies

Beef

In searching for a Teres Major cut, a great place to start is Wild Fork Foods. They ship

Teres Major, or Should Tender, Petite Tender, or Shoulder Tender.

frozen Teres Major beef (labeled Petite Tender) nationwide in the U.S and have stores in many major cities in Florida, California, the Midwest, the Northeastern U.S., and Canada. Several other online vendors sell this cut at a similar price point. If that isn't an option where you are (hello, Europe, much of Canada, the UK, and wherever you are today, dear reader), ask your butcher for the Teres Major cut. If nothing else, you will impress your butcher! (Note: Teres Major is called Petite Tender, Shoulder Tender, and Chuck Tender.)

Puff Pastry

This recipe calls for frozen puff pastry, although you can make your own if you like.

Two frozen puff pastry options.

For frozen puff pastry, you have two choices: the readily available kind made with oils and the gourmet kind made with butter. Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry is available everywhere for $5-$6. It produces a very nice Wellington. Whole Foods and other gourmet groceries sell DuFour, an all-butter puff pastry version, for $11 in Florida. The kind you serve is up to you. I personally use and love Pepperidge Farm's pastry, but I used an all-butter version when I took the pictures for this blog. Both work great. Real butter is just heavenly, however. (We miss you, Julia Child!)

Prosciutto

To make a proper Wellington, you will need 3-4 ounces of prosciutto or Parma ham. Aldi sells a true Italian version for under $4, which comes with six slices. You can find cheap prosciutto at Costco and other warehouse clubs. Try to find a real Italian version, but you can use any thinly cut ham.

Duxelles Ingredients

Pate

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt on Serious Eats advocates for using foie gras to enhance Beef Wellington. He also recommends using truffles, if you can afford them (seriously, who can afford truffles, as they are typically only accessible to high-end restaurants). Many other chefs recommend adding pâté to the mushroom mixture. I found a frozen pâté with truffles for $5, which is more than enough to make this recipe. Wild Fork Foods sells this, although inexpensive pate is available everywhere. I have also made the dish using homemade chicken liver pate, which can be made inexpensively. Pate or foie gras is optional— your Wellington will be fine without it, but it will be something truly sublime with good pate. If you're feeling particularly fancy, Wild Fork sells humanely produced foie gras from New York for under $10.

Wild Fork Foods sells this wonderful pate for $5 nationwide in the U.S.

Mushrooms and Shallots

Use any mushroom you like. The day I took these photos, I had Baby Bella, white button, and fresh Shitake mushrooms in the refrigerator. I used a mixture, and the result was amazing. You can get a good result using 12-16 oz. of any common mushroom at Aldi, Walmart, or your local grocery store. In my local Aldi, these mushrooms are around $4 per pound. You can use dried mushrooms by soaking them in water and reconstituting them.

If you can find shallots, try to use them. Your local Asian grocery or Sprouts grocery is a great place to find inexpensive shallots. If you can't find shallots, use finely chopped scallions or green onions instead.

Chopped mushrooms, Shallots, and butter: Ingredients for Duxelles.

Other Ingredients

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt suggests using a sheet or two of phyllo dough to prevent the meat juices from making the puff pastry soggy. I like this method, and it's faster and more effective than making a crepe. You can find frozen phyllo dough everywhere. Thaw enough to get 1-2 sheets and cover them while preparing. Return the unused product to the freezer—you will need it at some point if you love baklava!

Note that this step is particularly important when using the Teres Major cut, which is juicier (and tastier) than a true tenderloin and has more fat. Because of this, the juices can escape and make the pastry soggy, particularly on the bottom. It is important to protect the pastry with a layer of phyllo or a crepe and keep it dry and flaky.

Kitchen Gear

To make this recipe, you only need a little butcher's twine, a good knife, some plastic wrap, and a meat thermometer. You can cook Wellington on a foil-lined baking sheet or a rack over a baking pan.

Preparation Steps for Beef Wellington on a Budget

Step 1: Prepare the Beef

Remove the tied beef from the refrigerator. Season the beef generously with salt (add pepper afterward, as it can burn at high heat). Heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the beef on all sides for 2-3 minutes each, until a golden-brown crust forms. This step enhances the dish’s overall flavor. Transfer the beef to a plate and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

Mix the Dijon mustard and soy sauce, and brush this mixture on all sides of the beef. Don't remove the string yet. Wrap the beef tightly in plastic wrap and set it in the refrigerator until it cools completely.

Step 2: Make the Mushroom Duxelles

Using the same skillet, heat two tablespoons of butter. Add the finely chopped mushrooms and stir until the moisture evaporates, about 5-7 minutes. Add the finely chopped shallots and garlic. Stir a minute or two more. If you are using pate, don't season your mixture yet. If not, salt and pepper the mixture to taste.

If you use pate, add 5-6 ounces to the mushroom mixture under medium heat. Stir until the mixture becomes somewhat thick. Remove to a bowl and refrigerate until cool. This mushroom duxelles will add a savory depth, marrying beautifully with the beef.

Step 3: Assemble the Wellington

Lay out two sheets of phyllo dough on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Lay the prosciutto slices on the phyllo dough, slightly overlapping, as shown. Spread the cooled mushroom duxelles evenly over the prosciutto.

Remove the plastic wrap and remove the outer ties from the beef, leaving only the center string intact. Place the beef roll at the bottom of the phyllo as shown and wrap it up, using the plastic wrap and phyllo to rotate the beef roll. This is much like wrapping a sushi roll or jelly roll. Wrap it in plastic wrap after rolling and secure it tightly. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

By putting the rolled beef with the duxelles and prosciutto in the refrigerator, you allow the mixture to become quite cool. This will prevent the beef from overcooking while in the pastry later on.

Preheat your oven to 425°F (210°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry sheet until two inches wider than your roll on each side and thin. Beat your egg lightly with a fork, and get a pastry brush. Carefully unwrap the beef from the plastic and place it at the bottom of the pastry as shown. Brush egg on the area for six inches above the beef. Roll the pastry up and seal the edge. Fold the sides of the roll like a present, cutting off the pastry at the bottom of each side, as shown. Seal edges with the beaten egg. Make decorative cuts in the pastry (don't cut all the way through). Put on a foil-lined baking sheet or a rack over a baking sheet. Admire your work. Pat yourself on the back.

If you have enough pastry left over, you can make your Wellington more beautiful with cutouts. If not, you can make decorative marks in the one layer of dough. A crosshatch pattern is very nice. Try not to cut through the pastry.

Step 5: Bake the Wellington

Sprinkle on flake salt, if you have it, for extra crunchiness on top. Put in a hot oven for at least 30 minutes but no more than 40 minutes, or until the pastry turns golden brown and flaky. If you have a meat thermometer, check that the internal temperature of the Teres Major reaches approximately 110°F (45°C) for medium rare. The temperature will continue to rise by about 10 degrees as you rest the Wellington.

Step 6: Serve and Enjoy

It's really important to rest your Wellington because it will have a lot of moisture (more than a typical Wellington). I was losing light for a photograph on the day I took the photo below, and cut it a little too fast. Resting keeps the moisture from escaping from the meat, making your pastry soggy. Teres Major naturally has more juices and flavor than tenderloin, so some juices will escape. That's okay. It means your meat is moist and delicious.

Letting the Wellington rest will also help when cutting it. Cut it into one-inch slices carefully. Use a very sharp knife with gentle movements to avoid breaking the pastry.

Beef Wellington, sliced in half.

Pair your Wellington with roasted vegetables or a fresh salad for a complete meal. Enjoy the delicious results of your efforts!

Cook Like a Pro Without Spending a Fortune

Cooking gourmet dishes doesn't need to be financially daunting. With the right cuts of meat and creativity, you can produce restaurant-quality meals in your kitchen. Using the Teres Major in this reinterpretation of Gordon Ramsay’s classic Beef Wellington, you’ll wow your guests and savor a beautiful meal emphasizing flavor without high costs.

So put on your apron and embark on this culinary adventure! Every great chef starts somewhere, and today is the perfect day to learn. Will this dish become your new go-to for dinner parties? It will be the talk at the water cooler or your next family gathering: you made a Wellington, just like those chefs on TV, and it was delicious!

Sizzling Beef Wellington ready to impress at dinner.