February 11, 2026 Ellen 0 Comments

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Sous Vide Petite Filet (Petite Tender, Bistro Filet or Shoulder Petite)

Petite Filet, also known as Petite Tender, Bistro Filet, or Shoulder Petite Tender, is a small lean cut from the shoulder of the cow, called Teres Major. If you are a fan of filet mignon, the petite filet is a miniature version of this tenderloin at about half the price per pound. It’s usually around 9 inches long and about 3 inches wide in the middle. I say middle because the ends of this cut tapers. It’s meaty, lean and tender when cooked medium rare. I hear this cut gets tough when cooked medium or higher, but I would never know because I would never take a steak to medium or beyond.

Because of the odd shape, the best way to cook this beef is sous vide and then a quick sear. Two hours at 129°F will give you a perfect medium rare throughout the entire cut, from the middle of this tender, to the end parts. If you don’t have a sous vide, this cut can also be cooked in the oven using the reverse sear method. See my notes below for instructions for oven cooking the petite filet.

Back to sous vide, I marinate with my usual suspects, including my secret ingredient- soy sauce! Each petite filet is approximately 3/4 pound each, so it makes a good portion for 1 serving. Plan to cook 1 filet for each person. Finished with a quick cast iron sear and a decadent butter baste, these steaks deliver that iconic steakhouse crust without the risk of overcooking the center. Whether you prefer your steak rare or medium-rare, this sous vide tenderloin recipe is the most reliable way to serve a restaurant-quality meal at home.

Why Sous Vide Petite Filet?

Precision Doneness: No more grey bands—just a consistent pink center from one side to the other.
Budget-Friendly Luxury: Petite filets offer the same tenderness as center-cut filet mignon but are often more accessible for weeknight dinners.
Stress-Free Entertaining: Since the steak can stay in the water bath for up to 4 hours without overcooking, it’s the perfect main dish for hosting guests.

Sous Vide Petite Filet Mignon Steak — Filets will look dull and grey right out of the sous vide. Don’t worry, grilling will transform the filets!

Sous Vide Steak for Perfect Temperature — Serve with compound butter.

What’s in this

petite filets
soy sauce
salt
garlic granules
onion granules

Sous Vide Petite Filet

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A petite filet is a small, tender cut of beef from the shoulder/chuck region, often referred to as Teres Major. It is shaped like a tenderloin, is known for its tenderness, and priced about half of what a tenderloin sells for per pound. Each petite filet generally weighs about 12 to 15 ounces each and is best cooked the same way a regular tenderloin is cooked- quickly over high heat, grilling, searing or roasted. Because of the petite filet’s ends are tapered, they tend to cook faster than the center, where the steak is thicker. The best way to cook this cut of beef is sous vide and reverse sear. I’ll go over the sous vide method here. If you would like to reverse sear this in the oven, check out my reverse sear version here.

Author: Ellen
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

Steak and Marinade

2 petite filets (about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon garlic granules
1 tablespoon onion granules
2 tablespoons butter

For the sear

3 tablespoons butter
3 sprigs thyme
3 cloves garlic, smashed

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Instructions

Place the petite filets on a shallow pan and drizzle the soy sauce over the filets. Turn the steaks around in the pool of soy sauce to make sure there is a light coating of soy sauce on the entire surface of the beef. Always drizzle the the soy first before the dry seasons so that the soy sauce doesn’t wash away any of the seasonings.
Now with the filet evenly coated throughout its surface with soy sauce, sprinkle the salt, garlic and onion granules around the filets. The dry seasonings should adhere well.
Place the steaks in a sous vide bag or freezer zip lock bag. Let the steak sit at room temperature for 15 minutes while it marinates. Preheat your sous vide water to 129°F for medium rare. See chart below for other temperatures. Immerse the bag into the water and let any air out of the bag if using a zip lock bag.
After 2 hours, remove the bag from the water. Take the filets out of the bag and place on a baking sheet to let the beef air dry.
Preheat your cast iron or pan on high. Once your pan is smoking hot, sear your steaks for 1 minute. Do not touch it. After 1 minute, rotate the filets a quarter turn each. Add the butter to the pan and toss in the garlic and thyme on top of the butter. Allow a few seconds for the aromatics to blossom. Tilt you pan in a circular motion so that the butter travels across and around the pan. After searing the 2nd side for 1 minute, rotate the filets another quarter turn. Spoon the butter over the filets to baste the steaks. After 1 minute, turn the filets another quarter turn. This is the last side for a total sear time of 4 minutes, basting frequently.
Remove the steak from the pan onto a plate. Pour any remaining butter over the steak. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Slice and serve.