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Blackened my filet Mignon. What did I do wrong?

koster88
koster88 Posts: 3
edited April 2012 in EggHead Forum
Need some advice on what I did wrong last night.    I cooked some Filet Migon's last night on my BGE.    They were about 1 1/2" or so thick (pretty normal looking).    I've cooked them before (once or twice) and came out *ok*.    I had temp at 550-575, and used a cast iron grate.    I cooked them for 2 min on 1 side, 2 min on the other side, and back on starting side for 2 more min.   Internal Temp was about 130ish and I like them rare to medium rare, so that was good.   The Problem is...  they were VERY heavily charred.   Black and tasted burnt.   what did I do wrong?   I cleaned off the Cast Iron grate.  Did I not clean it well enough?   do I need to get that grate a little higher from the fire pit?    I need some advice.  Filet Migon is one of my fav things to eat, and I cant seem to nail it on the BGE yet.   

Comments

  • odie91
    odie91 Posts: 541
    after searing, try lowering temperature and/or indirect to finish it.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    edited April 2012
    too long over the direct heat.

    to take it to an extreme, imagine what it would look like if you cooked a large roast over direct heat for as long as it was required for the interior to hit your desired temp. it would be a meteorite on the exterior

    your steaks were thick, and they probably went on cold.  even an hour on the counter at room temp wont help. they stay cold in the interior, and room temp would still only be 65 or so.

    let them sit out for a couple hours. a little salt on them.  then sear.

    or, sear both sides to your liking, remove them from the grill. drop dome temp to 400, and let the steaks rest as the dome temp settles down.  then back on to finish at a gentler temp.

    or, cook at a lower temp until close to desired level of 'done-ness', then jack the heat up and add a little sear. 

    yet another way...  toss the steaks into a a zip-top bag, suck out the air, and submerge in hot tapwater (in a big bowl).  this takes th chill out more quickly than leaving it on the counter.  you can change out the water if it cools.  by the time the grill is at searing temps, and the steaks have warmed for a half hour or so, they can go on, and all you have to do is sear to finish. your tap water is hotter than room temp.  the steaks might hit the grill at already 100 internal.  just 20 or 30 degrees to go, and that will happen with the relatively sear alone.




    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • I almost always "hot tub" steaks. Season them.Put them in a ziploc and throw them into 100 degree water for 1/2 - 1 hr. In my case I actually throw them in my hot tub. Then they are on the grill a much shorter period of time.

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    actual hot tub?
    that's some funky cross contamination on the outside of the bag...  :-& :))
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • I don't eat the bag. Nothing touches the outside of the bag. And that's what hot tub chemicals are for.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    edited April 2012
    keep telling yourself that.
    hahaha

    hands open bag, hands reach in and pull out steak...

    i know what goes on in hot-tobs, man  :-$

    eeeewwww.
      :-&
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • stilllaughing
    stilllaughing Posts: 143
    edited April 2012
    Hands don't touch steaks. And you don't know what goes on in our hot tub. Lol
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    i know your ass goes in your hot tub.  and your naughty-bits. @-)

    call me crazy. but i'd bet you a hundred bucks if you were at morton's, and the chef was in the hot tub with your steak and a pair of tongs, you'd decline.
    :))
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
    I find about half the time, zip-locks are not water tight, especially if they've been in the freezer.  For that reason, I wouldn't hot tub steaks in an actual hot tub.

    Stike's advice (first part) sounds an awful lot like the T-Rex method.  Google that and follow it...it works.  

    Most of the steaks I do are from full tenderloins that I slice at home into steaks about 2" thick.  I sear them for about 90s per side, rest while the egg cools to around 350-400 and give them another 4 minutes per side.
  • For a total monkey wrench is these works (and probably the wrong forum)....depending on our mood, we sometimes use a sous vide (a real kitchen hot tub:)  to do our steaks, fish, and chicken and then finish them off on the Egg. Sous vide cooking is essentially a pasteurization process where you can cook foods at very low temps in water under vacuum (think food saver bags). You can do chicken breasts at 140 and they are completely safe and pour out liquid when you cut them open.

    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,674
    i like to use my stainless grate over my castiron one because the cast one over chars to much for me, i find castiron used in an egg to be overrated. theres two sides to the grate, took me too long to figure that out, pointy side chars less. didnt say if you cooked it dome open or shut, flames sometimes happen with dome open, i sear with it open but if i see flames i shut the dome. trex works best for me, skip going by time and sear til you like how it looks, take it off the grill and drop temps to 350/400, if it takes 30 minutes or even more thats fine, then put it back on and roast it to temp. i get them off the grill at 125 and let it rest longer to finish up the cook. burnt pepper is the worst, bitter char taste, i salt, sear, then pepper or rub during the rest, then the roasting stage
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • i know your @#!*% goes in your hot tub.  and your naughty-bits. @-)

    call me crazy. but i'd bet you a hundred bucks if you were at morton's, and the chef was in the hot tub with your steak and a pair of tongs, you'd decline.
    :))

    :))
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Cowdogs
    Cowdogs Posts: 491

    Are you using a rub or marinaide with sugar in it?

  • Davekatz
    Davekatz Posts: 763
    I can commiserate - been there, done that. Took me three tries to get it right. Trick is to get the grid hot, but get the steak away from the heat after searing. Try shutting the lower vent down right before you put the steak on.


    Food & Fire - The carnivorous ramblings of a gluten-free grill geek.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    cowdogs has a good point.


    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Gato
    Gato Posts: 766
    @stike
    Man you had me rollin over here.
    Geaux Tigers!!!