Medium Rare for Filet Mignon?

Sandi_k

OK, so we've "broken in" the Egg with some lower-temp cooks, and the last two weekends we've done filets. We followed the cookbook instructions, had the beef at room temp, seared the beef then flipped to new sections of the grill.

Our new Thermapen has been a champ, and we've cooked the steaks to 145* as directed in the book. But DH finds the results to be more like "medium" cooks, rather than "medium rare."

I don't want him getting food poisoning, if 145* is required for safety's sake.

Would this be a good time to use the Sous Vide technique?

Thanks.

Sandi

xraypat23

sandi, go for about 10 degrees less than the finish temp. There's always carry over cooking. For medium rare I'd cook to 130-135 TOPS!

Little Steven

145* is medium. 130* will produce medium rare. Temp will rise while the meat is resting too. Count on 5*. Anything that will cause food poisoning is on the surface of meat and that will be cooked off at less than 120*

Bear 007

145°is definitely med or med well, pull at 132°. I try to pull mine at 127°.

Sandi_k

Awesome, that helps. 

New note, added to the cookbook.

Sandi

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Hi Sandy, Beef is safe at lower temperatures. Contaminates cannot get into the muscle on things like steak. Once the outside is over 140, everything is eviscerated. I cook to about 125-130 on my steaks and you don't have to worry about steaks done this way. 

Once you grind beef up, say for burgers, whatever was on the outside is now on the inside too. That is why ground beef is not safe below 140.

As far as the Sous Vide Technique goes, it would pasteurize your steaks at lower temps, but there is no need for it. Sous vide for steaks is about texture and perfect doneness from edge to edge.

You are perfectly safe cooking steaks at 125 or lower on the egg (or anything else)

cssmd27

Sous Vide technique works very well on steaks!  If you have the true proper equipment, I would do that and just sear on a very hot fire.  You don't even need to check your temp because it is essentially cooked when you put it out there and you are just adding the sear for flavor and coloring.

If, you don't do that, the advice you have already been given in excellent.  I don't know if it makes you feel any better, but I've often pulled mine at sub 110 and let them "coast" up to the high 110's, but we like things on the rare side of med-rare.  I would pull as soon as it crosses 120 and let it rest for 5+ min.

eggo

What dome temp are you cooking the filets? Do you sear or just grill or both?

Sandi_k

Hi Sandy, Beef is safe at lower temperatures. Contaminates cannot get into the muscle on things like steak. Once the outside is over 140, everything is eviscerated. I cook to about 125-130 on my steaks and you don't have to worry about steaks done this way. 

Once you grind beef up, say for burgers, whatever was on the outside is now on the inside too. That is why ground beef is not safe below 140.

As far as the Sous Vide Technique goes, it would pasteurize your steaks at lower temps, but there is no need for it. Sous vide for steaks is about texture and perfect doneness from edge to edge.

You are perfectly safe cooking steaks at 125 or lower on the egg (or anything else)

Thanks, CTS. That helps. We can pull DH's steak at 125* and then let mine go to 145* - and we'll both have perfect steaks. 

Sandi

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Hi Sandy, Beef is safe at lower temperatures. Contaminates cannot get into the muscle on things like steak. Once the outside is over 140, everything is eviscerated. I cook to about 125-130 on my steaks and you don't have to worry about steaks done this way. 

Once you grind beef up, say for burgers, whatever was on the outside is now on the inside too. That is why ground beef is not safe below 140.

As far as the Sous Vide Technique goes, it would pasteurize your steaks at lower temps, but there is no need for it. Sous vide for steaks is about texture and perfect doneness from edge to edge.

You are perfectly safe cooking steaks at 125 or lower on the egg (or anything else)

Thanks, CTS. That helps. We can pull DH's steak at 125* and then let mine go to 145* - and we'll both have perfect steaks. 

Sandi

Sounds like a deal to me!

Little Steven

I put my wife's on a few minutes before mine. Usually pull at the same time or close

stike

there's a joke somewhere in there.