Well done filet mignon?

NewbeeMinimax

Hi,
I cooked filet mignon recently--reverse seared until IT of 135. Seared in CI pan with ghee/butter till IT of 145. Came out perfect for me but was "pink" and "raw" for others in the family. My question is:
1. Can I sear them to IT of 160 for well done? As tenderloins are very lean, won't they be dry? Should I cut thinner pieces? ( I had cut them to about 2 inches each--meat was from costco with enough marbling). 
2. I cooked NY steaks before and was able to cook rare to well done without any problems due to higher fat content in them.

Thanks.

JustineCaseyFeldown

sear for color and the exterior goodness, but then roast to finish, especially if they are thick.  first direct, then indirect.

if they are thinner or if the people won't notice (and if they want well done filets, they probably won't notice) you can cook to that internal by searing.  that will give you a bit more overcooked exterior while the middle waits to hit 165

yes, it'll be drier and firmer.  can't really overcook meat while also retaining moisture. 

fishlessman has a good trick: turn down the lights.  people won't notice it is redder than they like.

KYJeff

My family is medium rare for the most part.  There are a couple of mid-well black sheep.  I start their steaks about 15 minutes earlier when using reverse searing.  I bring them up to 160 degrees before I pull them.  Even cooking at 200 degrees it does not take as long as you would think to hit 160.  I have had people say their 160 degree reverse seared steak was not done enough though, basically because it wasn't dry. Like you said it's a very lean cut.  finishing them off under a broiler is an option as well.    

fishlessman

if its the older crowd cut them thinner and overcook them, thats how they grew up eating steak, thin, burnt, and covered with steak sauce i shoot for 122 internal with those 2 inch ones but do cook the thin .75 inch ones for sandwiches, 450 grill down low near the lump flipping, use a marinade if your going over 150 internal. any internal past 135 and the fancier trex, reverse sear doesnt work as well for me.

NewbeeMinimax

Thanks all. This site is great:)

abpgwolf

NewbeeMinimax said:

Hi,
I cooked filet mignon recently--reverse seared until IT of 135. Seared in CI pan with ghee/butter till IT of 145. Came out perfect for me but was "pink" and "raw" for others in the family. My question is:
1. Can I sear them to IT of 160 for well done? As tenderloins are very lean, won't they be dry? Should I cut thinner pieces? ( I had cut them to about 2 inches each--meat was from costco with enough marbling). 
2. I cooked NY steaks before and was able to cook rare to well done without any problems due to higher fat content in them.

Thanks.

Please watch your language! Terms like "well done filet mignon" and "IT of 160" when used in reference to a steak, can easily offend other on the forum. In the future please use terms like "medium rare" or "IT of 135" ;-)

blind99

the proper way to cook a filet is to walk the cow through the kitchen, show it the stove, and take it directly to the plate.  it should moo.

in all seriousness - filet is tender but kind of flavorless - cooking it to higher temps robs it of it's main benefit, the tenderness.  you certainly can cook it to 160, but people who like well-done meat might be  happier with a fattier cut, like ribeye.  what it loses in tenderness is disguised by the delicious fat.

also, what thermometer were you using?  I was cooking at a friend's house recently and they had a thermopop and an old bimetallic, and the bimetallic was reading 25* too high.

NewbeeMinimax

That is a right suggestion.  I am better off with other parts of meats for people who like to be cooked well done. Never did a rib eye--most probably with do it for next gathering in couple of weeks

Thanks about thermometer suggestion. I learnt the hard way--burnt 2 coooks--realized the original BGE thermometer was off by 100 degrees.  Now check every cook with BGE thermapen as well:)

Foghorn

There are some folks who want their meat brown but RELATIVELY moist.  My father was one of them.  When he cooked he rarely achieved it as he was also fine if his meat was frankly overcooked and dry.  In the last few years of his life I made a point of cooking his meat that way whenever I got the chance.  It is a fairly narrow window - internal temp between about 158 and 165.  A lot of good cooks see a brown steak as "ruined" so 160 and somewhat moist is the same as 180+ and dry - as neither one is worth eating.  But brown and moist is possible if you work at it and SOME of the people who want their steak well-done will appreciate it. 

Hans61

Give the people who want well done sirloin filets and the people who want medium rare tenderloin filets 

Carolina Q

My brother cooked a beef tenderloin at Christmas last year. Medium rare and delicious! When he took it out of the oven, he sliced off a serving for Mom... and put it in the microwave. She enjoyed hers as much as the rest of us enjoyed ours. Besides, for anyone who likes it well done, it's ruined anyway! 

1move

I would just serve them chicken, and retain all the tenderloin for me and those that like it a few degrees south of shoe leather.

Another option would be to get a new family!

In all seriousness as everyone else has mentioned use a different cut of meat. My dad loves his stake well done and ruined by my standards. What I do with his once it is pulled off at medium rare is directly wrap it in foil and let it rest for 10 minutes. He has never complained since and just couldn't understand how it remained so moist!!

GregW

My family has a few that request well done steaks. Needless to say they never get steaks at my house. They are on the hot dog meal plan.

DoubleEgger

I'll make a SRF filet look like one of Mickeys wings if that's what my guest wants. 

YukonRon

I am not eating it, so if they want shoe leather, they got it.

ToTheMax

Hah, that reminds me of a time my dad came over. He tells me "I'll teach you how to grill a beef kebab". I thought maybe he knew something I didn't...

He throws them on the egg, turns them every few minutes. I pull out my thermometer and I tell him "umn... they were done a while back, how much longer are you going to grill them?" He cuts one open, it's slightly pink. He goes "at least another 10 minutes" :facepalm:

I pulled off a few skewers of the slightly overdone kebab for my wife and I, and he overcooked the rest of them. He said that when it's hard on the outside it locks in the juices :huh:

pgprescott

oxymoron

nolaegghead

It is well known that Trump likes his steaks well done, so that doneness must be the best.  undercooked like medium well, sad!

pgprescott

nolaegghead said:

It is well known that Trump likes his steaks well done, so that doneness must be the best.  undercooked like medium well, sad!

I heard it's Tremendous! Ha Ha 

Well done on your part!

fishlessman

nolaegghead said:

It is well known that Trump likes his steaks well done, so that doneness must be the best.  undercooked like medium well, sad!

obama can have his turkey chili with beans even sadder

turkey chili with beans or a bigly steak

edit:  even sadder still, obamas favorite food WAS pizza, Michelle made him change his fav to turkey chili

nolaegghead

'Vanity Fair' Skewers Trump Grill in Scathing Review - Us Weekly

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/vanity-fair-skewers-trump-grill-in-scathing-review-w456081

nolaegghead

Sad!

Donald Trump Really Doesn’t Want Me to Tell You This, but … | Vanity Fair

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/12/donald-trump-mark-bowden-playboy-profile

fishlessman

nolaegghead said:

Sad!

Donald Trump Really Doesn’t Want Me to Tell You This, but … | Vanity Fair

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/12/donald-trump-mark-bowden-playboy-profile

i read the whole article and only recall this part

He surrounded himself with “geniuses” and delegated

poster

fishlessman said:

if its the older crowd cut them thinner and overcook them, thats how they grew up eating steak, thin, burnt, and covered with steak sauce i shoot for 122 internal with those 2 inch ones but do cook the thin .75 inch ones for sandwiches, 450 grill down low near the lump flipping, use a marinade if your going over 150 internal. any internal past 135 and the fancier trex, reverse sear doesnt work as well for me.

So true, if my mother sees any form of liquid in chicken,pork, or beef its not done. Ive tried for years to try and change this but have finally gave up. I also get the "too smokey" thing as well. She would never tell me directly, but i can tell

nolaegghead

fishlessman said:

nolaegghead said:

Sad!

Donald Trump Really Doesn’t Want Me to Tell You This, but … | Vanity Fair

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/12/donald-trump-mark-bowden-playboy-profile

i read the whole article and only recall this part

He surrounded himself with “geniuses” and delegated

hahaha

What was clear was how fast and far one could fall from favor. The trip from “genius” to “idiot” was a flash. The former pilots who flew his plane were geniuses, until they made one too many bumpy landings and became “fvcking idiots.” The gold carpeting selected in his absence for the locker rooms in the spa at Mar-a-Lago? “What kind of fvcking idiot . . . ?” I watched as Trump strutted around the beautifully groomed clay tennis courts on his estate, managed by noted tennis pro Anthony Boulle. The courts had been prepped meticulously for a full day of scheduled matches. Trump took exception to the design of the spaces between courts. In particular, he didn’t like a small metal box—a pump and cooler for the water fountain alongside—which he thought looked ugly. He first questioned its placement, then crudely disparaged it, then kicked the box, which didn’t budge, and then stooped—red-faced and fuming—to tear it loose from its moorings, rupturing a water line and sending a geyser to soak the courts. Boulle looked horrified, a weekend of tennis abruptly drowned. Catching a glimpse of me watching, Trump grimaced.

SloppyJoe

I would serve those who want well done steaks, eye of the round.