filet mignon help

Unknown

I have 3, 2 1/2 inch filet mignon. havent cooked a filet in a while. any ideas on time and temp for medium rare? thanks

Ike Witt

This link will get you started. I am sure someone will post a link on how to Trex a steak. Both methods work really well.

best
allen

http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/1996/02/beef-steak.html

Celtic Wolf

It's not really Filet Migon until you wrap it in Bacon. So here is a great way to cook tenderloin Filets

Steak Au Poivre

This recipe calls for NY Strips, but the original calls for Beef Tenderloin's cut like yours. Because they are so lean it will not take long to get them to Med-Rare.

Rascal

That is quite the delicate cook for which there is probably no exact formula (recipe) to replace experience. Unless you want to be messing with a thermometer, the "press" (or finger test) is probably the best way to determine doneness. Just be careful if you decide to put it back on the fire as tenderloin will vulcanize in a heartbeat!

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/007259the_finger_test_to_check_the_doneness_of_meat.php

stike

if they are 2-1/2 inches, you should think about reverse Trex. mentioned in a thread below somewhere.

slow roast them at 250 until they are 115 internal. then take them off, open vents til you have a good sear fire going (650 or so), then throw them back on for 90 seconds a side (roughly).

salt only for the cook then some pepper after...

they are very thick, and if you don't have a thermometer, there's no way we can really tell you "X minutes at Y degrees", just doesn't work that way. even the old "press test" kinda falls apart when you have a steak 2-1/2 inches thick.

my biggest suggestion is to warm them gently. if not reverse Trex, then maybe even the water bath (hot tub method).

as Celtic Wolf mentioned, if you are doing filet mignon, it will help in this case. i don't use the bacon for flavor, so much as to keep the shape and compactness of the filet when cooking. without bacon, the thing wall relax and sloped to the side perhaps, even flop over. bacon tightens and keeps it together, standing upright.

Rascal

At the least, the "press test" should help to keep one under, rather than over the target of doneness. After that, it's the chef's move!

civil eggineer

Stike again offered eggcellent advice. I would reverse sear them after hot tubing the meat before cooking them due to their thickness. Fillets are one of the only steaks that I like a little on the rare side because of their tenderness. I might also marinade them in some soy, garlic and EVOO to give them a little additional flavor prior to cooking.

stike

i hearya

i'm just thinking that if he doesn't have a thermapen, and doesn't have much experience with cooking filets, the "press test" is probably not in his bag of tricks either. and in his case might only tell him when he's TOO done.

if a "leave in" thermometer is available, i'd do the slow roast til 120 internal, then sear the ever-loving bajeezers out of it. that last bit of sear should put it close to medium rare.

Rascal

I can't/won't argue the point. Nice to read and digest a lot of inputs! Thank you all!!