Need Help: Fillet Mignon

[BigRix]

The wife asked me to make Fillet Mignon for valentines day.

I have never made it before so I am looking for suggestions for cut size, cooking method, and sides.

Beef tenderloin is on sale starting tomorrow at one of my local grocery stores so how thick would you have it cut?

[pbe gummi bear]

Oooh, good luck on your hot date! Since the steak is pretty thick, you'll probably want a mix of searing to give you that nice crust and indirect cooking to cook the middle without overcooking the outside. Some people like to sear first, and some like to do it after. How do you and the wife like your steak cooked? If you like it more on the rare side, I think it's more forgiving to sear first- This prevents overcooking the center if you aren't used to timing the sear at the end. Simple salt and pepper on it and a little oil to prevent sticking on the grate should do the trick

I like my cuts to be 2.25" +/-.25" or just eyeball it   this may sound thick but remember it will shrink. The diameter of the steak can also affect how thick you want it. If it's skinnier you may want it a little taller to get more meat, or vice versa.

[Winz]

Gummi gave some good advice.  A couple of other tips:

• Make sure the steaks are at room temp before cooking or they will be rare in the middle and overcooked outside
• Season with Salt and Pepper liberally while they are coming to room temp
• After you pull them off the grill, let them rest for at least 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.  If you cut too early, the steaks will be dry
• If you like blue cheese, take 1 part room temp butter and 1 part blue cheese, mix them together, refrigerate, and put a nice big dollop on top of your steaks.  Yum

Filet and a good bottle of red wine = happy valentines day.

Winz

[jimmy_dong]

This may be sacrilege but the best filet I have made has been done in a cast iron skillet.

*gasp* to hell you say?

room temp filet
brushed lightly with oil and seasoning of choice, preferably s&P. notice that the P is capitol. That means a lot.
HOT skillet, not hot enough to warrant a kitchen remodel but HOT
3 min on one side
flip
3 min on other
toss that panty dropper in a 450 deg oven until desired temp. Please somewhere medium or under

Same could be done on a kettle. The cast iron gives a crust that cannot be obtained on grates.

[pbe gummi bear]

This may be sacrilege but the best filet I have made has been done in a cast iron skillet.

*gasp* to hell you say?

room temp filet
brushed lightly with oil and seasoning of choice, preferably s&P. notice that the P is capitol. That means a lot.
HOT skillet, not hot enough to warrant a kitchen remodel but HOT
3 min on one side
flip
3 min on other
toss that panty dropper in a 450 deg oven until desired temp. Please somewhere medium or under

Same could be done on a kettle. The cast iron gives a crust that cannot be obtained on grates.

Jimmy is correct. If you use the kettle instead of the stove and oven it throws the filet mignon over the top. The sear of CI cannot be be beat by normal grates.

[mrbill]

you said you haven't done one before, so imo, you should go the safe route-
here is my suggestion for a safe route-
around 1hr before going on grill, pull steaks out. lightly brush them w/olive oil. then dust with coarse salt and black pepper. do this all around(even if wrapped in bacon).
let them sit in this state on a counter while you get the grill ready.
(since this is WKC, I'm assuming you're gonna be doing these over charcoal in your kettle).
get your coals going good and hot(technique will vary depending on if you use a chimney, weed burner or other method for coal starting)
place coals on side of the kettle(if you have baskets, use one, if not, pretend you do and keep the coals in a similar state)
put the grate on and let it sit for at least 10min.

now it's magic time-

once the grate is heated, do a quick sear on the two flat sides of the steak. you want to get a good crust of oil/seasonings/juices, but you don't want to char the meat.

after your sear is done, move the steaks towards the middle of the grill and give them a few minutes per side(with one flip).

this should have your steaks near medium rare. then let them rest for at least 10min before serving.

if your filets are wrapped in bacon, follow the above instructions until the bacon is almost crispy all around. then let rest until the steak juices relax the bacon.

[BigRix]

I'm gonna break in the SS Performer and the sear grate.

Wish me luck.

[MaxBobcat]

Good luck!  Lump charcoal works great for a hot and fast sear!

[Weber MD]

You'll love the sear grate.  Good luck with the cook.

[pbe gummi bear]

How did it go?

[Winz]

Yes, please tell (at least to the dinner part, after that we don't need to know)

Winz

[MINIgrillin]

I'm gonna commit some steak sacrilege. I like to place my steak in the freezer for an hour before the fire. Pat dry with paper towel and coat with kosher salt and cornstarch. YES...cornstarch. Prep grill for super high heat with that sear grate (glowing). Add fresh ground pepper to taste before throwing steaks on. 

With a 2 inch cut I would do 5 min per side. Will be rare
With a 3 inch cut I would do 7 min per side.  Still rare.

This method is to create a thick crust on the steaks and have pink middle. It's an Americas test kitchen method.

[BigRix]

Sorry for the delay.

The Fillets turned out excellent.

I'm really loving the sear grate.



3 minutes per side on the grate then moved to the edge till medium.

First time cooking asparagus on the grill, awesome.

Sweet potato fries and bread.

Ended up making three plates because my youngest daughter couldn't find anything to do that night.

I guess I should be thankful I didn't have to worry about her being out on a date.

Needless to say the rest of the date was spent watching movies with my wife, daughter, and one of her friend that came over after dinner.

[1buckie]

Good Show !!!!!!

Asparagus is always grate on the grill !!!!

This is jalepeno ranch & grated parm melted on at the end.....messy, but good !!!!

[glrasmussen]

Looks like all turned out great! Daughter with friend at home = +!

Buckie I have to do some research. Lite palettes here in MN, never seen "jalepeno ranch" here, just plain Ranch...Bring on some flavored heat.  Boys Be-ich of it is not original...