Coffee Rubbed Filet Mignon (Best Coffee Rubbed Steak)
Quick Look: Coffee Rubbed Filet Mignon
- 🕐 Prep: 15 minutes
- 🔥 Cook: 15 minutes
- ⏱️ Resting Time: 55 minutes
- ⏳ Total: 1 hour 25 minutes
- 🍽️ Servings: 4
- 🔥 Cook Method: Stove-to-Oven
- 😋 Flavor Profile: Bold, rich, smoky, savory
- 📊 Difficulty: Intermediate
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Table of Contents
Why Is My Coffee Rubbed Steak So Good!
After 25+ years of cooking hundreds of steaks professionally and at home, I’ve learned (and still learning) many techniques of how to cook the best steaks. I always share them all in my posts. This dry rubbed steak is no exception.
- I tested this coffee steak rub recipe extensively before landing on this exact blend. More ingredients didn’t mean better flavor. I focused on coffee-forward rub with no excess bells and whistles.
- My filet mignon recipe is always a start with friends and family so I went with that cut. But, you can use this recipe for any cut of steak!
- I always balance rub flavors with some sugar, it’s a must for a well balanced dry rub. (Just try my ultimate dry rub recipe.)
- The stove-to-oven method of cooking steak is best here. It gives you a perfect sear without burning the rub, something you’d risk on a grill or just pan seared.
- If you have time, give it at least 45 minutes of dry brining. Dry-brining the seasoned steaks before cooking lets the salt and seasoning penetrate deep into the meat, so every single bite is seasoned, not just the crust.
Key Ingredient Notes
- Finely ground coffee: Use dry, unused finely ground coffee. Fine-ground builds a tighter, more even crust than coarse-ground. Any dark roast works well; medium roast is fine too.
- Ancho chili powder: Ancho is a dried poblano pepper with deep, smoky, mildly fruity heat. Ancho chili powder adds smoky, earthy heat without making this spicy. It works with the coffee, not against it. If needed, substitute regular chili powder or guajillo chili powder.
- Filet mignon steaks: Go for steaks at least 1½ inches thick (6-8 oz each). Anything thinner cooks too fast and is much harder to nail at medium-rare. I always tie mine with kitchen twine to keep that classic round shape through the sear and help with even cooking.
- Remember filet mignon comes from the center cut of the tenderloin, not ends! (Don’t let the stores fool you.)
- Finishing butter: I recommend plain salted or unsalted butter not a compounds butter with coffee rubbed steaks. Since the rub is flavorful, you don’t want extra flavors fighting for attention.
Other steak cuts:
This coffee rub works beautifully on ribeye, NY strip, top sirloin, and T-bone as well. Just skip the twine, as you only need that for filet mignon to keep its shape. For any other cut, track temperature, not time, and always slice against the grain before serving.
How to Make Coffee Rubbed Filet Mignon
- Make the seasoning: Combine all the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl and stir until everything is evenly mixed. This recipe makes more rub than you need for four steaks. Store the extra in an airtight glass jar in your pantry and use it the next time you cook any steak in the oven.
Expert Tip: Plan to prep and season the steaks 45 minutes to overnight before cooking. If keeping overnight, place seasoned steaks on a wire rack fitted baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered. This is dry-brining.
2. Pat each steak completely dry with paper towels. Moisture on the surface is the enemy of a good sear, so really press the paper towel into every part of the steak.
3. Spread about 4-5 tablespoons of the coffee rub across the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet or a large plate. Roll each steak in the seasoning on all sides and pat it firmly so the rub adheres. You want a solid, even coating everywhere, including the sides.
4. Tie a piece of kitchen twine snugly around the side of each filet mignon, firm enough to hold the shape, but not so tight that it cuts into the meat.
Now here’s the step I never skip: let the seasoned steaks sit out for at least 45 minutes before cooking.
5. If you’re using a leave-in meat thermometer, insert the probe through the side of the thickest filet toward the center before you start. It makes monitoring the oven stage completely hands-off.
6. Preheat your oven to 425°F.
Pre-heat a cast iron skillet (or another oven-safe pan with no plastic or wood handles) over medium heat for a few minutes and add the oil. Let it get fully hot before the steaks go in. You should see a faint shimmer in the oil.
Place the steaks in the hot skillet and sear for about 1½ minutes per side. This is meant to build the crust, not cooking the steak through. Don’t move them around.
7. Transfer the entire skillet into the oven. If you’re using a leave-in thermometer, watch the temperature. If not, cook for 7-10 minutes for standard 1½-inch filets, or 10-13 minutes for thicker ones, then pull the skillet and check by inserting a thermometer through the side of the steak toward the center.
8. The moment the steaks hit their target temperature, pull them out of the skillet and onto a cutting board (one with grooves to catch the juices). Top each steak with a tablespoon of butter. Cut the twine off and let them rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Steak Target Temperatures
- Rare: 120-125°F
- Medium-rare: 130-135°F
- Medium: 135-140°F
- I always pull filet mignon at medium-rare. It’s the sweet spot for this cut. The center is warm, rosy, and buttery. Go to medium if you prefer, but beyond that you start losing what makes filet worth the price.
What is Good to Serve with Coffee Rubbed Steak
Coffee rubbed filet mignon is a perfect steakhouse dinner at home and classic side dishes for a steak dinner are potatoes and veggies. Try it with:
- For potatoes, you can’t go wrong with perfect mashed potatoes, home fries, truffle fries, or truffle tater tots for something a little more indulgent.
- On the vegetable side, haricot verts are a classic steakhouse pairing, and Italian roasted asparagus is always a crowd-pleaser.
Storage Suggestions
Make the rub ahead: The coffee rub stores perfectly in an airtight jar at room temperature for up to 3 months. Make a full batch and it’s ready any time you want to cook steak.
Leftovers: Store leftover cooked steaks in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, warm gently in a 275°F oven until just heated through, then sear briefly in a hot pan for 30 seconds per side to refresh the crust. Avoid the microwave, it overcooks the steak unevenly.
Coffee Rubbed Steak Recipe FAQs
You can, but the stove-to-oven method gives better results with a coffee rub specifically. High direct grill heat can scorch the coffee before the crust sets properly. If you grill, use a two-zone setup and keep the steaks over indirect heat after searing.
No, 45 minutes at room temperature makes a noticeable difference and is the minimum I recommend. Overnight gives you the best crust and deepest flavor, but it’s not required.
Fine ground. Coarse-ground creates a gritty, uneven texture and won’t form the same tight crust. Use whatever dark or medium roast ground coffee or espresso you already have at home.
Absolutely but stick to red meats. It’s especially good on beef brisket, lamb chops, and can work on pork chops as well.
Filet mignon has a naturally less uniform shape. Tying it keeps the round form intact through the sear so it cooks evenly and maintains it’s shape.
More Steak Recipes
- Pan Seared Steak Recipe
- Grilled Steak Recipe
- Steak Diane Recipe
- Rib Eye Steaks with Mushrooms and Onions
- Rib Eye Steaks with Cream Sauce
- Peppercorn Sauce Recipe
- Mushroom Steak Sauce Recipe
- Red Wine Steak Sauce Recipe
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Coffee Rubbed Filet Mignon Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen twine to tie filet mignon
- Meat Thermometer preferably leave in
Ingredients
Coffee Dry Rub:
- 1/4 cup finely ground coffee (unused)
- 2 Tbsp kosher coarse salt
- 1 Tbsp ancho chili powder
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp black pepper
Filet Mignon Steaks:
- 4 filet mignon steaks around 1 1/2 inch thick, 6-8 oz each
- 4-5 Tbsp coffee steak rub seasoning from above
- 1-2 Tbsp avocado or canola oil neutral high heat oil
- 4 Tbsp salted or unsalted butter
- 1 tsp fresh thyme optional
Instructions
Before Cooking:
- Mix all of the ingredients for the coffee rub seasoning in a bowl and take out about 4-5 tablespoons to use on the steaks. (Store the rest to use on any other steaks. Store in an air-tight glass jar, in the pantry.)
Prepare the Steaks (plan about 45 minutes to overnight):
- Dry them: Use a paper towel to pat each steak dry.
- Season them: spread the seasoning in a rimmed baking sheet (or on a large plate). Roll the steaks in the seasoning on all the sides and pat it down. Make sure all parts of the steaks are coated in seasoning.
- Tie filet mignon: Tie a string of cooking twine around the side of each filet mignon steak. Tie it firm but not too tight where it starts to cut into meat. Trim off long sting ends. Tip For Other Steaks: you do not need to tie any other steaks besides filet mignon.
- EXPERT TIP: let the seasoned steaks sit on the cutting board for about 45 minutes in the seasoning before cooking them. Or place them on a wire rack fitted baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered overnight or for up to 2 days. This process, known as dry-brining, it allows the salt and seasoning to penetrate the meat while the dry air creates a crust-friendly exterior for cooking.
Cooking Steaks:
- Preheat the oven to 425℉.
- If using, insert a leave-in meat thermometer probe into the side of the thickest filet, toward the center. (If not, you can take steaks out of the oven to take the temperature.)
- Start preheating a cast iron skillet (or another oven-safe cooking pan) over medium-high heat and add some cooking oil.
- When the skillet is preheated, place steaks into the hot skillet and let them sear for about a minute and a half on each side.
- Transfer the skillet into the oven. Track the temperature with a leave-in thermometer OR cook for 7-10 minutes for thinner filets (or 10-13 minutes for thicker ones) before checking the temperature. Exact time that it will take to cook the steaks will highly depend on the size of the steaks.
- To check the temperature, hold the filet with metal tongs insert and insert meat thermometer through the side of the steak, towards the center.
- The best temperatures to cook filet mignon to is medium-rare or medium. For medium-rare, cook it to 130°-135°F. For medium, cook to 135°-140°F and for rare, cook it to 120°-125°F.
Rest The Steaks!
- Take cooked steaks out of the skillet so they don’t keep cooking and place on a cutting board or a platter. (Make sure cutting board has grooves to catch juices!) Top each filet off with a slice of butter. Cut the strings off and let them rest for about 10 minutes before cutting.
- Don't discard the juices that run off! Use it to top off sliced steaks (so good!)
Notes
- Oven safe cooking pan: oven-safe cooking pan is one that has no wood or plastic handles of components and one that can steak up to high heat temperatures (or up to 500℉).
- Other steak cuts: you can easily cook any steak cuts you wish just watch the doneness of the steak. Track the steak temperature, not the time.
- Best cooking method: Stove-to-oven method is best for coffee rubbed steaks so seasoning doesn’t burn but if the steaks are thin enough, you can cook pan-seared steaks.
- Don’t skip resting! This is important for tender and juicy steaks.
- Slicing steaks: while it doesn’t matter with filet magnon, if making other steaks, make sure to slice against the grain.
Nutrition
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All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
