How To Cook Filet Mignon

I am a huge fan of beef tenderloin and there is no surprise why. It’s the most tender cut of beef you can get. Filet mignon is a prime steak cut that comes from the beef tenderloin.

Tenderloin is a long, thin muscle that runs deep inside, along the back, right under the spine. This muscle is not weight bearing, doesn’t get worked out much, and doesn’t have much connective tissue, which is what makes it so tender. 

This tender, petit steak is still the best one to share during a special dinner and is very easy to make yourself. Why go out to a fancy restaurant and over-pay for two small steaks when you can impress your date with your culinary skills and serve filet mignon at home?

TIP: I highly recommend that you get a whole tenderloin and cut the steaks yourself. Whole tenderloin is very versatile and you can use the “scraps” in many other recipes like beef stew. It will be much cheaper to cut it yourself too!

Seasoning For Filet Mignon and Tools Needed

• Seasoning – with a good steak like the beef tenderloin, all you need is some salt and pepper and then finish it with butter once it’s cooked.
• Oil – use neutral oil with a high burn point like avocado oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil.
• Meat thermometer – when cooking steaks, this is the most important tool! This is the best way to tell if your steaks are done the way you want it. When cooking steaks in the oven, it’s best to use a leave-in meat thermometer but you can always take the steak out of the oven to test the temperature.
• Kitchen twine – make sure to use kitchen twine (also known as a butcher twine) to tie your steaks. It is food grade twine, which means it is save to use on foods.

PRO TIP: DON’T get beef tenderloin steaks (filet mignon) that are less than 1 1/2 inches or it will cook too fast and you are very likely to over-cook it. The best thickness for a filet mignon is 1 1/2 or 2 inches. 

How To Cook Filet Mignon

Learn how to break down a whole tenderloin HERE.

Best known way to cook filet mignon and many other steaks like ribeye, NY strip, and sirloin is by using the steakhouse style. (Unless you’re using a grill, but that is a whole other story.) Steakhouse Style has two steps: first you start by searing steaks on the stove-top at high heat and then move the skillet into the preheated oven to finish cooking. So let’s cook! 

Let it rest: Pull the steaks out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking, take them out of the package, and let them rest on the cutting board to get to room temperature. 

PRO TIP: Don’t skip the tying step! The reason to tie the steaks is to make it uniform in size and hold its shape while cooking. A more uniform size will help cook the steaks evenly. 

• Now is a good time to preheat the oven to 425°F so it’s ready to go when the steaks are seared.
• Tie it: Tie a piece of kitchen twine around each filet mignon steak. Tie it firm but not too tight where it starts to cut into meat. Trim off long sting ends. 
• Season it: Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and season it with salt and pepper on all the sides, don’t forget to season it around the edge side as well. (Make sure to season the steaks right before placing them into the hot skillet. Salt draws out moisture from food so if you salt too early, too much moisture be on the skin and it will hinder the beautiful sear.) 
• Pat it dry: Right before placing the steaks into the preheated skillet, use a paper towel to gently pat each steak dry again.

• Sear it: Preheat a cast iron skillet (or another oven-safe cooking pan) over medium-high heat and add some cooking oil. Place steaks into the hot skillet and let them sear for about a minute and a half on one side. Flip and let them sear for about a minute on that side.

PRO TIP: I do not recommend to sear on butter because butter burns. You can always finish the steak with some butter on top for the flavor. I recommend cooking on avocado, canola, or vegetable oil.

• Finish steaks in the oven: Transfer the skillet into the oven and cook until your desired temperature. If you use a leave-in thermometer, you can easily track the temperature as steak cooks in the oven. (To use a leave-in meat thermometer, insert it through the side of the largest steak to monitor the temperature.)
• If not using a leave-in thermometer, let them cook for 6-9 minutes before checking the temperature. The exact time that it will take to cook the steaks will highly depend on the size of the steaks.
• The best temperatures to cook filet mignon to is medium-rare or medium. For medium-rare, cook it to 135°-140°F. For medium, cook to 140°-145°F and for rare, cook it to 125°-130°F.
• Let it rest: DON’T forget to let the cooked steaks rest for about 5 minutes! Take cooked steaks out of the skillet so they don’t keep cooking and place them on a cutting board. Cut the string off and let them rest before serving.

PRO TIP: If you want to top the steaks off with butter, the good time to do it is while they are resting. So place the steaks to rest on a platter to catch the juices.

Steak Temperature Guide and Tips (Very Important)

Unfortunately, you can’t set exact time on a timer when it comes to cooking steaks. Every steak is different, has a different amount of fat, and varies in size, shape, and thickness. For these reasons, steaks can take a different amount of time to cook. Taking the temperature of the steak is the most reliable way to know when it’s cooked the way you like it.

To take the temperate, lift the steak out of the skillet with a pair of tongs and insert the probe into the thickest part, through the side, towards the middle (see photo 5). This makes reaching the center easier and ensures that the reading doesn’t include the heat from the pan as well.

Although medium-rare is most often recommended temperature for filet mignon, you can use this guide to make sure it’s cooked exactly how you like.

• 125°-130° = Rare
• 135°-140° = Medium-rare
• 145°-150° = Medium
• 150°-155° = Medium-well
• 160°-165° = Well
• (*First number is when to take it out of the oven.)

What are Good Sauces for a Steak?

Filet mignon is a steak that is most often served on its own because of the decadent steak flavor and the quality of this cut of meat. But you can always top if off with some delicious steak sauces. There are several options like red wine steak sauce, a delicious creamy steak sauce, and our favorite peppercorn sauce. All are super fast and simple to cook right in the skillet after you take out the steaks

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Good Sides To Serve With A Steak

• Potatoes: roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, truffle fries, fingerling potatoes.
• Cheesy potato sides: scalloped potatoes, hashbrown casserole, cheesy potato casserole.
• Vegetables: haricots verts, pan roasted brussels sprouts, green beans, roasted carrots, sauteed mushrooms.
• Salads: Caesar salad, apple salad, Greek salad, caprese salad.

More Steak Recipes To Try

• Peppercorn Sauce
• Espresso Rubbed Filet Mignon and Loaded Sweet Potato Wedges
• Mushroom Steak Sauce
• Ribeye Steaks with Mushrooms and Onion
• Pepper Crusted Beef Tenderloin
• Steak Diane
• Red Wine Steak Sauce

Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in January 2020.