How To Cook The Best Filet Mignon Steak
Definitely the best steak we have ever had!!! Thank you! ~Nancy
My favorite cut of beef to work with is a beef tenderloin and there is no surprise why. It’s the most tender cut of beef you can get. It’s very easy too, once you have a walkthrough and tips on hand.
This tender, petit steak is still the best one to make for a special dinner and is very easy to cook at home. I have so many years of experience in cooking steaks in the restaurants and at home, I’ve made hundreds. So I gathered all my tips and tricks on how to cook filet mignon at home and have it come out better than a fancy steakhouse (and way cheaper too!)
Why go out to a fancy restaurant and over-pay for two small steaks when you can impress your special someone with your culinary skills and serve filet mignon at home?
Table of Contents
Ingredients, Seasoning and Tools For Filet Mignon Recipe
- Filet mignon steaks – look for steaks that are between 1½ and 2 inches thick. Thinner than that and they cook too fast, making it nearly impossible to build a good sear without overcooking the interior. Try to pick steaks as close to the same thickness as possible so they finish cooking at the same time. If you don’t see uniform cuts in the case, ask the butcher. You’re paying for a premium cut and it’s absolutely fine to ask for what you need.
- 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. (If you are interested is deeper seasoning, check out my coffee steak rub.)
- Oil – use neutral oil with a high burn point like avocado oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil.
- Butter – salted or unsalted, for finishing. This is where the richness comes in.
- 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.
How To Cook Filet Mignon: Visual Guide
PRO TIP: To save money, it’s cheaper to buy a whole beef tenderloin and cut it yourself. Learn how to break down a whole tenderloin in my guide. You will get two-three dishes out of the whole tenderloin.
Best known way to cook filet mignon and many other steaks like ribeye steaks, NY strip, and sirloin is by using the steakhouse style. That is my preferred method to cook a steak recipe. (Unless you’re cooking grilled steaks, 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.
Internal Temperature Guide for Filet Mignon Steaks (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.
| Doneness | Pull from oven at | Rested temperature |
| Rare | 120-125°F | 125-130°F |
| Medium-rare | 125-130°F | 130-135°F |
| Medium | 135-140°F | 140-145°F |
| Medium-well | 145-150°F | 150-155°F |
| Well | 155-160°F | 160-165°F |
What Steaks Sauces Are Good With Filet Mignon?
Filet mignon is one of those steaks that honestly doesn’t need a sauce. The cut is so tender and a simple pat of finishing butter is often enough. But if you want to dress it up, the pan drippings left in the cast iron skillet are pure gold and the perfect base for a quick pan sauce. Here are a few that work beautifully:
- Peppercorn steak sauce bold, creamy, and classic with filet.
- Red wine steak sauce rich and elegant, made right in the same skillet.
- Creamy steak sauce simple and luxurious, great for a date night.
All three come together in under 10 minutes while the steaks rest.
What Sides To Serve With Filet Mignon Steak
- Potatoes: potatoes is the most classic pairing with any steak, think oven roasted potatoes, russet mashed potatoes, truffle fries, fingerling potatoes. All work great with filet mignon steaks.
- Cheesy potato sides: this is where we get more comforting and rich, with options like cheesy scalloped potatoes, hashbrown casserole, and cheesy potato casserole.
- Vegetables: cleat and refreshing haricots verts, pan roasted brussels sprouts, easy pan cooked green beans, balsamic roasted carrots, and of course, another classic steak side is sauteed mushrooms.
- Salads: a salad is always a great and refreshing pairing, try Caesar salad, apple salad, Greek salad, or classic caprese salad.
Filet Mignon Recipe FAQs
Filet mignon comes from the beef tenderloin, a long lean muscle that runs along the back of the cow under the spine. Because this muscle does almost no work, it has very little connective tissue, which is why it’s the most tender cut of beef you can buy. The name is French for “dainty fillet.” Steaks are cut from the center of the tenderloin, typically 1½ to 2 inches thick, and are much leaner than ribeye or NY strip.
They’re the same muscle. Beef tenderloin is the whole roast. Filet mignon refers specifically to steaks cut from the center portion of the tenderloin (chateaubriand). The thinner tapered end pieces are often sold as tenderloin tips and are perfect for stir-fry, beef stew, or stroganoff.
You can season and tie the steaks up to 24 hours ahead and keep them uncovered on a wire rack in the refrigerator. This actually helps dry out the exterior for an even better sear. The cooking itself is best done right before serving. Reheated filet mignon loses its texture quickly.
More Steak Recipes To Try
If you want to take this recipe in a completely different direction, try my coffee rubbed filet mignon. The coffee steak rub is easy to make in 5 minutes and stores in your pantry for months. Or try some more great steak dinner ideas:
If you’ve cooked steaks in the oven using my recipe and found a lot of good information here, PLEASE leave a 🌟 star rating! Let me know how you liked it by leaving the 📝 comment below as well.
Filet Mignon Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb filet mignon steaks more or less depending on how many people
- 1-2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- 1-2 tbsp salted butter to top off the cooked steaks optional
Instructions
Rest before cooking:
- Pull the steaks out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.
- Take them out of the package, and let them rest to get to room temperature on the cutting board.
- Now is a good time to preheat the oven to 425°F.
Pat the steaks dry:
- Use a paper towel to pat each steak dry.
Tie the steaks:
- Tie a string of cooking 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 the steaks:
- TIP: 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, exterior of the steak will be wet and it will hinder the beautiful sear.
- Start preheating a cast iron skillet (or another oven-safe cooking pan) over medium-high heat and add some cooking oil.
- Season steaks with salt and pepper on all the sides, don’t forget to season around the edge side as well.
Sear the steaks:
- Place steaks into the hot skillet and let them sear for about a minute and a half on each side.
Finish cooking in the oven:
- Transfer the skillet into the oven and cook for 7-10 minutes before checking the temperature. Exact time that it will take to cook the steaks will highly depend on the size of the steaks. (If you have a leave in meat thermometer, insert it through the side of the largest steak to monitor the temperature.)
- To check the temperature, 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.
Let it rest:
- Take cooked steaks out of the skillet so they don’t keep cooking and place on a cutting board. Cut the strings off and let them rest for about 5 minutes before cutting.
- Butter: top each hot steak with a slice of butter for additional butter flavor and let it melt over the steaks. Keep those run off juice while the steak is resting! It's great to top off sliced filet mignon with.
Video
Notes
- When choosing steaks at the store, make sure you get filet mignon (or beef tenderloin steaks) that are between 1 1/2 and 2 inches in thickness. Make sure to choose steaks that are as close to the same thickness as possible. If the steaks you see are different thickness, remember you CAN ask the butcher to cut you new steaks the same size. You are paying a lot of money for these steaks, if okay to ask for exactly what you need.
- 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.
- Remember to REST the steak for 5-10 minutes after cooking and cut off the twine first!
- To store: Cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep whole if possible since sliced steak dries out faster.
- To reheat: I found best way to reheat filet mignon is in a preheated pan and quickly. Reheat it whole or sliced thin. The whole point it to just reheat it until warmed through not cooked more.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in January 2020.
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Categories:
30 Minute Meals, Beef Recipes, Christmas Dinner Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Father's Day Recipe Ideas, How To Techniques, Mother's Day Recipe Ideas, Steak Dinner Ideas, Valentine's Day,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.
Very thorough, thank you.
I am Much more practiced cooking fish and pork.
Since my wife passed away, I’ve been Trying to expand my cooking skills.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, I really appreciate it. I’m so sorry for your loss. If you’re already comfortable with fish and pork, you’ve got a great foundation, don’t hesitate to branch out little by little. And I’m always here if you ever need tips or recipe ideas along the way 😊
My husband said his steak was cooked perfectly rare using your times and method.
I am so happy to hear they came out perfect!
I’m 77 and my family thinks I cook wonderful foods for them. I try, but your recipes make my daily recipes so much better,IMO
That is so wonderful to hear! Thank you so much, Joyce!
Absolutely the best steak we have ever had!!! Easy to cook!Thank you!
Wow! Thank you! I am so glad you liked it! 😀
I noticed that the tarragon & rosemary are predominately featured in the pictures… are they being used (other than for show) in the recipe since they are not mentioned? If they are used, could one use them?
Hey! It is just rosemary, no tarragon (thyme would be a better option). The rosemary in mostly for photos BUT, I often do throw a sprig of rosemary or thyme at the end, with butter, to get the scent on the finished steak. It works best with pan-seared methods but in the stove to oven method, you can place a sprig on the steak with the butter while it’s resting and brush the steaks with it after. It will give you a hint of rosemary. For thyme, you can take it off the sprig and sprinkle with on the steaks with the butter. (It’s a much milder herb than rosemary)
Definitely the best steak we have ever had!!! Thank you!
Wow! Thanks, Nacy!