How to cook filet mignon
You can quickly and deliciously cook filet mignon in a grill oven, on a grill pan or on the grill. As a result of rapid frying at high temperatures, a characteristic, appetizing pattern will appear on the piece, which is so valued by gourmets. One of the options for bringing a steak to readiness after frying is baking at a minimum temperature in an oven. Its enveloping heat will make the fillet softer and juicier, retaining all the vitamins and nutrients.
To cook fillets, you should not use a regular frying pan - a grill is better for this. The mignon should be fried, turning over with tongs, until the desired degree of frying, which can be determined by the consistency of the meat and the temperature inside the piece. Beef tenderloin steak is fried for 2-4 minutes on each side, then finished in the oven.
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Filet Mignon
Many rightfully consider Filet Mignon the king of steaks. It is obtained from tenderloin. Tenderloin is the most expensive and valuable cut, obtained from a unique muscle that is practically not involved in motor activities.
That's why Filet Mignon or Tenderloin Steak is the most tender meat imaginable. Tenderloin is famous for its exquisite taste with a less pronounced beef component than other steaks.
If Ribeye and Striploin are good for a hearty man's meal, and Tibuon is good for a country barbecue, then Filet Mignon is ideal for dinner for two with a bottle of good wine or for entertaining guests.
The thickness of Filet Mignon reaches 6-8 cm, but thanks to its marbling and amazing tenderness, it cooks as simply and quickly as other steaks. It is juicy, tender and the most valuable part of the meat in the cow. Not surprisingly, it can cost quite a lot.
But don't worry, preparing this precious cutting won't be difficult. In fact, once you understand the technology itself, you can cook any meat you choose.
By the way, even if this is quite funny - the perfect Filet Mignon requires nothing more than salt, pepper and a little butter.
Choose a thick cut of meat. The thicker the piece you take, the better. This is because with a thick cut it will be easier to get a crispy crust on the outside without overcooking the meat on the inside.
The ideal thickness is from 5 to 8 cm.
In all Myastoria stores, as well as on our website in the Steaks section, you will find chilled Filet Mignon steaks of the correct size and shape, and of course, impeccable freshness.
What to do if you get a thin piece of fillet? Don't worry, but make appropriate adjustments to your cooking process. Instead of cooking your cut on low heat, you need to sear it over very high heat for a short time to get a crispy outside and medium-rare inside.
Resist the urge to marinate the fillets or slather them in sauce. You don't need any additional processing, and avoid recipes that call for a marinade or sauce to rub the meat on, none of which is necessary when it comes to filet mignon steak. All you need is salt and pepper. Everything else will make the meat less, but not more tasty.
Decide when to salt the meat - before or after frying. Some cooks salt the steak after cooking, and this is completely acceptable. However, most cooks salt meat before frying, and many of them do it too close to cooking.
Salt the meat at least 40-60 minutes before frying. Salt draws moisture from the inside to the surface of the steak. “Bad news for those who want to make a juicy steak!” - you say. And you'd be right if you didn't add enough salt ahead of time.
In the first 30 minutes, the salt draws moisture to the surface of the steak, collecting it in small puddles. Cooking is not recommended at this stage. After 30 minutes, the moisture is absorbed back into the meat. The process is called "osmosis" and it also makes the meat more tender.
The longer you wait past 40 minutes, the more salt water will flow back inside, infusing the steak with flavor and making it tender.
Wait until the steak is at room temperature. Chefs usually do this while the salt is processing the meat. When steak is brought to room temperature before cooking, it will cook faster and more evenly.
If possible, use lump charcoal instead of briquettes and stay away from gas grills.
Not that gas grills are all that bad, they just can't provide the intense heat you need and can also add a gasoline smell to your precious steak. Use coal.
It's a funny paradox, but a charcoal grill will give you more control over the temperature and overall cooking process than a gas grill.
All this is because coal is truly a constant source of heat. It burns hot—much hotter than gas—and its heat is constant. If you know how to handle coal, you have a better chance of getting better results in the finals.
Coal in briquettes is not bad, but still nothing special. It often has unwanted additives added to it, which introduces off-odors, so if you do use it, make sure all the coals are burned white before you start cooking with them. Lump charcoal produces more heat, is easier to determine the temperature of, and is naturally occurring.
Move all the coal onto one half to form a hot and cold section. Where there is coal there will be a “hot” half, where there is no coal there will be a “cold” part. Brush the steak with a thin layer of oil.
Many people prefer neutral oils (like peanut butter) because it doesn't have much of its own flavor. Olive oil will give a more distinct flavor. Keep in mind that just a little olive oil will go a long way.
Use no more than one tablespoon per fillet piece.
Decide what you will do first: a quick fry on high heat or a long cook on low. There are two camps on this issue: supporters of frying over high heat and supporters of cooking over low heat.
Proponents of high-heat frying have a simple approach: cook for 2-5 minutes on each side at high heat to form a crust that seals the juices inside.
While this is a workable method for preparing Filet Mignon, "creating a crust that seals in the juices inside" has been debunked. In fact, the main factor in keeping meat juicy is temperature.
Too much heat will speed up the loss of juice.
Proponents of the low-temperature cooking method start from this fact - the higher the temperature, the more juices are lost. Instead of initially searing the meat, it is first cooked in indirect, “cool” heat until it is almost at the desired temperature. And after that it is fried to create a crispy crust and develop aroma.
Cook the meat over indirect, “cool” heat until it is 7-10 degrees Celsius away from the desired temperature. Cooking over indirect heat will slow down the loss of juices and keep the steak juicy.
Don't be afraid to stick a meat thermometer into your tenderloin. It is not true that one puncture will cause all the juices to leak out.
If you don't have a thermometer, you can always check with your finger, although this is a less reliable method.
Steak degrees of doneness:
48.8° C = Rare (with blood)
54.4° C = Medium rare
60° C = Medium
65.5° C = Medium well (almost done)
71.1° C = Well done
For medium rare, move the steak to the “hot” side of the grill when the temperature reaches 43 to 46 degrees. Brown the meat on both sides, using tongs to turn the fillets as needed.
Remove the fillets when their internal temperature is 2 to 3 degrees lower than desired. The steak will continue to cook after you remove it from the grill.
Be sure to let the steak rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting into it. Cover the steak with aluminum foil and let it rest. A steak that is cut immediately after being removed from the grill will lose much more juice than one that is allowed to sit for 10 minutes.
When the steak is ready, all its muscles are tense. This pushes all the juices inside the meat, where the tissue is not as tense because it is not as hot.
If you cut into the middle right after cooking, the juices collected inside will immediately leak out, leaving you with a dry steak.
If you let the fillet rest, the muscles will begin to relax and the juices from the center will flow back, distributing more evenly. You will retain up to 7% of the weight in the juice if you wait an extra 10 minutes after you finish cooking.
Season the steak generously. Many chefs add the pepper after the steak is cooked because they don't want the pepper to burn while searing. If you're the type who doesn't mind burnt peppers on your Filet Mignon, go ahead and add the pepper at the same time as the salt. If not, do it now, right before serving.
Serve and enjoy your perfectly cooked steak. Bon appetit!
In Myastoria stores, as well as on our website, order:
Beef for steak
The most important thing in cooking minion is the choice of meat. Beef for steak should be purchased in specialized departments of stores. Choose the juicy, sirloin portion of the carcass of young bulls no older than 1.5 years of certain breeds that ate only grain, grass or corn. This animal diet makes the tenderloin marbled, with a delicate fat layer.
An hour before cooking, remove the beef from the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature. It is not necessary to marinate the fillet, but brushing it with olive oil is advisable. You can salt the meat after frying or before serving. Please note that you cannot cook pork steak - this type of meat requires prolonged heat treatment.
Beef steak degrees of doneness
In world cooking, it is customary to use the following degrees of roasting of beef steak:
- Rare – the temperature inside the piece is 50 degrees, there is blood. The medallion is fried for two minutes on each side, and then “rested” under foil for nine minutes. The meat is bright red in color, slightly cold on the inside and hot on the outside.
- Medium Rare – temperature inside the piece is 55 degrees. The medallion is lightly fried for 2.5 minutes on each side, then rests for eight minutes. The fillet is red and warm inside, there is a little blood in it, the surface is grey-brown on the outside.
- Medium – temperature inside the piece is 60 degrees. The medallion is cooked medium-rare for three minutes on each side, then rests for seven minutes. The meat should remain bright red inside and darken to gray on top.
- Medium Well – temperature inside the piece is 65 degrees. The medallion is fried for 4 minutes on each side, “resting” for six minutes. Inside, the meat is completely pink, without blood.
- Well Done – the temperature inside the piece is 70 degrees. The medallion is fried for 4.5 minutes on each side, “resting” for four minutes. The meat is gray-brown in color, well, evenly fried.
Proper steak with vegetables
Meat goes well with vegetables, especially if it's the best cut.
Required Products:
- four cloves of garlic;
- two sweet peppers and the same number of tomatoes;
- approximately 500 grams of tenderloin;
- 50 milliliters of olive oil;
- seasonings to your taste.
Cooking process:
- Cut the tomatoes and peppers into fairly large pieces and put them in the oven for 10 minutes, preheated to 200 degrees.
- In a hot frying pan with oil, fry the chopped garlic with herbs and spices.
- It’s time to place the meat, pre-cut into thick pieces, on top and fry for three minutes on each side.
- When the pieces are almost ready, add vegetables to them, reduce the heat level and cook for a couple more minutes.
Filet mignon steak - cooking secrets
Restaurant dishes are not so easy to prepare at home, but there are secrets to cooking filet mignon steak that will help the novice cook:
- Mignon steak should not be washed before cooking, you just need to wipe it with a dry cloth and cut off the film;
- When preparing a dish, it is advisable to use a special culinary thermometer;
- if you need to cut meat at home, then there is a rule - cut across the grain, each piece no thicker than 4 cm;
- to check the temperature of the frying pan, drop water on it, and if it evaporates quickly, you can add the meat;
- It is better to start frying at a high temperature, gradually lowering it at the end - this way the minion will be evenly fried throughout its entire thickness and will not be hard.
