Filet Mignon--Better Without a Grill

A few nights ago, some friends and I decided that we were fed up with mediocre over priced steak houses on the west coast. Thankfully we had cast iron! These are by far the better than any steak I have had on the west coast so far!

Note: This recipe will produce medium-rare steaks. Consuming raw or undercooked meats can be hazardous to your health!

Ingredients: 1 Off the bone beef loin for filet mignon 2-3 tablespoons whole pepper corns 2 tablespoons rosemary 2 tablespoons sage 3 tablespoons kosher salt 1/2 stick of butter Tools: Mortar and pestle (I prefer my 3 cup one) Aluminum foil 1 Cookie sheet 1 Serving platter 1 Cast iron pan 1 Oven 1 Stove top 1 Large knife 1 Butter knife 1 Pair of tongs

Prep Work:

1. Clean off the beef loin and cut it into 1 to 1-1/2 inch thick filets. You should get around 11-14 filets.
2. Spread out the filets on a cutting board. Let the filets get up to room temperature (let sit for about 45 min or so)
3. While you are letting the filets get acclimated, place the pepper corns into a mortar and mash them with a pestle until they produce a coarse pepper suitable for a rub. Using a mortar and pestle is preferred over using a traditional grinder as the grinder will take considerably more time to produce the crushed peppercorns. Never use pre-crushed peppercorns for cooking!
4. Take 2 tablespoons of the crushed peppercorns and mix it with the rosemary, sage and kosher salt in a bowl.
5. Take this rub and rub it into the top of each filet. Turn the filets over and repeat the process. Let them sit for an hour.

Cooking Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Place a cookie sheet in the oven.
2. Get out a cast iron pan. Put it on your stove on the highest heat setting you have.
3. Open the windows in the kitchen and make sure you have good ventilation. This next cooking step is going to be tricky time wise and very smoky. You will need a pair of tongs to pick up steaks and easily (read quickly) move them. Note that steps 4 and 5 may have to be done twice (once for one half of the 10-14 steaks you will have at this point and once for the other half). You can attempt to multi task this timing wise, but it can be a bit of a pain.
4. Place the steaks in the pan and sear both sides for 30 seconds each (no longer, we are trying to avoid a charred flavor as much as possible).
5. Next, quickly open the oven, place the steaks on the cookie sheet. Let them cook for 3 minutes at 500 degrees F. Flip the steaks and then let them cook for another 3 minutes.
6. Take the steaks out and put them on the serving platter. Slice 1/2 cm thick slabs of butter and place one on the top of each steak. Wrap the top of platter and steaks with the aluminum foil and let it sit until the butter fully melts.
7. Let the steaks cool until they are ready to consume. Unwrap the foil and enjoy!

--Boris Micklos

Comments

[Oxbay on February 11, 2009 at 06:06 PM]

If you don't want to use butter do you have any other suggestions?

[Homer Simpson on February 11, 2009 at 06:12 PM]

DROOOOOLLLLLLLLLL

[Homer Simpson on February 11, 2009 at 06:13 PM]

DROOOOOLLLLLLLLLL

[MN Bubba on February 11, 2009 at 06:24 PM]

(Quote) If you don't want to use butter do you have any other suggestions?

Baaaaconn........

[Brock on February 11, 2009 at 07:16 PM]

I used this method for a while, but I've recently switched. Now I use the lowest heat my oven will produce (170) to bring a steak up to the desired internal temperature over the course of 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Finish off with a butter rub & 2-minute broil on each side.

This produces a ridiculously tasty steak, which is evenly cooked through the entire steak (none of this "well edge, rare center" business). I can cook 2" thick steaks this way and be medium-rare all the way through. It's just awesome.

[T on February 11, 2009 at 08:25 PM]

For the best steak you'll ever have in your life, the Butterfly Tenderloin at Sir Scott's Oasis in Manhattan, Montana. used to get them all of the time when I lived there. It's been 12 years since my last one, and nothing I've had on the East coast even comes close. Never saw how they prepared them though.

[neobuzz on February 11, 2009 at 10:39 PM]

I particularly like the flavor of good beef laced with woodsmoke. You get none of that from the pan searing technique. My preferred method is to fill my charcoal starter chinmey half-way with mesquite charcoal. Let it burn until all charcoal is fully ignited and at its hottest. Build a mound of the hot coals on the side of your Weber BBQ. Place the steaks directly above mounded mesquite - about 1" away. Mesquite charcoal burns hotter than natural gas, so you get a quicker and more complete sear with this technique. Partially cover the Weber with the lid, so air circulates but the wind doesn't get in and cool the meat. Turn the meat after 60 seconds and partially cover for another 60 seconds. Then remove the lid, place the steaks at the far side of the grill from the coals, lift up the grill grate above the coals and drop a large handful of water-soaked hickory chips directly on the fire, and completely close both the upper and lower vents (the wet hickory and closed vents cool the Weber and partially steams the meat). Let steaks smoke for 3 minutes. Remove steaks from the grill and wrap in aluminum foil for about 15 minutes. This technique produces a nicely marked and browned exterior, a uniformly moist and rare interior, AND a nice smokey flavor.

[memomachine on February 12, 2009 at 12:05 PM]

Hmmmm.

*shrug* maybe I'm weird but I like to pan fry -on- a charcoal grill with a cast-iron skillet. Sorry but losing valuable juices to the fire doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

[Tom on February 13, 2009 at 06:56 AM]

How well would this work with a non-cast iron skillet? My roommate and I had a little "miscommunication" about proper care of mine and we're currently without one...

[Josh Reiter on February 13, 2009 at 07:26 AM]

This cooking method works good for strip steak if your budget can't flip the cost of filet.

[Erik on February 15, 2009 at 06:16 AM]

Just tried this yesterday and was amazed at how great the steaks turned out. Searing turned out to be key. Perfectly done steaks.

[Andy on April 11, 2011 at 06:24 PM]

I was given some superb filet mignon steaks, and was unsure what to do with them... thanks for the method! I (as of now) unfortunately do not own a cast-iron skillet, but was able to get edible results from my neighbor's hard-anodized one. And I must agree... freshly ground pepper is irreplaceable. Thanks again!!