How to cook a filet mignon (FOOL PROOF)

this is a filet mignon and i'm going to show you the best way to cook it filet mignon is a lean steak cut from the tenderloin the same cut as the small muscle on the porterhouse it's extremely tender and therefore the most expensive cut on the cow but the lack of fat means it can be lacking in flavor a good fillet is thick and taken from the center of the tenderloin leaving the head and the tail for other cooking processes the first thing we'll do is remove the head and the tail due to their lack of uniform size the head is great as a roast the tail is a great thin steak i sometimes like to slice it up for a premium stir fry this is the center cut section it's also known as the chateau briand and it's where you'll find the filet mignons i like fillets on the thicker side one and a half to two inches like all steaks there are two variables we need to think about we want to develop a thick crust but at the same time evenly cook the inside the crust requires high heat the even cooking requires low even cooking our goal is to maximize each dry grinding will really help with this effort we do this by adding kosher salt to all sides the day before cooking the salt will not only season the meat deeply but also dry out the exterior allowing us to develop our crust far more quickly once salted set them on a rack for airflow around the whole steak loosely cover and place in the fridge overnight if you don't have this kind of time season with salt directly before cooking okay it's been 12 hours and as you can see our steaks have changed dramatically the exterior is quite dry they've also darkened in color just a little bit the salt is fully absorbed time to cook add a thin layer of oil and season with black pepper this can also be added during the dry browning process with our steak fully seasoned let's prep what we'll need i like to use a third to a half a stick of butter for basting we aren't going to eat all of it but too little is prone to burning we have some smashed garlic and classic herbs are rosemary and thyme but feel free to get creative time to pre-heat our pan cast iron or carbon seal are my favorite options the thicker the bottom the better as to hold more heat improving the crust once the pan is nearly smoking add a couple tablespoons of a high smoke point oil like avocado place down the steak and gently press down this is going to allow full contact with the pan after about a minute flip the steak and do the same thing to the other side notice how our crust is starting to form and how i flipped onto a new area of the pan the steak cools down the pan as it cooks and we want contact with the hottest part possible after about a minute continue flipping frequently until our crust is nearly set give the sides a quick sear as well next turn down the heat slightly and add your basting ingredients we want our butter foaming and bubbling just like this baste for a minute or two to distribute the herb and butter flavors the hot butter will also start to cook the steak from all sides at this point our steak is still essentially raw on the inside which is what we want remove from the pan and place on the rack notice how we're not placing the cast iron directly in the oven the remaining heat in the cast iron would continue cooking the bottom for an uneven final product insert a thermometer and place into the oven at 200 degrees fahrenheit now we have about 10 minutes to clean up or pour some drinks keep an eye on that temp for rare pull around 115 fahrenheit or 120 for medium rare our steaks now fully rested i like to finish by pouring that hot herb butter directly on the steak this reawakens the crust while distributing those flavors time to slice let's see how we did as you can see we have a near perfect edge to edge medium rare with a minimal gray band this to me is just about perfect this process has a lower margin of error than reverse sear and i prefer it for two main reasons we can get the crust exactly where it needs to be and not worry about overcooking it since it's still raw during that step second once it's in the oven the stress is over and we can precisely watch the temp rise with our thermometer it allows us to spend time with our guests and prepare our sides this to me is the easiest way to cook a fillet a little bit different than reverse sear but let me know if you try it and what you think about it i'll see you next time you

Channel: Max the Meat Guy

Views: 670,226

Keywords: max the meat guy, cooking video, recipe video, how to cook, how to cook meat, filet mignon, how to cook a filet mignon, the perfect filet mignon, how to cook the perfect filet mignon, what is a filet mignon, cooking a filet mignon on a cast iron pan, how to butter baste, how to butter baste a steak, how to cook a filet mignon to medium rare, medium rare filet mignon, medium rare, how to cook a steak in the oven, oven and then searing a steak, methods to cook a filet mignon

Id: psp702ghkaI

Length: 4min 43sec (283 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 13 2022