Filet Mignon Questions

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Michelemarie

Executive Chef
Joined
Dec 26, 2005
Messages
2,614
Location
Suburb of Chicago, IL
I spent a good part of the morning looking through the beef forum and found several recipes for filet mignon. Today I will be trying either Erik's filet mignon with mushroom-marsala sauce or Mugsy's recipe with mushroom-wine gravy. Both recipes cook the filets stovetop only - my question is this: My mom likes her filet well done - yuck - imo. Anyways, I want to make her happy - sooo, the rest of the filets will be cooked to medium - I am thinking 4 minutes a side - is that correct? However, how long should I cook hers for - or should I cook is stovetop then throw it in the oven? Any advice will help - I want her to enjoy her meal. Thanks!
 
If 4 minutes per side is medium, these must be about 1.5 inches thick, right? I'd guess 6 per side for well. That may be a bit shy, but you can always put it back for another minute or two while the others are resting.
 
I cook mine on med-high in a cast iron pan, to brown them fast, and then finish them in the oven.
 
I like high heat to get them as brown as possible (charred on the grill) while still red in the middle. Means shorter cooking time. On my grill, I'd do those about 3 minutes per side and then check. Remember that the meat will continue to cook a bit after it's removed -- let it stand for 10 minutes before serving. Filets seem to cook a little more quickly than other steaks.
 
The recipe I am using calls to cook the filets on the stove and then remove and make the sauce by adding mushrooms to pan, deglaze with marsala wine, add balsamic vinegar and heat until reduced by 1/2, add green onions and butter. Now my question is this: Can I start in the filets on the stove, cook on high for 3 minutes then move to oven (400 degrees okay?) for 10 minutes - will that get me medium (longer for my mom's filet) AND THEN continue with the sauce? Thanks for all your help guys! Dinner time is almost here!
 
I'd do it all in the pan. Cook the steaks and then set them aside to rest (I usually put them on one plate and then invert another over them), and immediately begin on the sauce (have the ingredients all ready to go). When the sauce is done, which I would think would take less than 10 minutes, the steaks should be ready. IMO, allowing the meat to rest after cooking is more important than having the steaks "hot off the grill" (Ruth Chris's sizzling platters notwithstanding).

I'm cautious about the oven because I don't know how quickly the steaks might get overdone, which to me is the worst-case scenario.
 
I would edge toward a little less heat that 4/ . Don't forget, they keep cooking.
 
Okay, Fryboy, as scared as I am, I will cook them stovetop all the way - my mom's longer because she likes it well done (yuck), and use the meat thermometer like Licia suggested. I agree with you, meat is always better when it sits. I made a turkey tenderloin and let it sit for an hour - was that thing delicious and moist moist moist!
 
Quite honestly, I was thinking that for my mom's filet. Don't know how she eats it so well done. Fryboy, kudos to you! I cooked them stovetop the whole time, even moms - and the whole time she kept saying, "I never at a filet cooked this way before". After the meal, she said it was one of the best she has had! Thanks for your help!
 
i use a stainless steel skillet rub em in salt pepper and olive oil get skillet super hot, sear 2 minutes each side, should flip easily when properly seared as will have crust and not stick, then finish in 450 degree oven for 5 minutes, wrap in foil for 6-8minutes, then serve

comes out pink all the way through, in between medium and medium rare
 
Mylegsbig said:
i use a stainless steel skillet rub em in salt pepper and olive oil get skillet super hot, sear 2 minutes each side, should flip easily when properly seared as will have crust and not stick, then finish in 450 degree oven for 5 minutes, wrap in foil for 6-8minutes, then serve

comes out pink all the way through, in between medium and medium rare
That all sounds perfect to me.

Try putting the steaks on a warm plate and covering them with an inverted plate -- works as well as foil and it's faster.
 
Thanks for your support! I put the filets in the ss pan in 2 T of butter, cooked on medium high each side 4 minutes, then lowered to medium and cooked til thermometer read 160 (too long I think because they were just slightly pink, I like it a little more rare) and removed to plate with foil. Then I added 2 cups sliced mushrooms for a minute, deglazed with 3/4 cup marsala wine, added 1/4 balsamic vinegar and heated until liquid reduced by 1/2 Removed from heat, added 1/4 c thin sliced green onions and 1 T butter, ladled over filets. The sauce was amazing - but credit must be given where due - this is Erik's recipe - and I have given him much karma! Yum!
 
Back
Top Bottom