HOW TO COOK FILET MIGNON ON THE BIG GREEN EGG
If you are looking to grill filet mignon on your Big Green Egg, then this is your recipe for filet mignon grilling success!
When I say filet mignon, what comes to mind? Luxury, decadence, and fancy steak houses are just a few of the answers that I got when I asked some friends.
The filet mignon is often considered the upper crust of steaks due to their incredible tenderness and high price tags. The problem with filet mignon? There is very little to no marbling in a filet. Without that good marbling, it can mean that you are sacrificing tenderness for flavor. Well, I don’t know about you, but I want that steak to tickle my taste buds, especially if I am paying a premium price tag for it!
If you follow these simple instructions that I am about to lay out for reverse searing a filet mignon, you just may never want to go out to eat again. But first, lets find out a little bit about this highly desirable cut of beef.
What is Filet Mignon?
Filet mignon is a cut of beef taken from the smaller end of the tenderloin. It is generally butchered as two long, tubular-shaped cuts that come directly off of the spine of a cow. It tends to have a much more mellow flavor than other cuts such as the ribeye and New York strip due to the lack of marbling. Marbling is the the little veins of intramuscular fat that run through your steak — I know, I know, little veins of fat don’t sound good, but in this case, it is! Fat is flavor, after all, and nobody wants to eat a bland steak. The fat is where it’s at! This is why many times when you see filet mignon offered on a menu, it is accompanied by some type of pan sauce or wrapped in bacon. With the right cut and proper preparation, you will not need any sauce or pork products to enjoy this delicate piece of deliciousness.
How to choose your filet mignon
There are three main grades of steak to choose from here in the good old U.S. of A.: Select, Choice and Prime. These days there are even higher grades available, such as wagyu, but we will stick to these three for our purposes here. I recommend finding center cut steaks with the most marbling possible.
If you are making more than one, make sure that they are all roughly the same size and weight. This will make cooking them so that they are done at the same time much simpler.
- Select: This is the most basic grade. Select cuts will have very little to no marbling, will not be as tender as the others, and it is not what I would recommend. For the small difference in price, I’d recommend spending the few extra dollars and move up a grade to Choice.
- Choice: These steaks account for approximately one-half of all beef sold in the United States. It is definitely a good choice and will give a very pleasurable dining experience.
- Prime: If you have the wallet to pull this one off, this is what I would recommend. It is the most tender, the most marbled, and the most delicious. Prime is the highest grade of beef that the USDA has and it only represents between 3% and 5% of all beef sold in this country. It also comes with the highest price tag.
- Steak Recommendations: Here at GrillGirl.com, we recommend Snake River Farms for American Wagyu Steaks if you are looking for high quality beef.
What is the reverse sear method?
Reverse searing is a method of cooking that just might change the way that you cook steaks forever. It involves slow roasting the meat and finishing it off over high heat for a delicious crust, and maybe even a slight char. The steady warm temperature will dry the surface of the steak, making for a better sear at the end. Remember, moisture is the enemy of a good sear.
When you see a picture of a steak and it is solid pink from edge to edge — or “coast to coast” as I like to call it — it has more than likely been reverse seared. This method allows the internal temperature to steadily increase and break down the intramuscular fat that we spoke about earlier. This will make for the most tender steak and optimize the flavor.
Set up your Egg for indirect heat using the Conveggtor to do the Reverse Sear on your Filet. Smoke roast the Steak until you get to your desired temp before doing the final sear.
Which steaks are good for reverse searing?
Reverse searing is recommended for thicker steaks with a minimum thickness of 1 ½ inches. Steaks that are thinner than that will tend to overcook, making them tough and not very enjoyable to eat. Nobody wants that! Reverse searing can definitely be used on steaks thicker than the 1 ½ inches that I mentioned earlier — heck, I have reverse seared entire roasts before!
Basic kosher salt, fresh ground pepper and smoke from the grill make for Filet Mignon perfection when using the reverse sear method!
With a good meat thermometer, you’ll never overcook your steak again!
How long should you rest your steak?
The good news about the reverse sear method is that there is no resting period necessary; the rest happens in between the roasting portion and the searing portion. If I have baffled you and you are not familiar with resting steaks after cooking, allow me to explain: Resting a steak after cooking is normally recommended to maximize tenderness, flavor and juiciness. This involves cooking your steak, placing it on a rack (not a plate or cutting board, as this will steam the bottom of the steak and overcook it), and allowing it to sit for eight minutes or more before serving.
Resting a steak after cooking is normally very important to have a great finished product. The rest period allows all of the juices time to redistribute and reabsorb. If you take a steak right off of the grill and cut right into it, you will have a plate full of juices and a bit of a dry steak. When you rest it, those juices will all remain inside of the steak. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have those juices in my belly than on my plate!
If you want to try out the reverse sear method on other cuts of meat, check out Grill Girl’s Reverse Rib Eye Steak with Cowboy Butter and Chipotle Rubbed Pork Chops with the Reverse Sear Method!
Cooked perfectly using the Reverse Sear Method!
Reverse Seared Filet Mignon on the Big Green Egg
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 Steaks 1x
Description
Cook the perfect Filet Mignon on your Big Green Egg with this easy recipe tutorial.
Ingredients
- 2 filet mignon steaks
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- Kitchen twine
- Tongs
- thermapen or your preferred meat thermometer
Instructions
- Use the twine to tie each filet around the sides in two spots to keep its shape. Season the filets liberally with kosher salt and pepper and allow to sit out on the counter while preparing the grill. This will allow the moisture in the meat to seep out, grab the seasonings and pull the flavors back down into the meat.
- Prepare the grill for indirect cooking at 250°.
- Once the temperature is stabilized, place the filets in the center of the grates and close the lid. Cook until they reach 125° internal temperature as measured by an internal read thermometer like the thermapen.
- Remove and allow to rest while preparing for the next step.
- Remove the ConvEGGtor and switch over to direct grilling.
- Allow the grill time to build that fire nice and hot, about 5 to 10 minutes. For this step of the process, the hotter the better. We want those grates to have time to heat up!
- Place the steaks on the grates over the fire. Sear each steak for 1 to 1 ½ minutes. Once you have done that, flip each steak and repeat for the opposite side. You don’t want to leave them on for too long, just enough time to build a char and form a crust.
- Remove the steaks and serve. They should be pink from “coast to coast!”
Notes
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- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
- Category: Grill, BBQ, Dinner, Steak, Grilled Filet Mignon
- Method: Grill, Roast
- Cuisine: American
Want more grilled beef recipes? Check out these posts!
