Today we have a Filet Mignon on our home butcher block!
Filet of Beef is always a great option for family gatherings or holidays. It runs along the inside of the steers back, and stays tender in this location, making it delicious and lean.
Meat Stats:
Meat: Filet Mignon, Trimmed and Tied
Weight: about 3 lbs
Feeds: 7 adults
Why Filet Mignon?
Sometimes referred to as the inner straps by hunters this piece of meat is often pulled off in the field, while the rest of the animal is left. Since it is so costly, we only have it on special occasions. It costs the most per pound of any cut of meat, however it is fully trimmed and boneless. The expensive price gets you a piece of meat that is guaranteed to be tender and delicious (as long as its not over cooked), and with no waste because it all gets eaten! We sometimes put the leftovers on rolls. So good!
How to Order a Filet Mignon
When ordering a trimmed and tied (oven ready) filet mignon, ask your butcher to trim the roast and tie with string every few inches or so. A pismo is what restaurants usually order, which is a Filet untrimmed. Filet has a tail, middle, and butt section all different sizes. Tying will help to ensure more even cooking throughout. The typical serving size is about a half pound per person. For this recipe, we cooked a three and a half pound filet roast, making it good for seven adults.
How to Cook
Filet may be the most tender roast you can buy, but it is also one of the plainest! This is because of it being so lean, their is minimal fat to give it flavor. We season it well with course salt, garlic, pepper, rosemary, onion (anything else you may like) on all sides. Or, we grab the T-Bone Seasoning!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Start by taking the roast out of the fridge and unwrapping it, so it is room temperature. About 30 minutes should do. Cooking a room temperature roast allows for more even cooking!
While it is sitting out, we coat it in olive oil and season it on all sides. The oil will help it to become more well done on the outside. It also helps the seasoning to marinate into the meat, and makes more drippings in the pan as it cooks to use as a sauce or make a gravy with.
Oven Ready!
Place the roast into a pan or baking dish with about a half inch of water on the bottom. This also makes the drippings go farther, and prevents the bottom from burning.
Put the roast in the oven for about an hour. If you have a meat thermometer, you want it to read about 130 to 135 degrees for medium rare. Filet roasts take about an hour to cook. If it is a half of filet cook for under an hour, if its a whole filet cook for just over an hour. Remember to time it correctly with whatever else you are also making, because Filet Mignon cooks quickly!
If you are cooking a whole filet roast, you will notice the tail section is more well done, and the butt section is more rare making it easy to please everyone! To serve, remove all strings and cut from the tail side (smaller side) in approximately one inch slices. If you need more well done slices, place already cut pieces back in the oven for a few minutes! The increased surface area makes the meat cook faster.
Pour the pan drippings over the slices, or make a gravy and enjoy!
Storage Tip!
Unless you are serving in a buffet fashion, only cut the slices you need for serving! Leave what you don’t need whole. This helps to keep it from drying out.
Ask the butcher! Leave a comment with a question for my husband and we will try to feature it in a post.
Thank you, and I hope this post brings joy!
Stella Maris, Ora Pro Nobis!
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