Best method/recipe for Filet Mignon?


 
I

Ivan Stratton

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I need some help. Im going on my annual camping trip (17 years now). There are about 20 guys going, most of which are big eaters. We do steaks on Saturday night. Im a rib eye fan but we usually shop around to find the best deal and this year the best deal seems to be choice whole beef tenderloin $6.99 lb. We have a grate that goes over a campfire thats big enough to hold all these at once. My question is does anybody have a go to filet recipe, marinade, rub that they use for filet. Also I will be buying these whole and slicing them into steaks. Any ideas on how thick I should cut these? Most people will want theres medium rare to medium. A few will want well, but they obviously arent worried to much about the taste anyway. Thanks for any help.

Ivan
 
I like keeping it simple with my steaks. Generous amounts of salt and pepper, and drizzle a little bit of olive oil on them.

I'd suggest each steak should be around 2 inches thick. Butterfly the steaks that go to the well done crowd.

Granted, I'm no five-star chef or anything, but that's what I would do.
 
Whatever seasoning you decide on the most important thing for the most even cooking is to let the steaks get to room temp for an hour or so prior to cooking. I believe this aids in tenderness as well....just my 2 cents.
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Ivan,

Like Sean, I'm not an expert, however I do cook steaks pretty darn good. Cut 2" thick, butterfly those that want well done. The beauty of a tenderloin is its wonderful flavor, no strong rubs and by no means, never, never a marinade, a little olive oil rubbed on them then salt and pepper. I generally sear each side 2 minutes over the hottest coals, then pull to a cooler spot to finish, 125° internal for rare.
Good Luck
 
Good info so far I think. Filet cooks FAST, so if you are looking to medium rare, it isn't going to take very long. I don't temp usually, just go by touch (cooked steaks for years in my dad's restaurant). The Well-done crowd can deal with a butterflied steak, but your medium-rare ones needn't be cut at all. Salt/pepper/garlic powder is what I would go with for seasonings. K.I.S.S. method is the best for tenderloin IMO.
 
Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper is all I use.

Cut at least 1.5" thick, no more than 2".

Season and let sit for an hour.

Grill ~2 minutes, flip, ~2 minutes, flip & rotate, ~1 minutes, flip & rotate, ~1 minutes. Go by touch for doneness.
(yeah yeah you're only supposed to flip once but I'm a rebel)
 
KISS here as well. Just salt and ground black pepper, real butter and let the wonderful taste of the meat do the rest. This cut does not need anything else. I do not use olive oil as the heat during cooking is too high.
 
2 1/2 ~ 3 inch thick salt and pepper & a slice of bacon wraped aroud the sides held on witha tooth pick or cooking twine.
 
Thanks guys. I just got a chance to post a response. Lots of packing and shopping. I'm going with an olive oil rub down, Kosher Salt and pepper with a dollop of garlic butter at the finish while it rests. Also I ended up with a whole rib eye for a good price so I got that instead. I'm a rib eye guy. Ill post pictures when I get back.
 
Ivan - Trust me on this - Especially for a bunch of guys - This is a great cook, lots of fun and will entertain them all while producing a good meal. Contact Bob Correll on the forum here and have him post his recipe for LOMO EL TROPPO. You do a whole loin and it is outsanding. I've done it twice. Its easy and the guys will think you are great. Bob
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Ivan,

I think you've got a good plan. Good luck. If you're camping in VA this weekend, you'll have great weather for it. Be sure to post some pics when you get back.
 
Ivan, here is the link that Another Bob mentioned.
Actually not my procedure, but one by Steven Raichlen.

Sounds like a great time, enjoy!
 
We've had a couple of whole tenderloins. The Good Eats episode on tenderloin might be a good resource for prep if you can find it on YouTube or Hulu.

I like Kosher salt and pepper, maybe with a little garlic powder and white pepper. Montreal Steak seasoning might be easier to pack.
 
I did a couple of fillets on my gasser a week ago. IMHO they turned out pretty good. I used a variation of this Memphis Dust Rub.

3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup paprika
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ground ginger powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoons rosemary powder

I left out the sugar (was afraid it would burn) and added a teaspoons of ground cumin. The fillets were about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 inches thick. I wrapped them with a strip of bacon (mmm bacon) and rubbed on some EVOO infused with garlic, rosemary and italian seaoning blend before applying the rub. I let them set out covered in plastic wrap for about an hour before grilling. Grilled them about 4 minutes on each side over high heat (400-450).

Ready for grill
http://www.facebook.com/photo....0f705a&id=1783635814

After a few minutes on the grill
http://www.facebook.com/photo....2c6b40&id=1783635814
 
Well everything has already been said. And the way i and most prefer is to keep it simple,let the meat speak for itself.

Salt/pepper/evoo and maby some fresh thyme will make the meat come out perfect,cooking wise(with no lid)i would do 2" thick steaks and grill em HOT(as said before). If you can put something like a lid over the meat i would do it whole,indirect after a HOT sear the first few mins.

Whatever you do good luck,keep it simple and remember have FUN!

*edit* Forgot a good herb butter on the finished protein is always a good idea!

Regards from sweden
 
I don’t find filets very flavorful so my go to recipe is a healthy dab of Chimichurri sauce just before serving. I find that the herbs really liven up the meat and help soften the texture.
 
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