Filet Mignon

[Chuck Simon]

Tonight I made some filet mignon. First I put some EVOO on the steaks and then sprinkled pepper on them. I let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Right before throwing them on the grill, I sprinkled on some garlic salt. I waited on the garlic salt because I have heard that the salt will draw out the moisture in the steaks. Here they are seasoned before hitting the grill:

I cooked 3 out of the 4 to well done as my wife is pregnant and is not supposed to eat undercooked red meat. Here is the finished product after resting for about 10 minutes:

I cannot seem to get the great grill marks on my OTS as I do on my Genesis. Maybe the grate was not preheated enough. The steaks were great though.

 

[michele p]

Great job!
You are correct, pre heat the grate more on your OTS for better grill marks. Also, on the gasser, the grates are wider, so the grill marks are wider and more profound.
You may want to try a 2 zone fire, where you can sear over hot coals, then move to a cooler area to finish.
The important thing is, "The steaks were great though."

Congrats on the new addition!

 

[Bryan S]

Originally posted by Chuck Simon:
I waited on the garlic salt because I have heard that the salt will draw out the moisture in the steaks.

I know it's 5 pages, but well worth reading IMO. Salted steak technique

 

[Pat Smith]

Other opinions may differ, but I get better grill marks on my kettle since I switched to a stainless steel replacement grate from Weber on my kettle grill. I agree that using a two level fire also helps out - sear directly over the hot part of the grill on both sides, then move to the cooler side to finish. The grill marks will be more defined.

The ultimate grate, however, seems to be the cast iron grate replacement that Larry Wolfe reps. I'm saving my pennies for one of those.

On the Genesis, do you have the porcelain coated cast iron grates? I've got those on my Genesis and they give killer grill marks, too.

Pat

 

[Chuck Simon]

Thanks Michele! I did use the two zone fire, which was how I made my steak. I seared on both sides and finished over the the cooler side. It came out just the way I like it. Usually I grill a nice big top sirloin and my wife and I have the same conversation every time:
Wife: "The steak is too red'."
Me: "Throw it in the microwave."
Wife: "Then it won't taste good."
Me: "Then stop complaining."

Bryan, I have not read the article yet, but will do as soon as I am done here. Thanks!

Pat, I have the porcelain coated grates for my Genesis. Like Michele said, they are wider than the OTS, so the grill marks come out awesome. Maybe once I fully learn how to master the OTS I will be able to buy more toys for it.

 

[LarryR]

Chuck, there's a great compromise here, reverse sear. Throw wife's on indirect side for a few min, then through yours on for a few minutes, then I'd move them both to the coolest side open bottom vents all the way get those coals nice and hot and reverse sear for finish.

Can't be much help on the timing of each, sorry.

 

[Chuck Simon]

Originally posted by Bryan S:
I know it's 5 pages, but well worth reading IMO. Salted steak technique

Very Interesting Bryan. Thanks for sharing. I am definately going to try this on my next steak.

 

[Chuck Simon]

Originally posted by LarryR:
Chuck, there's a great compromise here, reverse sear. Throw wife's on indirect side for a few min, then through yours on for a few minutes, then I'd move them both to the coolest side open bottom vents all the way get those coals nice and hot and reverse sear for finish.

I tried this with a pork loin I made last week. I am going to try it again eventually. I want to be able to get it right. Thanks Larry!

 

[Bryan S]

Originally posted by Chuck Simon:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bryan S:
I know it's 5 pages, but well worth reading IMO. Salted steak technique

Very Interesting Bryan. Thanks for sharing. I am definately going to try this on my next steak. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Do try it, works great IMO. I salt like it was cooked and ready to eat, but a little more on the heavy side as you'll loose some salt as the steak cooks on the grill, verses covering the steak in salt, then washing the salt off. I let my steaks sit out of the fridge salted for 2 hrs. Seems to work the best for Ribeyes, about an inch to inch and a half thick. Pretty much all I cook, as it's my fav steak.

 

[John Solak]

Originally posted by Chuck Simon:
Usually I grill a nice big top sirloin and my wife and I have the same conversation every time:
Wife: "The steak is too red'."
Me: "Throw it in the microwave."
Wife: "Then it won't taste good."
Me: "Then stop complaining."

Your steak look great Chuck. When I overcook them she is happy and I am disappointed.I hear the same thing when I cook them they way I like them but instead of the microwave I point to the skillet.

 

[Chuck Simon]

Originally posted by John Solak:
Your steak look great Chuck. When I overcook them she is happy and I am disappointed.I hear the same thing when I cook them they way I like them but instead of the microwave I point to the skillet.

I know exactly how you feel John. She likes them, but we are disappointed. My wife normally does not mind the steak cooked to medium, but with her being pregnant, she has me make it well done. I am not sure the exact reasoning behind this. I should look it up sometime to see if there is any truth to it.

By the way, I see all of the messages you guys post while I am at work. For some strange reason, I can look at the site, but my company blocks the page you log on to the site. This is why I do not respond until so late at night. Thanks again everyone. Everyone on this site is so helpful.

 

[Chuck Simon]

Originally posted by Bryan S:
Do try it, works great IMO. I salt like it was cooked and ready to eat, but a little more on the heavy side as you'll loose some salt as the steak cooks on the grill, verses covering the steak in salt, then washing the salt off. I let my steaks sit out of the fridge salted for 2 hrs. Seems to work the best for Ribeyes, about an inch to inch and a half thick. Pretty much all I cook, as it's my fav steak.

I have a top sirloin I am grilling tonight. I am going to try this and let you know how it turns out. I am going to finish the steak off by putting some garlic butter on it while it is resting.Pics to follow later tonight.

 

[r benash]

The salt method works great. I used it on pretty much all my steaks last season. I used the method as described (heavy both sides, rinse). I used Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (it's a little weaker than Morton's so more forgiving). Also start with 20 minutes in the salt first. Then try longer as long as the back note of the salt is right. It should taste like it would normally. In that the salt flavor should be the same as it would had you prepped the steaks in you normal way.

It relaxes the meat beautifully and turns it a deep red color and pretty much any grade will be TENDER. I let the steaks sit out for about an hour, and during the salt period. Most of my steaks are 1 1/2 inch or more. So if you are using thinner be careful and experiment with less time first.