Just grilled my first Filet Mingon

[SoulAssassin]

Did you get a cast iron skillet yet like I mentioned in the last thread?

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Vic
Filet is good, no doubt, but you can have my ribeye after you pry it from my cold dead fingers.

Do say...tell us more!

Ribeye is all about the fatty marbliness. Not much more to say. Filet v. Ribeye is the Coke v. Pepsi or Ford v. Chevy debate of the meat world. I love the wonderful flavor of marbled fat, so I'm a ribeye guy. Others love the tender meatiness of filet.
Either way, both should be cooked by choosing the finest cuts, only mildly seasoned, cooked over roaring blast furnace heat, not touched but for a single flip and a single hole for meat thermometer, pulled when just med-rare and juicy, rested for a few minutes, and served hot with nothing but its own juices.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: SoulAssassin
Did you get a cast iron skillet yet like I mentioned in the last thread?

Haven't picked one up yet, what size do you recommend? And give me a recipe for when I get one

 

[Ns1]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Vic
Filet is good, no doubt, but you can have my ribeye after you pry it from my cold dead fingers.

Do say...tell us more!

Ribeye is all about the fatty marbliness. Not much more to say. Filet v. Ribeye is the Coke v. Pepsi or Ford v. Chevy debate of the meat world. I love the wonderful flavor of marbled fat, so I'm a ribeye guy. Others love the tender meatiness of filet.
Either way, both should be cooked by choosing the finest cuts, only mildly seasoned, cooked over roaring blast furnace heat, not touched but for a single flip and a single hole for meat thermometer, pulled when just med-rare and juicy, rested for a few minutes, and served hot with nothing but its own juices.

+++++++++++++++

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Vic
Filet is good, no doubt, but you can have my ribeye after you pry it from my cold dead fingers.

Do say...tell us more!

Ribeye is all about the fatty marbliness. Not much more to say. Filet v. Ribeye is the Coke v. Pepsi or Ford v. Chevy debate of the meat world. I love the wonderful flavor of marbled fat, so I'm a ribeye guy. Others love the tender meatiness of filet.
Either way, both should be cooked by choosing the finest cuts, only mildly seasoned, cooked over roaring blast furnace heat, not touched but for a single flip and a single hole for meat thermometer, pulled when just med-rare and juicy, rested for a few minutes, and served hot with nothing but its own juices.

Well then Ribeye is next on my list

 

[sactoking]

A meat thermometer hole is an abomination to all steak-dom. If you can't tell doneness by touch, well, then maybe steaks just aren't for you.........



(Note: this is good-natured ribbing, not flaming. Since there are no facial expressions or tone of voice, I just like to point that out)

(Get it, 'ribbing' & 'flaming' in a thread about grilling steaks? What a "delicious" pun!)

 

[Lamont Burns]

I make steaks for my dad and brother when we are all together, which is a rare thing. Every gd time those buttholes put A1 on it. /cry

 

[Kirby]

This is the last steak I cooked. It was perfect.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: nkgreen
This is the last steak I cooked. It was perfect.

What'd you cook the mushrooms in?

 

[Ns1]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: nkgreen
This is the last steak I cooked. It was perfect.

What'd you cook the mushrooms in?

badgers

 

[rasczak]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: nkgreen
This is the last steak I cooked. It was perfect.

What'd you cook the mushrooms in?

looks like the ribeye was pan seared? If so then right after the ribeye was finished i assume he threw the mushrooms in the ribeye's afterglow and flashed em nice and good.

I'm hungry.

 

[Fritzo]

Filets are tough to do at home because most people overcook them. They're very lean, so they almost HAVE to be eaten rare (medium rare at most), or they'll taste like leather. The trick is to take them off the grill right BEFORE liquid blood starts appearing on the surface of the meat. They will cook another 5 minutes off the grill, so you have to anticipate (which is where the skill comes in).

Seems like everytime someone tries to impress and cooks filets for a party or something they end up with tiny hockey pucks.

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Filets are tough to do at home because most people overcook them. They're very lean, so they almost HAVE to be eaten rare (medium rare at most), or they'll taste like leather. The trick is to take them off the grill right BEFORE liquid blood starts appearing on the surface of the meat. They will cook another 5 minutes off the grill, so you have to anticipate (which is where the skill comes in).

Seems like everytime someone tries to impress and cooks filets for a party or something they end up with tiny hockey pucks.

its easier to pan sear them and the put them in the oven at 550 for a few min, less chance on hockey pucks

 

[jonks]

My friends order steaks well done when we eat out. I wanna strangle them every time they do it. They're probably tired of me rolling my eyes every time they order, but I'm tired of them having an animal slaughtered for food only to ruin the meat. Bastards.

 

[elektrolokomotive]

Originally posted by: Ns1

We buy shortribs in bulk @Costco. Use some, freeze the rest. After braising they become tender as shit anyway

What an appetizing simile to use in a food thread!

 

[LS21]

Originally posted by: sirjonk
My friends order steaks well done when we eat out. I wanna strangle them every time they do it. They're probably tired of me rolling my eyes every time they order, but I'm tired of them having an animal slaughtered for food only to ruin the meat. Bastards.

i took my sister out to a nice steakhouse and she asked the server for A1. i was embarassed

 

[SoulAssassin]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: SoulAssassin
Did you get a cast iron skillet yet like I mentioned in the last thread?

Haven't picked one up yet, what size do you recommend? And give me a recipe for when I get one

I picked up a 3 pack of assorted sizes at Kohl's for $10. These were unseasoned which means you have to season them yourselves. You can get a good size (12" or so) seasoned one for about $20-25. Seasoning it was half the fun in my opinion.

You can find complete instructions by googling but basically if it's unseasoned you need to clean the skillet, dry it and then coat the entire thing in vegetable oil and let it sit for about an hour or so upside down (part where you put the meat facing down). Coat in in vegetable oil again and put it in the oven around 450 or so for another hour or so upside down (make sure you put tin foil or whatever down first). This is going to get smokey so open a couple windows and pull the batteries out of the smoke detector. Leave it in the oven for a while until it cools and then I would repeat the process though you can use it at this point. The point is you are building up a non-stick coating. A good cast iron will last a lifetime and will build up a coating better than any Teflon crap you can buy. I've used mine about 10 times and honestly each time I use it I can tell it's getting better. There are many sites out there going over proper treatment of a cast iron skillet...usually don't want to get any soap on it, always dry it completely, definitely don't put it in the dishwasher.

Anyways, on to the good stuff, once you have it seasoned or if you bought a pre-seasoned then you're going to turn the oven on about 400 and put the skillet in there for maybe 20 minutes or so to get heated. If you haven't already take the steak out of the fridge, it should be at room temp when you start this. Usually a little kosher salt and ground black pepper is all you need on the steak...maybe a little garlic if that is your thing. Now the skillet is nice and hot in the oven, turn a burner on high and pull the skillet out of the oven. Put the steak on the skillet for about 80-90 seconds on each side assuming a steak around 1.5". After the second side turn off the burner and put the steak in the oven (still in the skillet) for about 2.5 minutes on each side. Actual times will vary based on the cut/thickness but these are good ballparks for a nice medium rare. Let the steak sit for about 8-10 minutes and what you'll have is a steak that's seared perfectly on the outside with all of it's juice on the inside.

There is no better way to cook a steak.

 

[TwiceOver]

Damn I need a grill. My parents asked what we wanted for our Easter dinner get together. I said Meat + Fire, I could care less about anything else.

 

[amoeba]

For Filet, I prefer cooking in a cast iron pan then moving in to broiler after 4 minutes on one side and flipping.

Filet is perfect for making a steak au poive (steak with pepper).

rub both sides of steak right before cooking with coarse ground black peppercorn and kosher salt.

sear in hot cast iron pan for 4 minutes, flip, put a thick pat of good unsalted butter on top and move whole pan to 500+ oven or broiler, go for another 5 to 6 minutes.

take pan out, remove steak and rest.

while steak is resting, put pan on to a low burner, add very finely minced shallots in to pan. deglaze first with a shot of brandy off the flame then add a half cup of dry red wine ( i like using merlot but your tastes might differ, nothing too oaky), when alchohol flavor is mostly gone ( ie it doesn't smell like the grandma that drinks too much), add a half cup to a cup of beef or veal stock. cook until sauce reduces by half and it thickens. only after you are satisfied with the sauce consistency should you test for seasoning. At this point add pepper and salt to taste. you can add cream for creamy feel or leave it out if you want it more beefy. Finally finish sauce with more butter for velvety consistency. add butter slowly while sauce is on low flame (aka mount the butter, sounds nice and dirty). while many steps in this sauce, actually really easy and takes only about 10 minutes at which time your steak should have adequately rested.

Good sides to go with this are sauteed mushrooms, grilled or roasted asparagus spears, classic french fries.

Pour yourself a nice glass of redwine and you got yourself a fine bistro meal.

 

[jonks]

Originally posted by: LS21

Originally posted by: sirjonk
My friends order steaks well done when we eat out. I wanna strangle them every time they do it. They're probably tired of me rolling my eyes every time they order, but I'm tired of them having an animal slaughtered for food only to ruin the meat. Bastards.

i took my sister out to a nice steakhouse and she asked the server for A1. i was embarassed

Washington, D.C.: Hi Tom,

I am about to enter the restaurant field, and I have a question for you about pleasing the customer vs. sticking to your (the restaurateur's) beliefs. Example: a restaurant nearby (in your dining guide) refused to cook a patron's steak to well done. The customer and his party of six got up and left. Yes, the restaurant lost six customers, probably for good. But as the chef I would have felt pretty lousy for consciously charring a good piece of meat. Your thoughts on maintaining the balance?

Tom Sietsema: This subject comes up a lot, most recently in an Ask Tom column in which a diner requested ketchup for his steak frites at Café de Paris in Columbia and the server informed him there was none in the house but she could offer mustard instead. The owner confirmed the incident and told me he wanted to remain true to the French way.

I can see both sides in the steak situation; from a business perspective, though, I don?t know too many chefs who would risk losing six customers and gaining bad publicity by not cooking something longer than he or she thought optimal. (Just as an aside, I used to work in a steak house; people who ordered well-done meat invariably got lesser cuts ? the chef?s revenge!)

Had I been the manager I might have diplomatically explained that meat is best at such and such a doneness but agreed to the customer?s request.

 

[Ns1]

Originally posted by: amoeba
For Filet, I prefer cooking in a cast iron pan then moving in to broiler after 4 minutes on one side and flipping.

Filet is perfect for making a steak au poive (steak with pepper).

rub both sides of steak right before cooking with coarse ground black peppercorn and kosher salt.

sear in hot cast iron pan for 4 minutes, flip, put a thick pat of good unsalted butter on top and move whole pan to 500+ oven or broiler, go for another 5 to 6 minutes.

take pan out, remove steak and rest.

while steak is resting, put pan on to a low burner, add very finely minced shallots in to pan. deglaze first with a shot of brandy off the flame then add a half cup of dry red wine ( i like using merlot but your tastes might differ, nothing too oaky), when alchohol flavor is mostly gone ( ie it doesn't smell like the grandma that drinks too much), add a half cup to a cup of beef or veal stock. cook until sauce reduces by half and it thickens. only after you are satisfied with the sauce consistency should you test for seasoning. At this point add pepper and salt to taste. then finish sauce with more butter for velvety consistency. add butter slowly while sauce is on low flame (aka mount the butter, sounds nice and dirty). while many steps in this sauce, actually really easy and takes only about 10 minutes at which time your steak should have adequately rested.

Good sides to go with this are sauteed mushrooms, grilled or roasted asparagus spears, classic french fries.

Pour yourself a nice glass of redwine and you got yourself a fine bistro meal.

That is excellent. Must try soon.

 

[amoeba]

As somebody mentioned earlier, Filet is lean thus does not have a lot of fat which provides flavor. The reason filet is tender is because it belongs to the tenderloin, a piece of muscle that does not do any work.

Because of its lack of strong beefy flavor due to lack of fat, this is why it works well with fatty treatments such as buttery sauces or bacon wrapping. butter and pork fat are most flavorful.

Also due to filet's delicate nature, this is why I prefer to cook on cast iron + oven/broiler instead of grill whereas for something like ribeye or NY strip, I might like to do grill preparation. The other advantage of cast iron is that little bits of beef is kept in the pan after cooking my steak which allows me to add flavors to my sauce when I deglaze the pan.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Filets are tough to do at home because most people overcook them. They're very lean, so they almost HAVE to be eaten rare (medium rare at most), or they'll taste like leather. The trick is to take them off the grill right BEFORE liquid blood starts appearing on the surface of the meat. They will cook another 5 minutes off the grill, so you have to anticipate (which is where the skill comes in).

Seems like everytime someone tries to impress and cooks filets for a party or something they end up with tiny hockey pucks.

its easier to pan sear them and the put them in the oven at 550 for a few min, less chance on hockey pucks

Depends on if you like the smokey taste or not.

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

Originally posted by: sirjonk
Cuz they're so lean, filets are among the least flavorful of steaks. Go for something with some fat on the sucker.

I hear everyone rave about prime rib, but I find it kind of nasty with all the fat.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Ns1

Originally posted by: amoeba
For Filet, I prefer cooking in a cast iron pan then moving in to broiler after 4 minutes on one side and flipping.

Filet is perfect for making a steak au poive (steak with pepper).

rub both sides of steak right before cooking with coarse ground black peppercorn and kosher salt.

sear in hot cast iron pan for 4 minutes, flip, put a thick pat of good unsalted butter on top and move whole pan to 500+ oven or broiler, go for another 5 to 6 minutes.

take pan out, remove steak and rest.

while steak is resting, put pan on to a low burner, add very finely minced shallots in to pan. deglaze first with a shot of brandy off the flame then add a half cup of dry red wine ( i like using merlot but your tastes might differ, nothing too oaky), when alchohol flavor is mostly gone ( ie it doesn't smell like the grandma that drinks too much), add a half cup to a cup of beef or veal stock. cook until sauce reduces by half and it thickens. only after you are satisfied with the sauce consistency should you test for seasoning. At this point add pepper and salt to taste. then finish sauce with more butter for velvety consistency. add butter slowly while sauce is on low flame (aka mount the butter, sounds nice and dirty). while many steps in this sauce, actually really easy and takes only about 10 minutes at which time your steak should have adequately rested.

Good sides to go with this are sauteed mushrooms, grilled or roasted asparagus spears, classic french fries.

Pour yourself a nice glass of redwine and you got yourself a fine bistro meal.

That is excellent. Must try soon.

Alton Brown's Steak au Poivre recipe Text