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Bacon-Wrapped Filets Mignons

By Alli Berkey

Published on October 19, 2018

Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Serves 4

Bacon-Wrapped Filets Mignons

Ingredients

2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1 (2-pound) center-cut beef tenderloin roast, trimmed4 slices bacon 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Before You Begin

To double this recipe, double all the ingredients except the oil and roast and sear the eight steaks as you would if you were preparing four steaks. You can serve the steaks with Gorgonzola Vinaigrette, if desired.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Combine salt and pepper in bowl. Cut tenderloin crosswise into 4 equal steaks. Pat steaks dry with paper towels and sprinkle evenly with salt mixture.
  2. Working with 1 steak at a time, wrap 1 slice bacon around circumference of steak, stretching as needed, and secure overlapping ends with toothpick inserted horizontally. Place steaks on prepared wire rack. Roast until steaks register 115 degrees (for medium-rare), about 40 minutes, or 125 degrees (for medium), 45 to 50 minutes.
  3. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Position steaks on sides in skillet with bacon seam side down and nestled into rounded corners of skillet. Cook until bacon is evenly browned, rotating steaks as needed, about 5 minutes. Position steaks flat side down in center of skillet and cook until steaks are well browned on tops and bottoms, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
  4. Transfer steaks to platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Gently remove toothpicks, leaving bacon intact. Serve.
Bacon-Wrapped Filets Mignons
Photography by Keller + Keller.

Bacon-Wrapped Filets Mignons

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Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 (2-pound) center-cut beef tenderloin roast, trimmed
4 slices bacon
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 (2-pound) center-cut beef tenderloin roast, trimmed
4 slices bacon
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 (2-pound) center-cut beef tenderloin roast, trimmed
4 slices bacon
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

The trick to these mouthwatering filets mignons is getting perfectly cooked steaks and crispy slices of bacon at the same time. Too often things don't pan out, so we reversed the usual method. By slowly cooking the wrapped filets in a low oven until they were just shy of medium-rare, we ensured that they were perfectly cooked before giving the bacon the attention it needed. After being rendered slightly in the oven, the bacon was ready for a quick trip to the skillet to finish crisping. Using the edges of the skillet to stand the steaks on their sides, we were able to get fully seared steaks with crisp, porky wrappers.

Before You Begin

To double this recipe, double all the ingredients except the oil and roast and sear the eight steaks as you would if you were preparing four steaks. You can serve the steaks with Gorgonzola Vinaigrette, if desired.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Combine salt and pepper in bowl. Cut tenderloin crosswise into 4 equal steaks. Pat steaks dry with paper towels and sprinkle evenly with salt mixture.
  2. Working with 1 steak at a time, wrap 1 slice bacon around circumference of steak, stretching as needed, and secure overlapping ends with toothpick inserted horizontally. Place steaks on prepared wire rack. Roast until steaks register 115 degrees (for medium-rare), about 40 minutes, or 125 degrees (for medium), 45 to 50 minutes.
  3. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Position steaks on sides in skillet with bacon seam side down and nestled into rounded corners of skillet. Cook until bacon is evenly browned, rotating steaks as needed, about 5 minutes. Position steaks flat side down in center of skillet and cook until steaks are well browned on tops and bottoms, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
  4. Transfer steaks to platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Gently remove toothpicks, leaving bacon intact. Serve.

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