Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon
By America's Test KitchenPublished on October 5, 2011
Time
40 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Determining when the meat is cooked to your liking is key, so pay close attention to the visual cues in step 3 or follow our recommendations below. If you choose to serve the steaks with one of the linked sauces , have all the sauce ingredients ready before searing the steaks. Begin the sauce while the steaks are in the oven. To cook six steaks instead of four, switch to a 12-inch pan and use 6 teaspoons of olive oil.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees. When oven reaches 450 degrees, heat 10-inch heavy-bottomed skillet (not nonstick) over high heat on stovetop until very hot, about 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, rub each side of steaks with 1/2 teaspoon oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Wrap 1 slice bacon around circumfrence of each filet, overlapping ends and securing to meat with toothpick. Place steaks in skillet and cook, without moving steaks, until well-browned and a nice crust has formed, about 3 minutes. Turn steaks with tongs and cook until well-browned and a nice crust has formed on second side, about 3 minutes longer. Hold filets two or three at a time on their sides briefly with tongs in skillet to crisp bacon slightly. Remove pan from heat, and use tongs to transfer steaks to hot baking sheet in oven.
- Roast 2 to 4 minutes for very rare (center of steaks will appear cherry red and feel very soft and loose when cut with tip of paring knife), 4 to 6 minutes for rare (centers will appear red and soft), 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare (centers will appear pink and feel firm but juicy), or 8 to 10 minutes for medium (centers will appear light pink and feel firm and compact). (After transferring steaks to oven, proceed with pan sauce of your choice.) Transfer steaks to large plate; loosely tent with foil, and let rest about 5 minutes before serving.
Time
40 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
The goal in developing our filet mignon recipe was to replicate the best restaurant filet at home, with a rich, brown crust and a tender interior, topped with a luscious pan sauce. To cook our filets perfectly, inside and out, we pan-seared evenly cut, well-dried filets in a 10-inch heavy-bottomed skillet, then transferred the meat to a hot oven. In our filet mignon recipe, finishing the steak in the oven prevented the fond—the richly flavored brown bits in the bottom of the pan—from burning and gave us time to start the sauce, which we made in minutes while the steaks were in the oven.
Before You Begin
Determining when the meat is cooked to your liking is key, so pay close attention to the visual cues in step 3 or follow our recommendations below. If you choose to serve the steaks with one of the linked sauces , have all the sauce ingredients ready before searing the steaks. Begin the sauce while the steaks are in the oven. To cook six steaks instead of four, switch to a 12-inch pan and use 6 teaspoons of olive oil.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees. When oven reaches 450 degrees, heat 10-inch heavy-bottomed skillet (not nonstick) over high heat on stovetop until very hot, about 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, rub each side of steaks with 1/2 teaspoon oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Wrap 1 slice bacon around circumfrence of each filet, overlapping ends and securing to meat with toothpick. Place steaks in skillet and cook, without moving steaks, until well-browned and a nice crust has formed, about 3 minutes. Turn steaks with tongs and cook until well-browned and a nice crust has formed on second side, about 3 minutes longer. Hold filets two or three at a time on their sides briefly with tongs in skillet to crisp bacon slightly. Remove pan from heat, and use tongs to transfer steaks to hot baking sheet in oven.
- Roast 2 to 4 minutes for very rare (center of steaks will appear cherry red and feel very soft and loose when cut with tip of paring knife), 4 to 6 minutes for rare (centers will appear red and soft), 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare (centers will appear pink and feel firm but juicy), or 8 to 10 minutes for medium (centers will appear light pink and feel firm and compact). (After transferring steaks to oven, proceed with pan sauce of your choice.) Transfer steaks to large plate; loosely tent with foil, and let rest about 5 minutes before serving.
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