The Best Ways For Grilling Filet Mignon
By Mike Cobb
This is probably one of the easiest things which you will grill. Why, you ask? Because you have so much less to do when you are grilling filets than when you are grilling anything else.
There is less prep time, less work involved, less stress, less work, less messing around with everything. And less seasoning, believe it or not and that says a lot since that is the business that I am in: the BBQ rub business.
But filet mignon are so great in and of themselves that you do not need a lot of extra seasonings; it would just take away from the greatness of the steak and it’s natural flavor and taste. Salt and pepper, cracked black pepper, that is all you need.
Here is a great tip for grilling filet mignon, or most cuts of meat for when you are getting ready to barbeque. Pull them out, especially the filet and rub some cracked black pepper all over it. Now wrap a piece of bacon around the filet and tie it in with a toothpick which has been soaking in water for about 30 minutes.
Two things, the bacon infuses some flavor, but basically just keeps the meat moist since it is such a lean cut of steak. And then, two, when you are grilling filet mignon,you want to place the steak on the counter and just let it sit for about 45 minutes. You are going to let it come to room temperature.
You do not want to take a very cold steak and then try to grill it when it is so cold on the inside. The outside will be burnt black and the inside will still be raw. You did not pay all that money just to throw it away.
Now, pre-heat your grill to really hot when you are grilling filet mignon. Place the steaks on there after it has come up to temperature and sear the outside for about 3-4 minutes. Now after you have seared both sides and got those good grill marks on there, move the steaks over to where they will finish up on indirect heat. Now they should cook, and it will not take all that long to finish up…probably not more than 6-10 minutes max.
Here is a good rule of thumb:
rare 130 and above
medium rare 135 degrees and up
medium 145 degrees and up
Now, you can use an instant read (digital) thermometer. When it has finished up, you always, always need to place it on a plate and let it rest. I cannot stress that too strongly: let it rest for about 15 minutes. Then, and only then can you really enjoy it.
Just a couple of things left. You notice I never mentioned the salt. One, only use sea salt, or Kosher salt; the flavor is so much better than that crazy iodized stuff they pawn off at the grocery store as salt….you know, the one in the blue box….no names mentioned.
And you put the salt on only after you have seared both sides. Then You can liberally salt it (to your taste).
And two, never, pierce a cut of meat when you are grilling. As a professional Chef, sometimes I think I was born with a pair of tongs in my hand. Always use tongs, never a turning fork where it punctures the meat.
There you go, those are some good tips for when grilling filet mignon. Try those and you should have some really good steaks to enjoy.
For more great recipes and tips from Chef Michael go check out his Barbeque Blog at: Grilling Filet Mignon
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How to Grill the Perfect Filet Mignon
Step 1 - Seasoning
The first step is to season your filet. It doesn’t take much. Just a little salt and pepper. Some chefs recommend that you do not add salt until after the steak is done as it can dry the steak out. I don’t like to take any chances, so I choose to salt the steak after it comes off the grill. I recommend using a coarse salt like kosher. After you season the filet mignon, just leave it out on the counter and allow it to come to room temperature, about 45 minutes or so.
Step 2 - Heat the Grill
While your filet is coming to room temperature, preheat your grill. The best way to cook a tender steak like filet mignon is searing it by direct heat. So you want to get a really hot flame going on your grill. You can tell if the grill is ready by using the hand test. Hold your hand a couple of inches above the grill. If you can’t hold it above the grill for 2 seconds, then it is ready!
Step 3 - Start Cooking
When your grill comes to temperature you are ready to cook. When placing your filet mignon on the grill, use tender care. Do not pierce the filet with a fork or anything sharp. This will cause the juices to run out of the filet while you are cooking it. Instead, use tongs to grab the filet.
How Long do you Grill Filet Mignon?
Sear the filet for 4 minutes on both sides and flip the steak only once during the grilling process.
There are two techniques that I am aware of, that will accurately tell you the doneness of your steak. The first choice is to use an instant read thermometer, which is the most accurate method. The only downside of this method is that when you pierce the meat, all of those wonderful juices that give you that great flavor can leak out. So I avoid the instant read thermometer and use the touch method, which does take practice.
Here is a great technique that I learned on a cooking show and it is the only method I use now.
Take your index finger and gently touch it to your thumb. Don’t push your fingers together hard. Now push down on the fleshy part of your hand. It should feel soft and mushy. That is a close representation of how a rare steak feels when you push down on it. Now do the same thing with your middle finger and you have medium rare. The same with your index finger and you have medium . Lastly, the same with your pinky finger and you have well-done.
Step 4 - Let it Rest!
After the steak has cooked to your desired doneness, remove it to a plate and let it sit for 10 minutes. Resist the urge to cut or poke the meat to check it! If you do, your meat will be ruined. By letting it rest for 10 minutes, you are allowing the juices to become evenly distributed throughout the entire steak. Enjoy!
Video on Grilling a Filet Mignon
Below is an excellent video from Grilling Master Steven Raichlen.
Steak Grilling Instructions - How to Grill the Perfect Steak
Steak grilling enthusiasts all over the world have searched long and hard for the answer to the question: “How do you 
grill the perfect steak?”
This is a wonderful question and deserves a wonderful answer. After all, a good, quality steak does not come cheap these days. My hopes with this article are to give you all the necessary instructions and techniques possible so that your investment in a is not wasted. This guide will work equally well for both gas and charcoal grills and is in my opinion, the best way to grill a steak.
Grilling the Perfect Steak - Step 1
The first step is to choose the right piece of meat for grilling.
A great steak starts with a quality piece of meat. The problem for many beginners when they go to the supermarket or local butcher is choosing the good meat from the bad. There are a variety of steaks to choose from and it can be very confusing. If you have a butcher shop nearby, you should definitely buy your meat there as opposed to the supermarket. Supermarket steaks have been sitting on a shelf for God knows how long whereas the steak from a butcher shop is cut fresh.
Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing the perfect steak for grilling:
Grade
There are generally three different grades of beef in the United States: Prime Grade, Choice Grade and Select Grade. Prime is at the top of the grading scale and only makes up for a very small percentage of beef produced in this country. Prime Grade beef is usually reserved for restaurants. Choice and Select are usually the grades that are available to today’s consumer at supermarkets or butcher shops. So when going to your local butcher or supermarket, be sure to choose the best quality you can find. If it is not labeled on the package, be sure to ask for help.
Marbling
Marbling is the visible lines of fat that you see on the meats surface. Marbling is what gives your steak its great flavor. Now of course the more fat you have on your beef, the less healthy it will be. But I think many of us would rather enjoy a flavorful steak once in a while than the healthier alternative. The marbling should be thin lines of fat and should be evenly distributed throughout your steak. Stay away from thick marbling as this will give you a tougher steak. If you visit a butcher shop, they will definitely be able to help you.
Cut of Steak
The last factor I would like to talk about is the cut of steak. There are a variety of different cuts available today and it can be quite confusing. The best cuts for grilling in my opinion are the Rib-Eye, T-bone, Porterhouse, Strip Steak & Sirloin. There is of course the Tenderloin cuts which give you your filet mignon and Chateaubriand. These cuts are very tender but contain very little fat and are not very flavorful. I recommend avoiding these cuts for grilling. The Rib-Eye probably contains the most fat out of the bunch, but is definitely one of the more flavorful cuts. My recommendation would be test out a rib-eye, T-bone, Porterhouse and Strip to see which one you like the best, as we all have different preferences.
Step 2
Now that you know how to choose a good steak, let us talk about how to grill it to perfection. Now this is more of a craft than anything else, so it will take some practice to get things just right. This guide is catered to a steak with a thickness of about 3/4 - 1 inch, which is a descent size.
Bring Your Steak to Room Temperature
Never grill a frozen or cold steak. Your steak needs to be brought up to room temperature before you grill it so that the inside can cook properly without the outside becoming burnt. If your steak is frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator first then sit it on the counter top for around 30 minutes or so.
Season
The best way to season a steak is with salt and pepper. This really allows the true flavor to shine through. If you over season your steak with other spices or marinades, then you really aren’t going to taste that wonderful beef flavor.
Get your Grill Nice and Hot
One of the reasons why restaurant steaks are so tasty is because of the heat of their grills. The high heat sears the outside and produces a much tastier steak. Now you probably won’t be able to get your grill to the temperatures that restaurants have them, but you can still get your grill hot enough to cook a very tasty piece of meat. Here is how you know if your grill is hot enough. Carefully place your hand about 2 inches above the grill grate and start counting. If you can only keep your hand there for two seconds, then your grill is hot enough.
Time to Start Cooking
Now take a deep breath, grab your room temperature steak and throw that bad boy on the grill (Don’t literally throw it. Its a figure of speech). You may want to oil the grates of the grill lightly before you start grilling to prevent sticking.
Now here comes the tricky part: how long do you cook the steak? This is not an exact science unfortunately. It really depends on the thickness and how you like it cooked.
As indicated in the beginning of this article, this guide was written for a normal size steak of about 3/4 - 1 inches. For this thickness I usually grill it for about 4 minutes per side and then check for doneness using the touch technique (explained further below).
There are two techniques that I am aware of, that will accurately tell you the doneness of your steak. The first choice is to use an instant read thermometer, which is the most accurate method. The only downside of this method is that when you pierce the meat, all of those wonderful juices that give you that great flavor can leak out. So I avoid the instant read thermometer and use the touch method, which does take practice.
Here is a great technique that I learned on a cooking show and it is the only method I use now.
Take your index finger and gently touch it to your thumb. Don’t push your fingers together hard. Now push down on the fleshy part of your hand. It should feel soft and mushy. That is a close representation of how a rare steak feels when you push down on it. Now do the same thing with your middle finger and you have medium rare. The same with your index finger and you have medium . Lastly, the same with your pinky finger and you have well-done.
Let it Rest
When your steak has reached its desired doneness, take it off the grill and transfer it to a plate and let it rest for about 5 - 10 minutes. This allows the juices in the meat to settle and evenly distribute throughout .
That’s it! You are done. Now Dig In!
Videos on Choosing the Right Steak
Videos on Grilling the Perfect Steak
Steak Recipe - The Backyard Grill - An American Experience
By Lee Griffith
Griff’s American Grilled Black Pepper & Garlic Steak
Ingredients:
4 lbs. (approximate) thick cut rib eye steak (four steaks)
2&2/3 cups Italian dressing (cheap is good!)
8 tbsp. butter
4 large cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper (or more, if you love black pepper!)
Instructions:
Marinate the steak in the Italian dressing for at least 1/2 hour. In a small pan, melt the butter and add the garlic, heating slowly until the garlic is golden brown. Place steaks on hot grill (preferably a charcoal grill), sprinkling half of the pepper on steaks. When the first side is done, turn the steaks over and sprinkle the rest of pepper on steaks. With a spoon, pour the butter and garlic mixture over the top of steaks while they are still on grill.
Griff’s American Grilled Potato & Pepper Pouches
Ingredients:
3 cups unpeeled, sliced potatoes
2/3 cup green bell pepper (with membrane & seeds removed), diced
2/3 red bell pepper (with membrane & seeds removed), diced
2/3 orange bell pepper (with membrane & seeds removed), diced
2/3 cup onion, cut in long, diced
2 tbsp. jalapeno pepper (with membrane & seeds removed), finely chopped
2 large cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. Lawry’s® seasoned pepper (or just black pepper)
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. butter
Instructions:
Combine everything except the butter in a large mixing bowl—really mix everything well. Cut 4 18” x 12” sheets of aluminum foil. Lay the foil flat (dull side up) and put 1/4 of the mixture on each sheet in a mound that is at the center of one end of the foil. Make sure there is space between the mound and all of the edges of the foil. Put 1 tablespoon of butter on the top of each mound. Fold the other end of the foil over the top of the mound and fold the side edges up over the top so that when you are done you have four neat pouches. Put the pouches (butter on top) on a very hot grill for about ten minutes, then flip over and grill another 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Take off grill and allow to stand a few minutes, then empty each pouch on four dinner plates.
Copyright © 2007 Lee Griffith. All rights reserved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lee Griffith, a.k.a. “Griff” is the author of several blogs. Griff describes himself as a “former kitchen klutz” who now has a passion for cooking and developing great recipes. Griff would like to send you a FREE E-BOOK with 32 great chili recipes, along with a free recipe every week via email.
To receive, simply click on http://optin2.griffsrecipes.com
Check out “Griff’s Recipe Report” at http://GriffsRecipeReport.com
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6 Steps to Grill the Perfect Steak
6 Steps to Grill the Perfect Steak
By Laura Bankston
There’s nothing better than a nicely grilled juicy steak.
But how come I can’t duplicate that restaurant, expensive, juicy, melt-in-your mouth, perfectly grilled steak?
Well, I found out how to grill steak perfectly - and here’s how you can too.
1. The choice of meat is important!!! Just because the supermarket has labeled the steak “good for grilling” doesn’t mean that it is. Lean meat does not do well. You want a piece that has marbling throughout. And these are good cuts: fillet (mignon), top loin (rib eye) - basically the same cuts that are the ones you love in the restaurant.
2. Next, proper heating of the grill is vital. If you are using charcoal, spread 2/3 of the bricks on one side and 1/3 of the bricks on the other. That way you have a hotter side for searing the meat and a cooler side for cooking the meat.
If you are using a gas grill, you will lose some of the flavor, but you will want to turn the heat down for the cooking portion.
3. Next, rub both sides of the meat with oil and cover with salt and pepper. Be generous with the salt and pepper because it will fall off during the grilling.
4. Place your meat on the hot side for searing. Cook on each side for three minutes to get the nice grilled meat crust color you love. For a hand test, I’ve been told that you should be able to hold you hand over the heat for 3 seconds before you can’t take it!
5. Place your meat on the cooler side for cooking to your taste. The hand test for the cooler side, I’ve been told, is 6-7 seconds. You will want to use a timer to cook the meat - or use the slice and peak test to see if the meat is done enough for you. Just don’t cut and peek too often or you’ll lose all the juice!
6. When the steak is done, take if off the grill and let it set for at least 5 minutes. Some people call it “resting”. It allows the juices to spread back out so that you’ll have a juicy steak with a nice crust.
Follow these steps and you’ll be enjoying perfectly grilled, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth steak that will impress and satisfy the most discriminating steak eater!
About The Author
Laura Bankston is author of Internationally selling Cooking with Kids Curriculum: “Homeschool Cooking in a Box” and the “Homeschool Cookbook”. She currently home schools her three children, maintains home school support websites, and manages their family-owned service business. For information on her curriculum and free home school support services, please visit http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com
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