Bacon wrapped filet mignon is a steakhouse classic that is easy to make with minimal ingredients. It is perfect for a special meal, like Valentine’s Day, birthdays, or anniversaries.
Bacon wrapped filet mignon is a steakhouse classic that everyone loves. It’s a recipe that is surprisingly easy, but it exudes elegance. It is perfect for a special meal, like Valentine’s Day, birthdays, or anniversaries.
What is Filet Mignon?
Filet mignon, also known as a tenderloin steak, is the king of steaks. The tenderloin is by far the tenderest cut of beef. It is known for its soft, buttery, tender, melt-in-your mouth texture. It is low in fat, which means it has a very mild flavor.
As discussed in previous posts, a good rule of thumb to remember when buying beef is that beef gets more tender (and expensive) as the distance from horn and hoof increases. The tenderloin is a cut from the short-loin primal area, which is in the rib cage of the animal. Steers don’t exert this muscle very much, so it has little connective tissue. Therefore, this cut is extremely tender and also expensive.
The muscle where the filet mignon comes from is tube-shaped, which makes the steak rounded or oval. The muscle is cut into slices that are usually 1-2 inhes thick and 2-3 inches in diameter. Typically, tenderloin steaks weigh 6-8 ounces each.
What does Filet Mignon mean?
Filet mignon is a French name. The word “filet” means thread or strip and “mignon” means small and pretty. It is aptly named because it is a small cut from the strip of beef tenderloin. It is also known as: Filet, Filet Mignon, Fillet, Tenderloin Filet, Tenderloin Steak, Tournedos (Tenderloin Tips), and Chateaubriand (a roast-size filet mignon).
Why are Filets wrapped in bacon?
As mentioned, filet mignon is a tender cut of beef that is very lean. In beef, fat equals flavor. However, the filet doesn’t have a beefy flavor since it’s so lean. This means that home chefs need to add fats, and bacon and butter are two of the most common ways to add fat to a filet.
With a bacon wrapped filet, the bacon provides flavor, prevents the filet from drying out, and creates a carmelized crust thanks to the extra fat from the bacon.
In addition to bacon, we like to serve filet mignons with homemade steak butter.
Ingredients for bacon wrapped filet mignon
The ingredients for the perfect Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon are very simple.
- Filet Mignon steaks, trim off any excess fat
- Bacon, 1-2 slices of bacon per filet. Use regular cut bacon, not thick cut.
- Kosher salt and freshley ground black pepper
- Olive Oil
- Butter
Instructions: How to cook filet mignon in a pan?
Step 1: Preheat the oven. Set the oven to 450 degrees.
Step 2: Remove steaks from refrigerator and pat dry with paper towels. Generously salt and pepper both sides of the steak. Wrap the steak with the strip of bacon and secure with a toothpick or butchers’ twine.
Step 3: Heat a cast iron skillet or an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat on the stove top. Add the butter and olive oil. When melted, add the steak to the skillet and sear on both sides until it has browned, approximately 2 minutes per side.
Step 4: Remove the skillet from the stovetop and place into the oven to finish cooking. Cook until your desired doneness. A medium rare steak will cook for 7 to 10 minutes. Always use an instant read thermometer to test for your desired doneness.
Step 5: Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Why does steak need to rest?
All cooked beef needs to rest before serving. The reason for this is because meat is a muscle with two main parts – protein and water. When steak is cooked, the muscle fibers contract because of the increased temperature. Then, the water is squeezed out of the fibers and the liquid moves towards the center of the steak.
If meat is cut before it rests, the juice goes directly on the plate because the juices haven’t had a chance to be reabsorbed by the meat yet. When steaks are removed from the heat and given a chance to rest, the muscle fibers relax and widen and allows the juice and moisture to redistribute throughout the meat.
Steak temperature for the perfect steak doneness
To get the perfect bacon-wrapped filet, you need to nail the steak’s doneness. A steak’s doneness is about the the steak’s internal temperature. It’s not about the, cook time, color or visual appearance of the beef. To get the perfect steak doneness, you must use a quality meat thermometer.
Medium-rare is the most popular level of steak doneness. Steaks served at this temperature are slightly warm, and have the best juiciness and texture. Medium-rare steaks are seared on the outside and the center has a dark pink red color.
When testing your steak’s temperature, you want the temperature to register 5°F lower than the desired final temperature because the steaks will continue to cook and rise in temperature (carryover) while resting. Because your filets will not be exactly uniform in size, be prepared to check each one individually and remove from the oven as needed.
Steak temperature chart
| Doneness | Temperature | Description |
| Rare | 120-129°F | Cool, bright red center Soft to the touch |
| Medium Rare | 130-134°F | Warm red center Beginning to firm up with red juices |
| Medium | 135-144°F | Warm pink center; outer portions beginning to brown Completely firm to the touch with red juices |
| Medium Well | 145-154°F | Slightly pink center Completely firm to the touch with brown juices |
| Well Done | 155-164 °F | No pink or red Firm to touch |
| Ground Beef | 160 °F | Fully brown throughout with no pink |
Note: The temperatures in this chart are final doneness. You need to pull your beef off the heat about 5-10°F before these temperatures are reached.
Nutritional Information
According to the the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one serving of filet mignon is typically 3 ounces. A 3 ounce portion contains 227 calories, 15g fat, and 1g carbohydrates. It is an excellent source of vitamin and minerals including B vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium.
Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon
Ingredients
- 4 Beef Filet Mignon Steaks. Approximately 4-6 oz each
- 4-8 slices Bacon 1-2 slices per filet
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Butter more if needed
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
- Pat the steaks dry and season all sides with the salt and pepper
- Wrap bacon around each of the filets and secure the bacon with a toothpick. It will take 1-2 pieces of bacon for each filet.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or oven safe skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter and olive oil. When melted, add the steak to the skillet and sear for 1-2 minutes without moving. Flip the steaks using tongs. Using an oven mitt, tilt the cast iron skillet and baste the steaks with the melted butter.
- While the filets are still in the cast iron skillet, move the pan to the oven. Cook in the oven for 5-7 minutes until the steak is cooked to your desired doneness (see temperature chart)
- Rest steak for 3-5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
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One more thing!
Do you want to learn more about beef? Join our weekly e-newsletter where we share farm happenings, recipes and beef availability. Sign-up and get a cheat sheet with 9-must-ask questions before buying beef directly from a farmer. Or, we have an entire ebook about beef that goes through purchasing and preparing beef from a cattle farmer’s perspective.
Here are a few other links you may like:
- Easy Blue Cheese Steak Butter
- Pizza Casserole
- Prime Rib Roast with Garlic Herb Butter
- How to choose the best cut of steak (Top 4 cuts)
- What everybody ought to know about beef cuts
- Homemade dry rub (the secret 8:3:1:1 ratio)
- 53 facts about beef
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