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Filet Mignon seared in garlic herb butter on the stove top and then finished in the oven is the absolute best way to cook a tender steak. This recipe turns about perfect every time! I have never made, nor have I ever enjoyed, a more delicious steak than this one.
See below for all the information you need including recipe variations and cooking tips to create the most perfect filet mignon.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works So Well
This is quite possibly my favorite dinner. Ever. That’s a pretty bold statement from a girl who lives and breathes recipes.
- Perfectly cooked: Each bite will deliver a crisp browned flavorful outside with a moist and tender middle.
- Best flavor: Fresh garlic and herbs infuse into the butter and all that flavor gets cooked into the steak.
- Accurate doneness: You can cook each steak exactly how you want: rare, medium rare, medium, or (gasp) medium well and well done. This is completely controlled by using an accurate meat thermometer.
- Better than a restaurant: Because filet mignon is expensive, it is most often enjoyed for a special occasion like date night or Valentine’s day. Even though the price of filet steaks at your local butcher is still very expensive, the cost will pale in comparison to what high-quality steakhouse filet mignons will cost.
Ingredients Needed
The exact quantities are listed in the recipe card below.
To make these tender juicy steaks, you will need a couple of filet mignon steaks, butter, garlic, rosemary, thyme, as well as salt and pepper.
How to Cook the Best Filet Mignon
The absolute best way to cook this tender cut of meat is to sear the steaks in high-quality butter with fresh herbs and garlic. Once the steaks get a nice sear on both sides you will finish them off in a hot oven until they’ve reached the desired internal temperature.
Prepare tools and ingredients:
Set your steaks out at room temperature. Preheat your oven. Add the butter, smashed garlic cloves, and sprigs of fresh herbs to the pan. Generously coat both sides of the steaks with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
Melt and infuse herbed butter:
Heat a sauté pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. It needs to be an oven-safe skillet. You want the butter to melt and foam but not burn, so continue to move everything around to prevent burning. Once the butter reaches this point, add the steaks to the hot skillet.
Sear steaks:
While the steaks are searing, use a spoon to continually pour the melted garlic and herb-infused butter onto the top and sides of the steak. You want to infuse all of that flavor into the meat.
Finish in oven:
Once you’ve seared both sides to perfection, finish cooking the Filet Mignon steaks in the preheated oven.
Cooking Time
If you’re wondering how long it takes to cook a Filet Mignon, the total amount of time depends on a few factors:
- How thick are your steaks?
- What is the starting temperature of the meat (i.e. did you pull it straight from the fridge to the pan or did you let it come to room temperature first)?
- How hot can you get your garlic herb butter and pan without burning the butter? There are a few tips and tricks to this step… keep on reading to find out.
All in all, the total cook time is about 15 minutes, start to finish, including the 2-3 minutes it takes to give each side a good sear and the 6-7 minutes to finish them off in the oven. It truly is an easy dinner recipe.
Internal Temperature Guide for Filet Mignon
Remove the filet mignon steaks from the oven when the internal temperature is about 2-5°F below your desired doneness. Place steaks on a plate and loosely tent with foil.
| Doneness | Color | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | Cool red center | 120-130°F |
| Medium Rare | Warm red center | 130-135°F |
| Medium | Warm pink center | 135-145°F |
| Medium Well | Slightly pink center | 145-155°F |
| Well Done | Little or no pink | 155°F and up |
Remember: Allowing the steaks to rest in the hot pan will continue to cook them and the internal temperature will likely continue to rise more than 5°F.
Cooking Tips for Perfect Results
- Bring steaks to room temperature: Prior to cooking, take the steaks out of the refrigerator at least an hour before they hit the pan. If the steaks are cold when you cook them, the outside will cook much faster than the inside resulting in steaks that are usually overcooked on the outside and undercooked on the inside.
- Choose the right pan: A high-quality stainless steel pan or cast iron skillet will give you the best sear.
- Prevent burning: When the steaks are added to the pan, they will reduce the temperature of the pan and help prevent your butter from burning. You still need to keep an eye on it and move the butter around so that it doesn’t burn.
- Cook according to temperature, not time: Be sure to test with an accurate thermometer to guarantee that the steaks are cooked to your liking. Pull the steaks out of the oven a few degrees before they’ve reached their final desired internal temperature and allow them to rest in the pan for at least 5 minutes prior to serving.
- Thickness matters: For best results, buy steaks that are the same size and thickness. This will ensure they cook at the same rate. Otherwise, you will need to test the temperature of each steak and possibly remove them from the oven at different times.
- Avoid accidental overcooking: If you accidentally cook them too long and take the temperature too far, you will still need to allow the filet mignon to rest before cutting into them. Take them out of the hot pan to rest and transfer to a cutting board or plate. This will slow further cooking which would result in an overly done filet mignon.
What is so special about filet mignon?
Beef tenderloin steaks are expensive.
But they are absolutely worth the cost every so often for a special treat or for a holiday dinner. If you really want to go above and beyond, pair these steaks with some broiled lobster tails for the ultimate Surf and Turf dinner.
Filet Mignon is expensive because it is arguably the most tender cut of beef. It is super tender because it is not a weight-bearing muscle and contains less connective tissue, thus making it more tender.
Tender beef is desirable beef. Desirable beef is expensive beef. The fact that beef tenderloin is a relatively small cut compared to other beef cuts adds to the hefty price as well. If you’re looking for a less expensive steak, T-Bone Steaks are another great option.
Worth it. So worth it.
Side dish recommendations:
- You can’t go wrong with perfectly cooked Baked Potatoes (hint: they are outstanding when you make them in the Instant Pot)
- Don’t want baked potatoes? Go the extra mile and make Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes
- You can’t enjoy Filet Mignon without a dark green vegetable. What’s more perfect than Garlic Parmesan Oven Roasted Asparagus?
- You can’t go wrong with serving up an every day salad alongside your steak.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave me a comment below! I love to hear from my readers.
Filet Mignon
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces filet mignon 2 steaks, about 2 inches thick, room temperature
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper freshly ground
- 2 tablespoons butter Kerrygold recommended
- 2 cloves garlic smashed
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
- Prepare steaks: Take steaks out of refrigerator about an hour before you plan to cook them to allow them to come to room temperature. Coat both sides with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Prepare infused butter ingredients: Add butter, garlic, rosemary and thyme to an oven safe stainless steel or cast iron pan.
- Infuse butter: Heat butter, garlic cloves, and fresh herbs over medium-high heat. You want the pan to be as hot as you can get it without burning the butter. Allow butter to melt, swirling frequently to prevent burning. The more you move the butter around, the less it will burn. (Optional: Infuse the butter over a very low heat for an hour or more. It won't burn and will create even better flavor. If choosing this method, you can remove the garlic and herbs at the end when you are ready to sear the steaks and use them as a garnish when serving. The heat will need to be increased when you are ready to sear the steaks).
- Sear steaks: Add both steaks to the hot pan. Sear for 2-3 minutes on both sides, constantly spooning the hot butter onto the steaks, and only turn them once after they get nicely browned. Do not let the butter burn – keep it moving. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the steak and transfer the pan to the hot oven. Alternatively, you can test with an instant-read meat thermometer.
- Finish cooking in hot oven: After 5-15 minutes, remove when internal temperature reaches 115-120°F for rare, 125-130°F for medium rare, and 130-135°F for medium. Total time in oven will vary depending on desired doneness as well as the starting internal temperatures of the steaks. Allow the steaks to rest on a plate, loosely tented with foil to keep them warm, for at least 5 minutes (temperature should rise another 5 degrees).
Notes
Cooking tips for perfect results:
- I can’t stress enough how important it is to let your steaks come to room temperature before cooking. These are thick cut and if they’re super cold in the middle, you risk over cooking the outside before the middle is done. Prior to cooking, take the steaks out of the refrigerator at least an hour before they hit the pan.
- When the steaks are added to the pan, they will reduce the temperature of the pan and help prevent your butter from burning. You still need to keep an eye on it and move the butter around so that it doesn’t burn.
- Be sure to test with an accurate thermometer to guarantee that the steaks are cooked to your liking.
- For best results, buy steaks that are the same size and thickness. This will ensure they cook at the same rate. Otherwise you will need to test the temperature of each steak.
- Pull them out of the oven a few degrees before they’ve reached their final temperature and allow them to rest in the pan for at least 5 minutes prior to serving.
- If you accidentally took the temperature too far, you will still need to allow them to rest before cutting into them, but take them out of the hot pan to rest. This will slow further cooking which would result in an overly done filet mignon.
- The best type of pan is either cast iron or a high quality stainless steal. Just be sure it is oven safe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in January 2019 and has been updated with more information and cooking tips. Don’t worry – I would never touch the recipe!
Made a few adjustments with this recipe because I didn’t have fresh herbs, but all in all my family agreed it was the best steak I have ever cooked hands down.
I just wanted to say that I shop for my filet at a meat market. I usually pay about $10.00 a pound for it because I buy the whole filet and cut my own steaks. We eat filet frequently because this steak has no waste. We are not paying for bone or fat just all meat. I usually cook mine on the grill but am going to try this method. Please check out a butcher shop to buy your filet whole and cut it yourself. It is so much cheaper.
This does look great and I’ve cooked beef tenderloin this way with fantastic results. That said I’m now a huge fan of using sous vide to cook beef tenderloins and here’s why. Perfect;y cooked-down to the degree doneness and something you can’t get by cooking the steaks in a pan/oven…perfect edge-to-edge doneness with no grey area at the top and bottom, which is really overdone steak. After the steaks are done in the sous vide, simply finish them in a ripping hot pan with the butter and herbs for 30 seconds a side. You’ll get a perfect crust with no grey area on the top and bottom of your expensive steak. BTW as steaks are graded in the USA by the marbling of the fat and since beef tenderloin has very little or no marbling per se, spending extra on a prime grade beef tenderloin is pretty much a waste of money. Choice is your best choice with a this cut of beef. Just my 2 cents!
Great feedback and advice! I always buy the choice… but mostly because it’s cheaper! I agree about soux vide as well… the technique just isn’t super popular yet.
Nowhere did I see the oven temp.
In the recipe it states 400 degrees F
I would love to know how much better and how long in the oven
how long in the oven completely depends on how thick your steaks are and how close to room temperature they were when you started cooking them. It usually takes mine about 10 minutes.
I followed it and didn’t have the herbs or garlic just encrusted filet with salt and very coarse fresh pepper.
bathing in the melted butter 3 min each side
And into oven as directed and came out perfect medium rare !!
Best steak I ever cooked!!
How long in oven for med rare?
It totally depends on the thickness of your steaks and how cold they were when you started cooking them. You definitely need a good thermometer, but on average the cooking time is about 10min.
Amazing! I have been struggling to make a prefect medium rare filet for ages. With your notes and recipe, I was able to make the prefect birthday steak for my husband. He and I thank you.
Delicious!!! Cooked for my dear husband tonight and he loved it!!! And yes the cast iron definitely cooked hotter and was hard to keep the butter from burning! Steaks were still amazing though!
Thanks so much for you recipe!
This recipe was spot on. I usually mess things like this up, no matter how simple they are! But this worked perfectly. I haven’t cooked a steak in 10 years, so I was nervous about preparing a $10 steak. Everything went off without a hitch!