A filet mignon is one of the most expensive cuts of meat – and for good reason. The meat is juicy and very tender that it has been described as the best cut of meat. No wonder it is also very expensive. Cooking such an expensive cut of meat means you have to give it justice so your money won’t go down the drain. When cooking with filet mignon the time-tested adage ‘less is more’ is a good barometer. Filet mignon doesn’t require a lot of marinating to make it tender. In fact, it only needs minimal preparation to enjoy this succulent cut of meat. The secret is really in the cooking.
If you have plans of grilling filet mignon there are certain techniques and tips you need to be aware of to produce excellently cooked meat.
Before you cook the meat you’ll need to prep the filet mignon to imbibe it with flavor. You can do this using a number of methods. First, you can marinade, which means letting it sit in a mixture. You can find different kinds of marinade recipes online. Another method for imbibing flavor to filet mignon is rubbing it with spices or spice mixes. There are a number of delicious, high quality spice mixes available in the market. Just choose which ones you like and rub it on to the filet mignon. Then let it sit for at least 30 minutes to absorb the rub before cooking it. You can also opt to make your own rub using natural ingredients. There are many rubs that you can find on the internet and it is actually very easy to do. It just entails mixing different spices and ingredients.
If the filet mignon you bought is particularly lean (it doesn’t have a lot of fat) wrap the meat in bacon, securing the end with wet toothpick. Lean meat has a tendency to easily dry out during the cooking process. The fat in the bacon will ensure that the juices won’t just dry out.
You need to preheat your grill before cooking your filet mignon. Set the grill to medium-high first and allow a few minutes to pass before putting in the meat. Cook filet mignon to no more than medium settings.
If you use a charcoal grill you need to sear the meat first and after that push a third of the coals to one side of the grill and finish cooking it over the cooler side of the grill.
A very crucial tip is about salting. Do not salt the meat until after you’ve seared it. Putting salt on the meat before you cook it is a big no-no because the salt will coax the meat’s juices out, resulting in a dry piece of meat.
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