Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon is easy to prepare, tender, juicy, moist and a flavorful cut of beef tenderloin. It is succulent and great for special occasion.
Filet Mignon steak is delicious as is seasoned with salt and pepper, but even better with bacon and a side of mushroom sauce.
Beef tenderloin is expensive and pricier at high end steak house costing you triple the price or more.
Honestly, when it comes to steak I prefer to make my own. I’m finicky and like my steak a certain way. I’ve been to high end steak houses and I usually end up with medium well or too well done. I like my steak well done with charred edges.
My Dad loved Filet Mignon wrapped in bacon and this is the first steak recipe I learned from my mom served like this juicy tender sizzling steak.
Although, I prefer rib eye steak, growing up my mom always made it with tenderloin. My mom never called it Filet Mignon instead she referred to it as tenderloin.
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What is filet mignon
Filet mignon is a cut taken from the beef tenderloin, a muscle that is hardly used by the animal making it the most tender cut.
They are cut round or as a filet, usually 1 to 2 inches thick. It comes from the small end of the animal’s tenderloin area and for that reason it is pricey.
Filet mignon is lean but some cuts might have a little bit of fat unlike rib eye steak which is well marbled with fat.
Is filet mignon the same as beef tenderloin
Yes, in the US it is referred to as filet mignon. In other parts of the world, it is called tenderloin because it comes from the beef tenderloin of the animal.
Other countries refer to it as fillet steak or eye fillet.
Why add bacon to beef tenderloin steak
Well, anything with bacon is always delicious. Fat keeps meat moist, juicy and tender which makes it so flavorful.
Filet mignon is lean, so there is less marbling and bacon keeps this expensive cut from drying out while cooking and at the same time it adds so much flavor.
How to cook filet mignon
Thaw steak in the refrigerator overnight. Before cooking, remove from the refrigerator and let it sit in room temperature for an hour to fully thaw. This will keep your steak to cook evenly. If you don’t do this, some areas of steak usually the center will be cold, thus it will take longer to cook and drying out the outer portion.
In the meantime, you can prepare the steak. Filet mignon is lean but sometimes they might come with little fat. You can trim it but I usually leave it as it adds moisture and flavor to steak.
Wrap beef tenderloin steak with bacon and secure the ends with half toothpick. Some filet mignon are sold filet not round, so form it into a round shape. Don’t trim the extra meat just to make it round, that’s a total waste.
Note: When I was younger, one mistake I usually made was I pulled the bacon around to fit the steak. Once cooked, the steak slides out of the bacon.
Tip: If you need extra bacon, cut a small piece and attach it to both ends of bacon. You’ll end up using 2 toothpicks cut in half. Just remember to remove them before serving.
Season the top side with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper then season the other side while cooking.
After this process, let it continue to fully thaw in room temperature.
Get your cast iron smoking hot over high heat and pre-heat the oven at 425 degrees F.
Note: One advantage of cooking steak in cast iron, you can use it on stove-top as well as in the oven. If you don’t have one, you can use a pan to sear steak then transfer steak with oil and butter in a baking pan.
Reduce heat to medium then add oil and butter. Place the seasoned side of steak down then season the top with remaining salt and fresh ground pepper.
Sear each side for a minute then roll steak using a tong and cook bacon for a minute or two.
Be careful when transferring your cast iron in the oven as it is very hot. Place it at the center on the second rack from the bottom. Depending on your preferred doneness, it will take from 4 to 10 minutes.
Tip: Flip the steak half way through.
If you are not familiar in cooking steak in the oven, please use an instant read thermometer.
When done, transfer steak to serving plate and cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes.
While doing this, make the mushroom sauce.
Remove half of oil or liquid from cast iron. Note: You can leave this but I usually remove some of it (less fat). Don’t discard, some people might prefer to add it to their steak or when reheating leftover.
Get cast iron hot, then saute chopped onion over medium heat for a minute. Add mushroom sauce, ¼ cup of water and garlic powder. Stir until the preferred consistency is reach. If too thick, add a little bit of water. Salt and pepper to taste.
You can pour it over the steak or serve on the side.
Cooking temperature of steak
It is best to use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature or doneness, especially if you are not familiar in cooking steak in the oven. Place thermometer at the center and thickest portion of steak.
Again, follow the internal temperature instead of the time provided. The time provided is ONLY an estimate. Also, oven temperature can vary slightly too.
| Rare | 120 – 129 degrees F | about 3 minutes |
| Medium Rare | 130 – 134 degrees F | 4-5 minutes |
| Medium | 135 – 144 degrees F | 5-6 minutes |
| Medium Well | 145 – 154 degrees F | 7-8 minutes |
| Well Done | 155 – 164 degrees F | 9+ minutes |
Note: Thermometer should read 5 to 8 degrees lower your desired doneness. For example, if you prefer rare – remove steak from oven when thermometer reads 115 degrees F. It will continue to cook when covered with foil and resting for 10 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Storing leftover steak
Store leftover steak and mushroom sauce in an airtight container up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
How to reheat leftover steak
First, brush the steak with leftover butter and oil from pan. If you discarded the the oil from pan, lightly brush with oil or butter.
- Oven – if you have a toaster oven, set it to 250 degrees F and place steak in a baking pan. Reheat at low temperature for about 20 to 25 minutes or until it’s warmed through depending on the size and thickness of steak. If you don’t have a toaster oven, use the same setting with your regular oven.
- Frying pan – add 1 – 2 tablespoons butter or oil over medium-low heat. Warm each side about 1 ½ minutes each side or until warmed through depending on size and thickness.
- Microwave – do it in increments of 20 seconds. Doing it in the microwave can dry out your steak, so do it in increments.
Would you like to try other delicious steak recipe
Recipe
Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon
Ingredients
Steak Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pounds 2 pieces tenderloin Filet Mignon steak
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 slices pork bacon uncooked (I prefer thick cut bacon)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon kosher salt or salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Mushroom Sauce
- 3 tablespoons yellow onion chopped
- 5 ounces cream of mushroom ½ can of 10 ½ oz
- ¼ - ½ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- PREPARE FILET MIGNON - Thaw filet mignon overnight in the refrigerator, if frozen. Remove from fridge 1 hour before cooking and have it come to room temperature.
- In the meantime, wrap bacon around filet mignon securing the ends with half toothpick. Note: I prefer to use thick cut bacon. Also, remove toothpick before serving.
- Season both sides or one side (season other side while cooking ) with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
- COOK FILET MIGNON STEAK - Preheat oven at 425 degrees F.
- Get cast iron smoking hot, then reduce heat to medium and add oil and butter.
- Sear each side of filet mignon steak for a minute. Use a tong and roll steak to sear bacon for 2 minutes.
- Transfer cast iron in the bottom 2nd rack of oven. Bake depending on your preference. Use an instant read thermometer.
- Rare 120 – 129 deg F about 4 minutes.Medium Rare 130 – 134 deg F 5-6 minutesMedium 135 – 144 deg F 6-7 minutesMedium Well 145 – 154 deg F 8-9 minutesWell Done 155 – 164 deg F 10+ minutes
- Note: Thermometer should read 5 to 8 degrees lower your desired doneness. For example, if you prefer rare – remove steak from oven when thermometer reads 115 degrees .
- Remove from oven and transfer to serving plate covered with foil and rest for 10 minutes. It will continue to cook until desired internal temperature is reached.
- MAKE MUSHROOM SAUCE, if desired.
- Remove and reserved half of liquid or oil from cast iron. Saute onion for a minute.
- Stir-in cream of mushroom and garlic powder. Cook for a minute then add water.
- Cook until desired consistency is reached. If sauce is too thick, add a little bit more water.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour over steak or serve on the side.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- 1 slice of bacon might be too short to wrap around steak, cut another small piece of bacon to fill the gap. This is discussed in detail in the post.
- Filet Mignon is usually round but sometimes stores cut it with extended meat. Leave it and try to form it into a circle when wrapping in bacon. It is a total waste if you trim that extra meat.
- Be careful when transferring cast iron in the oven as it is hot. If you don’t have a cast iron, a heavy bottom pan will work as well. Transfer to a baking pan to bake.
- Use reserved liquid or oil from pan when reheating leftover steak.
- Store leftover steak and mushroom sauce in an airtight container up to 2 days in the refrigerator. You can freeze it as well but I suggest just cooking enough steak. It is much better if freshly made.
- Reheat leftover steak in the oven at 250 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes depending on the size and thickness. You can also warm it in the stove or microwave.
- For more tips, refer to the post above.
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