500-Degree Butter-Bathed Filet Mignon
Chapter 2: The Steaks
Five hundred degrees. The filet mignon is notoriously lean, a cut often ordered by people who fear fat, but subjecting it to the unforgiving heat of a 500-degree cast-iron skillet and drowning it in an ungodly amount of butter builds a crucial contrast between the crispy crust and the rare center. Once the hot butter foams, pooling into a nut-brown glaze that permeates the charred surface of the meat, turn the exhaust fan on high, grab a heavy spoon, and get ready to baste.
Before you start
Coat the meat with kosher salt.
Give the steak the time it deserves by liberally coating it on all sides.
Let the refrigerator do the heavy lifting.
Place the salted steaks on a wire rack set inside a baking sheet and leave them uncovered in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours to dry out the exterior and season the core.
Ingredients
- USDA Prime filet mignon steaks1 1/4 lb
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- freshly cracked black pepper1 tbsp
- beef tallow2 tbsp
- unsalted butter6 tbsp
- fresh thyme1/4 oz
- fresh rosemary1/8 oz
- garlic cloves2 small
Method
- 01
Summon the fires of hell in your oven.
Place a large cast-iron skillet into the oven and preheat to 500°F, leaving the skillet in there for at least 30 minutes to get blistering hot.
- 02
Take the chill off the meat.
Remove the dry-brined steaks from the fridge 30 to 40 minutes before cooking, pat them completely bone-dry with paper towels, and press the black pepper into the surface.
- 03
Make some noise on the stovetop.
Using heavy-duty mitts, move the raging-hot skillet to the stovetop over maximum heat, instantly add the beef tallow so it ripples and smokes, and lay the steaks in away from you to avoid splatter.
- 04
Sear without mercy.
Leave them completely undisturbed for exactly 2 minutes to build a deep mahogany crust, then flip and sear the other side for another 2 minutes, finishing by pressing the edges into the pan for 30 seconds to render the fat.
- 05
Drown it in a foaming butter bath.
Drop the heat to low, toss in the butter, thyme, rosemary, and garlic. As the dairy foams, tilt the pan toward you and rapidly spoon-baste the steaks for 30 to 60 seconds.
- 06
Nail the temperature and pull early.
Pull the steaks when an instant-read thermometer registers exactly 5 degrees below your target, because carryover cooking will carry the meat over the finish line during the rest.
- 07
Rest the meat and slice across the grain.
Transfer the steaks to a cutting board, pour the brown butter from the skillet over them, and let them rest for at least 8 to 10 minutes before slicing cross-grain into thick, dramatic medallions.
Notes
Respect the USDA grades.
USDA Prime is mandatory here—its abundant marbling protects the meat during a 500-degree sear. USDA Choice is acceptable for a Tuesday night, but never insult your skillet with lean USDA Select.
Pull temperatures are an absolute science.
Pull the steak at 120°F for rare (125°F final), 125°F for medium-rare (130°F final), 135°F for medium (140°F final), or 145°F for medium-well. Precision is the hallmark of a steakhouse.
The Peter Luger broiler-finish method.
For a true Williamsburg experience, sear the steak incredibly rare, slice it thick, reassemble on a ceramic platter, drench in clarified butter and beef drippings ('vitamins'), and blast it under a screaming-hot broiler for 2 minutes until the edges sizzle.
The Ruth's Chris sizzling plate technique.
Heat a heavy ceramic plate to 500°F in the oven, drop a tablespoon of compound butter right onto the scorching dish, and place your rested steak on top so it audibly fries and spits at the table.
Embrace the dairy in your sides and respect the Martini.
Authentic creamed spinach requires heavy cream, whole milk, butter, and a roux—do not try to lighten it. Start the meal with a blistering cold Martini (2.5 oz gin to 0.5 oz dry vermouth); always garnish with one or three olives, because two is an amateur's harbinger of bad luck and grounds for sending it back.