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This pan-seared filet mignon recipe is so easy to master and renders perfect filet mignon every single time! While there are plenty of ways to cook tenderloin steak, this technique is the easiest and most repeatable. If you go out to a nice steakhouse then this is most likely the method they are using to cook your steak.
The secret to cooking the perfect steak is combining pan searing with an oven finish. This gives you a nicely seared exterior (high heat) with a juicy and evenly cooked interior (indirect lower heat). A cast iron skillet allows you to easily transfer your steak from the stovetop to the oven, making this a simple recipe to master.
The overall consistency and predictability of this cooking technique give this recipe a very high success rate on the very first try. I’ve followed it to the T with great success with hundreds of steaks. If this is your first time preparing filet mignon or if you’re struggling to get it right, then this recipe is for you.
I highly recommend you also check out my blueberry glazed filet mignon, balsamic glazed filet mignon, and bacon-wrapped filet mignon. If you’re looking for a good steak to share with a crowd, look no further than my porterhouse steak recipe with dipping sauces or my surf and turf recipe for two! Also, see reverse searing or grilling filet mignon.
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- 10-12 ounce tenderloin beef filets (roughly 1.5- 2 inches thick): look for steaks that are about 2 inches thick and appear plump and deep red in color. Avoid steaks with signs of browning or slimy texture.
- Salt and pepper: for seasoning and optional dry brining.
- Vegetable or canola oil: these oils are best for searing because they have a higher smoke point than butter or olive oil.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities below.
Dry Brining Steak
Dry brining is the process of drying the exterior of the steak with salt before cooking, locking in the juices, and enhancing the flavor. To dry brine steak, place the steaks on a wire rack set on a baking sheet and season liberally with coarse sea salt or kosher salt, and pepper.
Place the steaks in the fridge uncovered for a few hours at a minimum but preferably overnight. The drier steak exterior will improve the sear and make for a better-textured crust. Steak should always rest on the counter for at least 30-45 minutes before cooking to climatize. No additional salt or seasoning is required.
Expert Tips
- Precisely timing your cooking time for steak always yields consistent results. Use a timer for each side on the skillet and then in the oven.
- If you don’t have an oven-safe pan, you can sear your filets on the stovetop and then transfer them to a baking sheet lined with a wire rack. Just note, that this will likely add additional baking time.
- If cooking more than 4 steaks on a standard skillet, you may need to adjust the cooking times to account for heat loss.
- Cooking steaks at high temps in a skillet tends to get smokey. Open a kitchen window and turn on your kitchen’s overhead vent fan before you start to help with ventilation.
- The most important aspect of cooking any steak is the rest period after you take it off the heat. Letting a steak rest for 5-7 minutes redistributes the juices and ensures you hit your final cooking temp.
- Always remove your steak below your final desired serving temp by 5-7 degrees Fahrenheit. Your steak will continue to cook after it’s been removed from the heat.
Steak Temperature Chart
The timing/temperature chart below corresponds to the pan sear/oven method in this recipe. It’s a great guide assuming you choose a steak of similar size and thickness as listed in the recipe. I recommend a digital thermometer to verify your steak’s internal temperature for the desired level of doneness.
| Doneness | Internal Temp | Oven Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Very Rare/rare | 120°F to 125°F | 4 minutes |
| Medium rare | 125°F to 130°F | 5-6 minutes |
| Medium | 135°F to 140°F | 6-7 minutes |
| Medium well | 145°F to 150°F | 8-9 minutes |
| Well done | 160°F and above | 10+ minutes |
More Steak Recipes
Enjoy this recipe? If you made this recipe, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments!
Filet Mignon
Ingredients
- 4, 10 ounce thick tenderloin beef filets, roughly 1.5- 2 inches thick
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil, can use 1 tbsp butter but it has a lower smoke point
Garlic & Herb Butter
- 1/2 stick of butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
- 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
Instructions
For the herb butter
- Leave the butter on the counter to soften or place it in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until malleable, 10-15 seconds. Use a fork to mash in the herbs and garlic until fully mixed. Store in the refrigerator and remove 10 minutes before adding to the filet.
For the filets
- Preheat the oven to 415°F. Remove the steak from the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking, this is to bring the steak to room temperature and ensure your cooking times are more accurate. Season all sides liberally with salt and pepper. This can be done while your steak comes to room temp.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil (all you need is a very light coating) to an oven-safe cast iron skillet and turn the heat up high, allowing the skillet to become very hot. Twirl the pan to distribute oil as it heats. Once the oil starts to smoke, place the filets face down and sear undisturbed for 2 minutes. Flip the filets and sear for an additional 2 minutes. This will give your filets a nice seared edge.
- Optionally add some herb butter and a whole garlic clove/herbs to the pan before transferring it to the oven. The butter will melt and the herbs will season the pan drippings for a later step. Transfer your skillet directly to the oven. [WARNING] skillet may be hot, handle it with oven mitts. For rare, bake for 4 minutes. Medium rare, 5-6 minutes. Medium, 6-7 minutes. Medium well, 8-9 minutes. Remember, depending on the size of the steak, the more or less time it will take. This recipe is ideal for an 8-10 ounce portion, roughly 1.5-2 inches thick.
- Optionally spoon some of the seasoned pan drippings over the steak to infuse it with extra flavor.
- Remove filets from the skillet and set them on a plate and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. This is important to bring your steak to its final serving temperature.
- Top with a slice of garlic and herb butter and serve.
Notes
Rare: 120°F to 125°F
Medium rare: 125°F to 130°F
Medium: 135°F to 140°F
Medium well: 145°F to 150°F
Well done: 160°F and above
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great steaks. Just cooked them for my husband and I for Valentines dinner. He is very particular about his steak and he loved these. Thanks for a great recipe.
Great yet simple recipe! The notes on precise timing was spot on. My steaks turned out great.
Going to try this tomorrow. Cpl questions…
-Should i reduce cook time if they are only 6-8oz?
-How high should the heat be on the stove, med-high?
-I notice majority use vegetable oil for high heat, curious why olive oil? Maybe vegetable would smoke less? Honestly i have no idea.
-if i want medium done what time wojld you suggest?
Lookimg forward to this recipe!
If Shawn answers, I would go with his advise over mine since he is the expert, but here is what I would do:
-Should i reduce cook time if they are only 6-8oz?
Recipe calls for 8 to 10 oz steak, 2″ to 3″ thick, so if you have 8oz and it’s thick, you may not need to reduce cooking time. If the steak is 6 to 7oz I would still cook 2 minutes per side, then reduce time in the oven, maybe a minute or 1 to 2 minutes per oz.
-How high should the heat be on the stove, med-high?
I cooked mine on medium high and it turned out great, but you want to make sure your pan is very hot before putting in the steaks.
-I notice majority use vegetable oil for high heat, curious why olive oil? Maybe vegetable would smoke less? Honestly i have no idea.
I had the same concern, especially choosing the butter option, but it worked out great for me on medium high. I used half olive oil and half butter. I was so concerned the butter might burn, I put the butter in after the oil was already hot and let it melt before putting the steaks in.
-if i want medium done what time wojld you suggest?
Still 2 minutes per side, 6 to 7 minutes in oven for medium but if the steak is smaller, you should reduce cooking time in oven.
Thanks Kathi! Great advice. I agree with everything you said.
Awesome thanks!!!
I’d follow Kathi’s notes as they are spot on. You can switch to vegetable oil if smoke is a concern, they have higher smoke points. I would not substitute butter as I think it adds the most flavor. Always stick to two minutes per side in the stove top. This is strictly a crust/searing step. Adjust the time in the oven for level of doneness tweaks. If looking for medium, I would shoot for 6-7 minutes in the oven. When in doubt, a digital thermometer is the way to go. Don’t forget to let steaks rest afterwards.
Thanks again! Looking forward to trying it out!
This recipe is perfection!! I had never used cast iron to cook anything before because I didn’t think the extra upkeep required for cast iron was worth it. I was wrong! I decided to try this recipe after inheriting a cast iron skillet from my mother. I followed the recipe exactly and was amazed at how perfectly the steak was cooked. I had used butter on top of tenderloin before but this recipe with the herbs and garlic was amazing. Thank you for this recipe!!
Hi,
Just called the butcher shop to order these and he said there is no way my filets could be 2-3 inches thick and being 10 oz. He said the usual is 1.5 inches thick and it will be about 10 Oz. What would you recommend for a cooking time on each side for that thickness at med rare
Thanks!
Hi Sabrina – that’s totally fine. I would follow the recipe as specified in directions. The thickness is simply a rough guide.
I’ve literally never finished a restaurant fillet, and have never cooked one at home that way halfway edible. Live by myself, just got a costco 3-pack figuring that’s how many tries it’ll take to get one to taste decent.
Then I found your recipe – followed it exactly, with a timer (managed to turn off the fire alarms in the 2 minutes each side was cooking), and got myself a perfectly warm but rare, buttery, crunchy fillet – seriously better than in any restaurant.
I guess instead of ruining the first 2 steaks like i had planned, I’ll just have to eat one a day for the next 2 days. I can definitely think of worse things!
Shawn, it’s been months since you posted this recipe and seeing all the comments I knew I HAD to try it. This is by far the best steak I’ve ever had! Almost Brazilian restaurant quality! That being said, I wasn’t a fan of the butter (maybe it was the type of butter I picked but it overpowered the steak).
But you can bet I’ll try this recipe again. It was very delicious!
I loved your recipe. I made them today and they were medium but very tender. I will cook them for 4 minutes on each side instead of 6 minutes. My filets were probably smaller than what you used. I am looking forward to having filets more often.
Hi Shawn,
I read all the rave reviews for this recipe and plan on making it for a party of 6. What size cast iron skillet should I buy? Also, I will be preparing 8-10 oz filets cooked medium. How many minutes on each side to sear and how many minutes in the oven? I want to make a great impression on my guests!
I made these for dinner tonight….and what a HIT they were with my family!! Thank you so much for such a great recipe! I look forward to trying many more!!