How to Slow Cook Filet Mignon in Oven to Medium-rare (or Medium)

Last Updated on December 16, 2016 by SteakEat

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This guide explains how to slow cook filet mignon in oven to medium-rare (or medium) doneness level.

Do you know one single thing you can alter during cooking process that produces the biggest difference?

It’s the temperature.

Low oven temperature (that’s below 130C / 270F) is one single way you can cook the most delicious tenderloin steak without overcooking it.

Let’s see how it woks in more details:

• Why Cook at Low Heat – Ignoring the Guidelines on Your Steak Pack
• Slowly Cooking Filet Mignon in Oven – 6 Steps

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Why Cook at Low Heat – Ignoring the Guidelines on Your Steak Pack

“Heat the oven to 220C / 430F and place your steak inside for 30-60 minutes” – is a typical, conventional guideline you can see written on a pack of nearly every steak you can buy from a store.

And to be honest, this advice does no good – you end up killing your steak the second time (first one happened when it was a cow), because at such a temperature it cooks too fast, leading to a lot of juices escaping from the inside (leaving meat dry and flavorless).

Gentle temperature of the low-heat approach on the contrary takes a good while to prepare your filet mignon.

However, the slower it goes, the more tenderness and moisture stays inside your steak, leaving it delicious and succulent.

More than that, low heat will actually further tenderize the steak (just like with crock pot cooking) while it’s sitting in the oven.

Which steak would you choose?

Dry & flavorless or juicy & tender?

I guess it’s obvious…let’s see how to make it happen below.

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Slowly Cooking Filet Mignon in Oven – 6 Steps

If you think the ‘low & slow’ approach is harder than your conventional ‘steak pack’ way, you’d be surprised to discover that it’s actually not.

I even consider it much easier, because the chances that you will overcook your filet mignon that way are practically at 0%.

To illustrate the method in detail and show how to slowly cook filet mignon in oven to medium-rare or medium doneness, I’m using a simple salt-n-pepper recipe:

• 8oz / 230g 1-inch thick filet mignon / tenderloin steak
• 1 tbsp of ghee/coconut oil
• Kosher/flaked salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Add tools for oven:

• Dripping pan
• Oven grill rack
• Meat temperature probe
• Tin foil
• Meat tongs
• Skillet

Got these? Let’s SteakEat!

Step 1: Filet Mignon & Room Temperature

Everything starts here.

Take the steak out from the fridge 40 minutes before starting to cook it.

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SteakEat Tip:

No time?

Use microwave instead!

Turn the power to the lowest setting (not the defrost one though) and place your tenderloin steak inside (use microwave-safe ceramic plate).

Run the oven for 3-5 seconds and flip the steak.

Repeat the process for 4-6 cycles and your steak will be at room temperature in less than 1 minute!

Be careful to not actually cook it there.

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Step 2: Get the Oven Running

Preheating will not take a lot of minutes this time.

You only need to get it to 130C / 270F (with fan off).

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SteakEat Tip:

This temperature level is by no means a dogma, so you are free to alter it in case you need to cook your filet mignon quicker.

It’s a good place to start though.

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Step 3: Transfer the Steak Inside

Notice that we haven’t used any salt or pepper now.

Instead we’ll be seasoning filet mignon later, before searing it on stove (for salt) and while it’s resting (for pepper).

Place the dripping pan, covered with tin foil for easier clean-up, inside the oven (it should be right below your tenderloin steak).

Put the steak on the grill rack and insert it inside the oven, above the dripping tray.

It’s the best way to allow it gradually cook at low heat.

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Step 4: Bake till Medium-Rare or Medium

Now is the easy part – the waiting! (or is it?!)

I use and recommend using a meat thermometer for any type of steak cooking (not just the oven), because it helps to eliminate unnecessary guesswork and helps to get a perfect tenderloin every time.

For medium-rare, your filet mignon will need to reach 55C / 130F inside temperature and medium doneness will require another few minutes – 60C / 140F.

If you haven’t got a probe yet, use these cooking times guidelines as an approximation (also see how to check steak doneness).

Step 5: Rest the Steak

Once your filet mignon is ready, take it out from the oven and rest it on a plate for 5 minutes.

Step 6: Sear the Steak on Stove Top

The only con of slowly cooking filet mingon in oven is that it doesn’t develop surface browning.

To fix that, we need to sear the tenderloin steak on the stove.

Add the tablespoon of coconut oil (or ghee) and heat up the skillet on stove at high heat (wait until gentle smoke starts lifting off the skillet and count 20 seconds to make sure the skillet is hot enough).

Season filet mignon with flaked/Kosher salt (2-3 pinches per side) and sear each side for 1-2 minutes to develop browning (usually 1 minute is perfect).

Don’t add pepper before searing if you dislike burnt flavor like I do (ground pepper burns at high heat producing it).

Once ready, rest the steak for another 5 minutes, adding freshly ground black pepper, and cut it against the grain to serve & enjoy!

This is how I slowly cook filet mignon in oven to medium-rare or medium doneness.

Simple, right?

See All the Ways of Developing Surface Browning after Slow Oven Cooking

• Stove-oven method. See how I sear tenderloin steak on stove and finish it in oven.
• Broiling filet mignon in oven. This method only works well with bigger chunks of steak – roasts – but still is good to try out.
• Quick sear on stove. See how to sear fillet steak in skillet for more details.

I hope I helped you to master the low & slow oven roasting method.

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

Happy Steaks! 😉

SteakEat

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