How to Cook a Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon

More About This Recipe

• Are you cooking to impress? Sure, you could spend lots of money going out to a fancy dinner, but I think it means so much more to cook a great meal yourself. It can be super impressive and also save you a good chunk of change. Even if you're cooking something like these filets, you’ll still save a boatload of money over what you would pay in a restaurant. And here’s a secret: They are really easy to cook. (I won’t even tell your date.) You can do this! There aren’t many ingredients needed to prepare a filet, so be sure to spend a bit more on high-quality ingredients, particularly the steak and bacon. You can use any bacon, although stay away from very thick-cut pieces, as they won't have time to cook through. Before you cook the filets, let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to slowly bring them up to the right temperature. Then wrap each filet in bacon and tie it with a piece of kitchen twine to hold everything in place. When you’re ready to start cooking, preheat your oven to 450°F. Place an oven-safe skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add some butter, melt it and swirl it around the pan. Season the filets with salt and pepper and then sear each filet for about 90 seconds per side. Flip the filets to sear them well on both sides. Then transfer the whole skillet to the oven and let them finish cooking for about 5 minutes per side (10 minutes total). Be sure to turn them once halfway through. Assuming your steaks are about an inch thick, this should get you to about a medium-rare doneness. Here’s the most important part of this whole recipe: You absolutely need to use a meat thermometer on these. If you want medium rare, you want to stop cooking these guys when they hit 135°F. Even 10 degrees over and your steaks will be overcooked and start to get tough. Once the steaks reach the temperature you want, remove them from the skillet and cover them with foil. Let them rest for a few minutes and then serve them