• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • meet the team
  • blogger resources
  • Contact Me
My Account
Member Dashboard
40 Aprons Premium (Ad Free!)

40 Aprons

Delicious, Healthy-ish Meals for the Whole Family

  • All Recipes
  • Most Popular
    • Cheryl’s Favorites
    • 30-Minute Recipes
    • Creamy Soups
    • Copycat Recipes
    • Casseroles
    • One-Dish Wonders
  • Method
    • Air Fryer
    • Baking
    • Crockpot
    • Grilling
    • Instant Pot
    • Sous Vide
  • Course
    • Appetizers
    • Cooking Basics
    • Breakfast
    • Condiments
    • Dessert
    • Main Course
    • Meal Prep
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
  • Cuisine
    • American
    • Asian
    • Indian
    • Italian
    • Mediterranean
    • Mexican & Latin
    • Southern
Home Blog Course Main Course

The Best Filet Mignon Recipe Ever with Garlic Herb Compound Butter (Reverse Sear)

Cheryl Malik
Cheryl Malik Posted: 02/01/19 Updated: 01/02/23
5
/5
72 Comments
Jump to Recipe
GF Gluten Free K Keto LC Low Carb P Paleo

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Pinterest graphic for the best filet mignon recipe ever
Pinterest graphic for the best filet mignon recipe ever
Pinterest graphic for the best filet mignon recipe ever
Pinterest graphic for the best filet mignon recipe ever
Pinterest graphic for the best filet mignon recipe ever
Pinterest graphic for the best filet mignon recipe ever
Pinterest graphic for the best filet mignon recipe ever

This is only filet mignon recipe you’ll ever need! It makes the best filet you’ll ever eat: tender, moist, and oh so juicy. Topped with a super flavorful garlic herb compound butter, this recipe produces an epic meal, thanks to a reverse sear starting in the oven with a quick finish in a cast-iron skillet on the stove. This recipe is the last word on how to cook a filet mignon!

Close up of medium rare plated filet mignon topped with garlic herb butter

What Makes This Recipe So Good?

  • The filet mignon is insanely tender and juicy without being the least bit stringy.
  • It’s so buttery it nearly melts in your mouth.
  • The reverse sear mimics the sous vide method of cooking. In other words, the entire steak is cooked through evenly before a quick, very hot sear. No other approach to cooking filet mignon yields quite a tender or even steak.
  • The garlic herb butter is out of this world! With garlic, parsley, shallots, and lemon juice, this garlic butter is perfect on filet mignon. It makes enough to slather on everything from chicken breast to eggs to a loaf of French bread.

What’s the Best Way to Cook Filet Mignon?

This way! So here’s the deal:

We cook this filet mignon in the oven on low heat to start, and then we sear it on the oven in a cast-iron skillet. By doing this, we cook the entire thing through without overcooking the edges, so they never become grey or stringy. The sear in a cast-iron skillet gives you a beautiful crust and rich, buttery flavor. It’s seriously to-die-for.

Dry Brining

This recipe for the best filet mignon of your life starts with a simple but super powerful process of dry brining. All this means is liberally salting both sides of your steaks and letting them sit for at least 30 minutes. This process creates a more flavorful and tender piece of meat than you could imagine, and I do not want you to skip it.

Additionally, this process allows the steak to come up to room temperature which is important in order to cook perfectly. So again, don’t skip it! It makes all the difference.

Side view of plated filet mignon topped with garlic herb butter

How Do I Cook Filet Mignon in the Oven?

Here’s what I like to do and how this best-ever filet mignon recipe recommends you cook your steak in the oven: liberally salt and pepper the filet on both sides and let sit about 30 minutes to an hour on a wire rack over a baking sheet.

Then, place your steak in the oven at 250º Fahrenheit until the internal temperature reaches 120º (for medium-rare steak). This will take about 25-30 minutes.

How Do I Cook Filet Mignon in a Cast-Iron Skillet?

After you’ve cooked your filet mignon to an internal temperature of 120º Fahrenheit, remove the steak from the oven and let sit while you preheat your cast-iron skillet over high heat for those 5 minutes. Then, very carefully place the filet in the cast iron skillet and cook for 45 seconds. Flip and place pats of your garlic herb butter on top and cook 45 seconds. Then, you’ll flip your steak a couple of times, allowing the browning milk solids in the butter to provide a really rich shade of brown to the surface of your steak, about another 20-30 seconds. Press the sides of the filet mignon briefly against the sides of the cast iron skillet, just until they are no longer red or pink, then remove.

Extreme Close up of filet mignon topped with butter in a cast iron skillet

More Recipes You’ll Love

  • Easy Sous Vide Chicken Breast Recipe
  • Quick Chicken Brine for Perfect Chicken Every Time
  • Best Ever Easy Roast Chicken with Gravy (Paleo Options)
  • Perfect Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs with Pan Sauce
  • Steak with Whole30 Bearnaise Sauce
  • Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Hey – you’ve made it this far, so now we’re basically best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook, too!

Sliced filet mignon on a white plate
5 from 51 votes

Best Ever Filet Mignon with Garlic Herb Compound Butter (Reverse Sear)

Prep:10 minutes
Cook:30 minutes
Stand:30 minutes
Total:1 hour 10 minutes
The best filet mignon you’ll ever eat: tender, moist, and oh so juicy. Topped with a super flavorful garlic herb compound butter, this recipe produces an epic meal.
Print Save Saved! Click Here to Remove Ads
4 servings

Ingredients

For the Filet Mignon

  • 4 filet mignon steaks about 6-8 ounces each, about 2″ thick
  • salt to taste
  • freshly cracked black pepper to taste

For the Garlic Butter

  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
  • 1-1 ½ teaspoon garlic roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons shallot roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Equipment

  • Wire cooling rack
  • Baking sheet
  • Food processor (for garlic-herb butter)
  • Plastic wrap
  • Meat thermometer
  • Cast iron skillet

Instructions 

  • Liberally season both sides of each steak with plenty of salt, as well as fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Place on a wire rack over a baking sheet and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, preferably a couple hours. If letting stand for more than one hour, keep in refrigerator, then let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before cooking.
    Raw filet mignon on a wire cooling rack
  • While steaks stand, make garlic-herb compound butter. Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Spoon onto a piece of plastic wrap and roll into a log shape. Chill until firm.
  • Preheat the oven to 250º F. Transfer baking sheet to oven. If using oven-safe meat thermometer with probe, insert now. Cook in oven until internal temperature reaches the desired degree based on the time chart in the recipe notes.
  • Remove steaks from oven. Preheat a cast-iron skillet over high heat for 5 minutes while steaks rest. Pat steaks completely dry in order to get the best crust.
  • Carefully place steaks in hot skillet and cook 45 seconds; flip and place a pat of garlic herb compound butter (about 1 tablespoon per steak) on top of the filet. Cook another 45 seconds, then flip once or twice as needed until steaks are a richer brown color, about 20-40 seconds total. Press the sides of the filet up against the sides of the cast iron skillet briefly until no longer red or pink.
    4 filet mignon topped with a compound butter in a cast iron skillet
  • Remove steaks from skillet and serve with more garlic herb compound butter.

Notes

To cook your filet mignon steaks to a different temperature, follow this chart:
  • Rare: Target temperature: 120°-125°F. Remove from oven when internal temperature reaches 110º F.
  • Medium Rare: Target temperature: 130°-135°F. Remove from oven when internal temperature reaches 120º F.
  • Medium: Target temperature: 140°-145°F. Remove from oven when internal temperature reaches 130º F.
  • Medium Well: Target temperature: 150°-155°F. Remove from oven when internal temperature reaches 140º F. 
  • Well Done: Target temperature: 160°-175°F. Remove from oven when internal temperature reaches 160º F. Can I convince you to cook your steak a bit less, though? Please?

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 677kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 60g, Saturated Fat: 30g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 180mg, Sodium: 380mg, Potassium: 570mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 1026IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 28mg, Iron: 4mg, Net Carbs: 1g

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @40aprons on social and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!

Rate Recipe Tag Me on Instagram
Cheryl Malik

Meet Cheryl Malik

Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She's been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.

Read more...

You may also like...

  • Cut sous vide filet mignon in cast iron skillet
    Sous Vide Filet Mignon with Garlic & Herb Butter
  • Spatchcock chicken in a cast iron pan, sprinkled with fresh parsley.
    Spatchcock Chicken with Garlic-Herb Butter
  • Chicken and Dumplings

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question or comment below.

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Car says

    Posted on 12/30/21 at 7:22 pm

    So I want to make this recipe along with lobster tails (which I bake at 500* for 15-20 mins) my question is would I be able to cook the steak in the oven then take it out and let it sit until the lobster tails were done cooking and then put the steak into the cast iron Pan… so everything would be done at the same time?

    Reply
    • Anna Claire | 40 Aprons TeamAnna Claire | 40 Aprons Team says

      Posted on 1/3/22 at 7:44 pm

      That should work! You may want to cover the steak with foil so it doesn’t get too cold or dry out. We haven’t tested this method, so we can’t say for sure whether it would work or not, but let us know how it turns out if you try it!5 stars

      Reply
  2. Susan Hopper says

    Posted on 12/6/21 at 9:38 am

    Reverse sear filet mignon How long shall I cook steak in oven for medium cooked to get to 130degrees temp? At 250 degrees. Do I put rack on lower oven rack? Kcooking now but don’t have temperature thermometer
    Susan

    Reply
    • Anna Claire | 40 Aprons TeamAnna Claire | 40 Aprons Team says

      Posted on 12/7/21 at 3:50 pm

      You’ll want to cook it until the internal temperature reaches 130º F. The target temperature for medium is 140°-145°F. Time varies based on your oven, so it’s best to check periodically.5 stars

      Reply
  3. val says

    Posted on 12/5/21 at 3:41 pm

    question- if I don’t have a wire rack for the baking sheet should I line it with foil or parchment instead?

    Reply
    • Anna Claire | 40 Aprons TeamAnna Claire | 40 Aprons Team says

      Posted on 12/7/21 at 3:59 pm

      The wire rack is to help the steak cook evenly and allow air flow. You could line the baking sheet with foil to protect it from the steak, but just make sure to check the internal temperature per the chart in the recipe card to determine how done it is before searing it in the pan.5 stars

      Reply
  4. Nat says

    Posted on 11/28/21 at 5:26 pm

    Can reverse sear be used for a whole beef tenderloin?

    Reply
    • Anna Claire | 40 Aprons TeamAnna Claire | 40 Aprons Team says

      Posted on 11/29/21 at 10:02 pm

      We haven’t tried it, but theoretically it should work! Just may be hard to ensure a good, even sear since the cut is so large. Let us know how it turns out if you make this!5 stars

      Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

What’s Popular?

Reusable meal prep trays with sweet potato, scrambled eggs, and sausage for a whole30 breakfast

Whole30 Breakfast Meal Prep

Crispy, golden air fryer tater tots in a large white serving bowl next to a small ramekin of bright red ketchup.

Air Fryer Tater Tots

Overhead view of marry me chicken in a cast iron skillet

Marry Me Chicken (Chicken in a Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce)

Instant pot chicken and rice in a bowl

Dreamy Instant Pot Chicken and Rice

In Season

Whole30 In-n-Out burgers close up

Whole30 Burgers – Burger Joint Style (Paleo, Low Carb)

Overhead photo of keto chicken tortilla soup in a rustic bowl

Keto Chicken Tortilla Soup (Low Carb, Gluten Free)

Air fryer chicken wings on a platter with sauce

Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings in Buffalo Sauce

Instant pot frozen chicken breast - easy chicken recipes for dinners with few ingredients

Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast

As seen on:

More Goodies + NO Ads!

Become a 40 Aprons Premium Member!

All the 40 Aprons content you love - now even better.

  • Member-Exclusive Recipes
  • Meal Plans & Grocery Lists
  • eBooks
  • NO ADS!
Join now

Privacy Policy

Accessibility

Disclaimers

Contact

© 2023 40 Aprons
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
Back to Top
5251 shares