Last night's Salted Tenderloin aka Filet Mignon steak

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mistabob

Meat Mopper
Original poster
May 5, 2009
156
10
Idaho
Here's the tenderloin steak I made last night. I was so excited I forgot to take pics with my regular camera, so I just used my Blackberry hence the poor quality. Sorry! It was as thick as it looks, a couple inches. Purchased at Sam's Club.

I covered with sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, and Steak Dust and let hang out uncovered in the fridge for a couple hours. Then I rinsed it quickly, dried it, and applied a light sprinkle of Steak Dust again. Then grilled/seared as hot as my grill would go on both sides. I had a few chunks of mesquite smoking on the grill for added deliciousness. Let rest for a few minutes then devoured with some bourbon on the rocks. Best tasting and textured steak I have ever had. Probably because I'm usually a sirloin/ribeye guy.


Here it is chilling and covered with the salty mix. And those are all thick-cut ribeyes in the packages to the right of it to give you an idea of how thick this beast really was.


Here it is half eaten. So delicious!



I should have taken more pics, but it's all good.
 
What kind don't I drink?! Haha.

Last night I was just drinking Buffalo Trace.
But my cabinet is full of whiskey at the moment:

Buffalo Trace
Ezra Brooks
Jack Daniels 1981 Gold Medal Series
Knob Creek
Blantons
Elijah Craig 18 year old
Evan Williams 1998 single barrel
Wild Turkey Rare Breed (one of my fav whiskeys ever)
Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Ardbeg 10 year old
Old Pulteney 12 year old

My next whiskey purchase will probably be Bookers, Bakers, and Van Winkle Special Reserve Lot B. I seem to go through whiskey pretty quickly.

:)


What kinds do you guys enjoy?
 
Looks like a perfectly cooked steak! Damn good bourbons. If you haven't, check out Weller 12 year-old, Four Roses Single Barrel, and Old Grand Dad 114. I love Blanton's and Bookers is also one of my favorites.
 
I've been trying to find the Four Roses single barrel and Old Grandad 114, but can't seem to find them at the liquor stores around here. I'll have to check out the Weller 12 year-old, too, can't pass up another wheated bourbon!
 
There's a great place out by me in SoCal, but before I found that one I used to order my stuff online at Binny's in Chicago. They have a great selection and reasonable prices/sales. They say, "Weller is stellar." It's true.
 
Just wondering why you season early and rinse? On a good steak i just usually bring to room temp, a drizzle of EVOO, salt the heck out of it with kosher or sea, and a little pepper and throw that mother on a HOT grill. 2 Minutes a side.

What does your method produce doing it that way?

Just wondering cause im always open for trying a good steak a new way!
 
I heard about doing it this way and have tried many ways over the years, this way just seems the best. I found this link somewhere here on SMF the other day which validated my method, and it explains how salting early and letting it rest for awhile works to make the steak amazing. My cut of meat was great anyway, but this just made it beyond incredible in taste, texture, and tenderness. :) Just don't forget to rinse the salt off otherwise you're in trouble! I like to rinse then re-season slightly just because Steak Dust is amazing.

Here's the link:
http://steamykitchen.com/163-how-to-...me-steaks.html


EDIT: I just noticed the person who wrote that article said they were drinking bourbon the rocks, as well. What a weird coincidence! Great minds think alike.
 
Nice looking fillet there. Great Bourbon list there too. Id been in the mood for something sweet over ice and bought a bottle of canadian club sherry cask last week. Its pretty good stuff and a nice change from my usual wellers and jack.
 
That is an interesting link/read. I've always just salted/seasoned generously and seared on the grill. I'll have to give that a try as well.
 
Gonna grill up more steaks tonight. Getting ready to salt them as we speak. Ribeyes and a few more filet mignons! Should be awesome. I'll try to snag some pics. :)
 
Damn! I tried this technique on four boneless rib eyes tonight. Unbelievable taste! I didn't do pictures. Thought we've seen it before. But it was amazingly meaty and seasoned nicely. Packed the salt on and let sit at room temp for 30 mins, washed clean, patted completely dry with paper towels, and peppered each side generously before hittin' the grill. Topped each with a pat of garlic/parsley/thyme butter and yahooo!

Thanks for postin' up this technique!
 
OK, I tried it tonight too. Got a nice 2" thick porterhouse and covered both sides with kosher salt for an hour. Rinsed and patted completely dry then seasoned with black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. I did not add ANY more salt at all. Grilled to medium rare and it was, without question, the best tasting steak I have ever prepared for myself. There was the EXACT right amount of saltiness in the meat and the texture was incredible. Also sauteed some baby portabello mushrooms and grilled some romaine lettuce hearts. Add a baked potato and a couple Amstels and I was a happy camper. I will NEVER cook another steak without doing this salt crust process again. Amazing. Thanks for sharing.
 
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