This sous vide filet mignon recipe will guarantee that this expensive steak cut will be buttery soft on the inside, have an amazingly flavorful crust on the surface, and give the home cook perfect results, every single time.
If you are here for the first time and are new to sous vide cooing I suggest you read through my sous vide cooking guide. Lots of great information that isn't covered in this post.
Sous vide is a great way of making quick work of pickling too! Sous vide pickled vegetables and sous vide pickled onions are summer time favorites in my house.
- Sous vide cooking is the Chefs preferred method of getting edge to edge, perfectly cooked meat every time.
- The gentle, long cook time in a temperature-controlled cooking environment is the best way to give you the most perfect bite of steak you have ever had.
- With the sous vide method you can leave the meat unattended cooking for up to 4 hours without having to worry about overcooking the tender filet mignon steaks.
- Make any special occasion exceptional by serving sous-vide steak.
- Pairs perfectly with many flavorful side dishes! This spicy enoki mushroom recipe is what I served last time I served filet.
Ingredients needed:
Filet mignon steaks - my grocery store sells them in 8 ounce portions so these could easily be sliced down to 4 ounce portions.
Recipe Card?
To find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions CLICK HERE to go to the recipe card.
Ingredient notes:
If you would like to add additional layers of flavor to your perfect steak, I have a few ingredients that would make the perfect addition and lead to making a delicious sauce.
- Garlic - fresh garlic, finely minced. Pre-minced garlic in the jar will work as well.
- Butter - I use salted butter in this recipe.
- Herbs - Fresh sprig of rosemary.
Substitutions
Red Wine Sauce
Red wine reduction is one of my favorite sauces to pair with filet mignon. Use these ingredients in step 18 of the instructions below. Add the butter, saute the shallots, add the flour. Stir. Add the rest of the ingredients. Whisk and reduce.
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup finely chopped shallots, from 2-3 large shallots
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1-¼ cups red wine
- 3 cups beef broth
- 6 fresh thyme sprigs
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Garlic butter
If you are not making a pan sauce to go along with your steak dollop on some homemade garlic butter. Combine the following ingredients:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1-1 ½ teaspoon garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons shallot, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Sous Vide Equipment
- Breville Joule Sous Vide - This is the sous vide imersion circulator that I use. I love the wifi feature!
- Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker - Another popular brand of sous vide circulator. I don't have one but many people do and love this brand.
- Sous Vide Container (3.0 Gallon) - Any container that can tollerate heat will work but I use this sous vide container.
- Sous Vide Lid for LIPAVI C10 Container - Use with Anova Precision / Nano / Pro, Joule, Instant Pot, Wancle or virtually all other models. Do not accept a bad fit! The smart silicone sleeve on our lid will ensure a snug fit, with NO GAP. Up to a diametre of 2.755 inches
- Cast Iron Skillet - got to get that HIGH HEAT for an amazing sear and cast iron is the best pan to get that sear.
Let's go shopping!
ANOVA
This third generation sous vide circulator includes dual-band WiFi and a two-line touchscreen display.
How to make sous vide filet mignon
- Preheat the sous vide water bath to the desired internal temperature of the steak.
- Truss each piece of filet to help it keep the traditional filet mignon shape.
- Sear all sides of the beef.
- Deglaze the pan, optional.
- Add the meat and the deglaze to a sous vide bag. (or vacuum seal bag)
- Seal the bag or use the water displacement method to remove the air from the bag.
- Cook.
- Resear the meat in on a high heat pan.If making sauce, add ingredients to the pan and reduce.
Making filet mignon sous vide
- Determine your desired doneness for your steak from the chart below.Make note of the THICKNESS of the steak. This will determine the length of the cooking time. Count on one hour of cook time per inch of meat in thickness.
- Truss the steak around the circumference of the cut with a piece of kitchen twine, if desired.
- Set your sous vide machine to the desired temperature, allowing it to heat up while you prepare the meat for sous vide.
- Preheat a heavy bottom pan or a cast-iron skillet to the point of smoking.
- Lightly brush your steaks with oilive oil or the high heat oil of your choice or drizzle a few tablespoons in the bottom of the screaming hot skillet.
- Sear on high heat for one minute per side. Do not move the meat once it comes in contact with the pan. You don't want to break the sear until you are sure you have the color you want.
- The steaks will easily pull away from the pan when they have been properly seared with a nice crust.
- Once the steaks have been preseared, remove them to a clean plate.
- Turn off the heat and deglaze the pan with a few tablespoons of butter, add minced fresh garlic and herbs.
- Quickly cook the garlic and the herbs. If the foaming butter cooks away, add a splash of stock, wine, or water to help loosen the fond from the bottom of the pan.
- Pour the contents of the deglazed pan into a clean bowl to cool for a moment before adding it to the sous vide bag and the preseared steaks.
- Vac and seal the bag with a vacuum sealer being sure to press the SEAL button as soon as you see the liquid reaching the edge. Not ALL the air will be removed but it will be enough. 🛑STOP HERE IF YOU ARE MEAL PREPPING STEAKS TO COOK AT A LATER TIME.🛑
- Once the sous vide bath has come up to your desired temperature, add the bagged-up steaks to the water. If you don't have a vac and seal machine, use the water displacement method and secure the bag to the edge of the cooking vessel with a clip. (see instructions below)
- Cook for 1 hour per inch of thickness.
- After cooking remove the steaks from their cooking bag to a clean plate patting them dry with clean paper towels.
- Reserve the juices, or purge, from the bag to be used in a pan sauce if you are making one.
- Reheat your cast iron pan to smoking hot and sear the steaks on both sides, bringing back the amazingly flavorful crust.
- Transfer the sous vide steak to a serving plate and make the sauce.
- To make the sauce add 3 tablespoons of butter to the hot pan, scrape the fond from the bottom of the pan, add the juices from the sous vide bag. To stretch your sauce add ½ cup to 1 cup of stock or red wine to the pan. Allow the sauce to reduce and thicken.
- Spoon the sauce around the steaks, top with salt and black pepper. I also will add a pat of butter for extra richness.
Sous Vide Temperature Chart For Filet Mignon
Choose your preferred internal temperature and doneness for filet mignon below. PLEASE honor the animal and the farmer who raised it by not cooking this delicate cut of meat above medium-rare.
You can also choose a temperature between two doneness temperatures. For example, my family likes steak at 132. We learned this over time and made note of what temperature we cooked the steak and adjusted to meet our preferences.
| Doneness | Temp F | Temp C | Time Minimum | Time Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rare (1 in/ 2.5 cm) | 120 | 49 | 1 hour | 4 hours |
| Rare (2 in /5 cm) | 120 | 49 | 2 hours | 6 hours |
| Medium Rare (1 in/ 2.5 cm) | 134 | 56.5 | 1 hour | 4 hours |
| Medium Rare (2 in /5 cm) | 134 | 56.5 | 2 hours | 6 hours |
| Medium (1 in/ 2.5 cm) | 140 | 60 | 1 hour | 4 hours |
| Medium (2 in /5 cm) | 140 | 60 | 2 hours | 6 hours |
| Medium Well (1 in/ 2.5 cm) | 150 | 65.5 | 1 hour | 4 hours |
| Medium Well (2 in /5 cm) | 150 | 65.5 | 2 hours | 6 hours |
| Well Done (1 in/ 2.5 cm) | 160 + | 71 + | 1 hour | 4 hours |
| Well Done (2 in /5 cm) | 160 + | 71 + | 2 hours | 6 hours |
Water Displacement vs. Vac and Seal
I have found that the water displacement method is my preferred method of sealing the bag when there is a bone in the meat. There is less chance of a puncture from the bone with water displacement vs. vac and seal.
Water displacement also known as Archimedes' principle is when the pressure of the water forces the air out of the bag.
To submerge using the water displacement method:
- Place the meat in a heavy-duty, zip-top bag and close all but about 1 inch of the zip-top bag.
- Submerge the bag in the water allowing the pressure of the water to force the air out.
- Just as the water gets to the gap in the bag, close the bag.
If using a vac and seal bag, be sure to double seal the top and bottom seams because this will be a long cook. Look for a vac and seal bag with a side gusset to help accommodate the larger piece of meat.
Depending on how much time I have to reheat the steak, if there is any leftover, I will either resear it on a screaming hot skillet or drop it into the sous vide bath. When I do the sous vide reheat method, I put the meat in then turn on the circulator. By the time the water has come up to temperature, the steak has warmed through.
Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:
By tying a string or two around the perimeter of the steak will ensure that the steak will maintain the thickness that is associated with filet mignon. Often when vac and sealing a filet, there can be some compression of the meat because it is so tender. The string helps act as a 'supporting structure' in the sous vide bag.
Sous vide is GREAT for meal prepping steaks. One option is to pre-sear and bag up the steaks as instructed in steps 1-12 above. Cook from a frozen state at your desired temperature PLUS ONE HOUR longer than your normal cook.
Another option is to sous vide the steaks to your desired temperature and store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Reheat in the sous vide before serving.
Chef Tip
Start with HOT water in your sous vide machine. Hot tap water will work well enough. This will reduce the time it takes for the sous vide circulator to heat the cooking water.
Ingredients
- 2 8 ounce (2 8 ounce) Filet mignon steaks
- 3 Tablespoon (3 Tablespoon) Butter salted
- 2 cloves (2 cloves) Garlic minced
- Sprig (Sprig) Rosemary
Instructions
- Determine your desired doneness for your steak from the chart below.Make note of the THICKNESS of the steak. This will determine the length of the cooking time. Count on one hour of cook time per inch of meat in thickness.
- Truss the steak around the circumference of the cut with a piece of kitchen twine, if desired.
- Set your sous vide machine to the desired temperature, allowing it to heat up while you prepare the meat for sous viding.
- Preheat a heavy bottom pan or a cast-iron skillet to the point of smoking.
- Lightly brush your steaks with the high heat oil of your choice or drizzle a few tablespoons in the bottom of the screaming hot skillet.
- Sear on high heat for one minute per side. Do not move the meat once it comes in contact with the pan. You don't want to break the sear until you are sure you have the color you want.The steaks will easily pull away from the pan when they have been properly seared with a nice crust.Once the steaks have been preseared, remove them to a clean plate.
- Turn off the heat and deglaze the pan with a few tablespoons of butter, add minced fresh garlic and herbs. Quickly cook the garlic and the herbs. If the foaming butter cooks away, add a splash of stock, wine, or water to help loosen the fond from the bottom of the pan.
- Cook for 1 hour per inch of thickness.
- After cooking remove the steaks from their cooking bag to a clean plate patting them dry with clean paper towels. Reserve the juices, or purge, from the bag to be used in a pan sauce if you are making one.
- Reheat your cast iron pan to smoking hot and sear the steaks on both sides, bringing back the amazingly flavorful crust.
- Transfer the sous vide steak to a serving plate and make the sauce.
- To make the sauce add 3 tablespoons of butter to the hot pan, scrape the fond from the bottom of the pan, add the juices from the sous vide bag. To stretch your sauce add ½ cup to 1 cup of stock or red wine to the pan.Allow the sauce to reduce and thicken.
- Spoon the sauce around the steaks, top with salt and black pepper. I also will add a pat of butter for extra richness.
Nutrition
Notes
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup finely chopped shallots, from 2-3 large shallots
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1-¼ cups red wine
- 3 cups beef broth
- 6 fresh thyme sprigs
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1-1 ½ teaspoon garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons shallot, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
I am Sarah Mock. Welcome!
Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 15 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.
Daniel Walsh says
I need to cook 10-15 Filet Mignon steaks this week. How many steaks can I put in the Sous vide cooker at one time and would you mind giving your opinion on if it would change the cook timing?
Sarah Mock says
You can put in as many steaks as the container can hold. I would put them in bags either individually or in groups of 2-3. The time will not change.