The Key To Keeping Bacon Wrapped Around A Filet Steak

Tender filet mignon steaks are often served bacon-wrapped, and not just because bacon makes most things better. Filet steaks are cut from beef tenderloin which is notoriously lacking in fat marbling and connective tissue – two factors that make steaks juicy and flavorful. Adding a strip of bacon helps baste the steak with the bacon fat as it cooks, and adds some salty, umami flavor to the steak. The trick when you're doing the wrapping yourself is getting the bacon to stay on the steak and not slip off in the pan, or worse yet, fall through the grill.

The key tip for keeping wrapped bacon in place is choosing the right bacon — no need for thick-cut artisan bacon, thin-cut works best here. Thick-cut bacon won't finish cooking before the steak is done, and underdone bacon is not only unattractive, but slippery, and it won't stay wrapped around your steak. You can also stretch the bacon slightly to get a nice tight and even thickness for wrapping; stretching will help the bacon lie flatter against the steak and crisp up nicely.

Due to the lack of fat content, filet steaks are traditionally cooked to no more than medium doneness — they'll become very dry and tough if overcooked. Depending on the thickness of the steak, it may only need 10 or 12 minutes of total cooking time, which is not enough to fully cook the bacon, so we recommend you give your bacon a head start by cooking it for a few minutes first, either in the oven or by sous vide if you have some time to plan ahead.

Once your bacon is partially cooked, season the filet steaks with salt and pepper, then wrap a strip of bacon around the edge, allowing the edges to overlap an inch or so. If the edges don't meet, you'll need two strips, overlapping the ends of both. You can secure the bacon ends to the steak with a toothpick, or tie a piece of butcher's twine around the bacon-wrapped steak. The advantage of the twine method is that you can roll the edge of the steak more easily in a hot pan if you want to further crisp the bacon before serving. After cooking, remove the toothpicks or twine and enjoy the flavor that bacon adds to this tender cut of steak.