4 Ways to Cook Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon with Recipes

Bacon-wrapped filet mignon is a classic way to prepare this most coveted steak. Not only does wrapping filet mignon with a slice of bacon infuse your lean steak medallion with delicious fat, but the sweet, smoky flavor of bacon infuses throughout the meat.  

There are at least 4 ways to cook bacon-wrapped filet mignon easily at home. You can fire up the grill, preheat the oven, turn on the air fryer, or pull out your favorite cast iron skillet. Each cooking method comes with unique benefits and flavors, so be sure to try them all. Click the links to view full recipes and elevate your next steak dinner to crispy new heights.

On the Grill

Grilling is perhaps the best way to cook any type of steak. The intense heat sears the outside of the filet mignon, creating a crispy crust and sealing in the meat’s natural juices. Grill marks give the finished steak an attractive appearance, and grilling infuses the meat with a delicious smokiness.

Bacon adds salt, fat, and smokiness to filet mignon, which is often described as tender but mild in flavor. Our Bacon Wrapped Steak recipe further elevates this lean cut of beef by applying homemade roasted garlic butter after grilling.

It’s recommended to make the butter a day ahead by roasting whole garlic cloves in olive oil, then mashing and mixing them with unsalted butter and chopped chives. When you’re ready to grill, season the filets with salt and pepper, wrap them with bacon, then grill to the desired doneness. Top each hot filet mignon with a generous pat of roasted garlic butter before serving.

In the Oven

Ree Drummond is a well-known Food Network star. She lives on an enormous Oklahoma cattle ranch with her husband, Ladd, and knows everything there is to know about cooking quality beef. Her Bacon-Wrapped Filets with Cowboy Butter integrates stovetop and oven cooking methods to create a tender, flavorful filet mignon.

Drummond’s Cowboy Butter blends salted butter, parsley, chives, lemon zest, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. After chilling the butter mixture for 30 minutes, you’ll be ready to prepare the steaks. Wrap them in bacon, secure them with toothpicks, and generously season the meat with salt and pepper. Sear over medium-high heat for one minute per side, then transfer the steaks to a 450˚ F oven to finish cooking.

In the Air Fryer

Air fryers have been around since 2010, but it took another decade for them to soar in popularity. An air fryer works like a compact convection oven by circulating hot air around food to create a crisp texture. Little to no added fat is necessary, making air frying a healthy alternative to traditional oil frying.  

Taste of Home provides step-by-step video instructions for making a quick yet delectable bacon-wrapped filet mignon in your air fryer. As with other filet mignon recipes, you will season your filets with salt and pepper before wrapping a slice of bacon around the edge. But in this case, you must pre-cook the bacon for several minutes first to ensure the final product is crispy.

Instead of adding seasoned butter at the end, this Taste of Home recipe calls for mixing up a savory baby portobello mushroom sauce to add exquisite flavor to your filet mignon. It calls for ingredients you probably already have in the pantry, including soy sauce, brown sugar, and ginger ale.

In a Cast Iron Pan on the Stove

An old-fashioned, well-seasoned cast iron skillet is the best pan for searing meat. Its thermal density evenly distributes heat and keeps the pan at a constant temperature, both essential ingredients in making the perfect sear.

Steak University provides directions for cooking bacon-wrapped filet mignon on the stovetop in a cast iron skillet. Click the link, then click option 4. It is the best of all the cooking methods to ensure your bacon edge is crispy all around.

Cast iron can take a while to preheat, so place the skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes before you plan to start cooking. Meanwhile, season your filet mignon and secure a strip of bacon around each steak with a toothpick. You’ll cook the filet flat on each side for 2 or 3 minutes, then hold it with tongs to sear the bacon around each filet’s edge. Once the bacon is crisp all around, you will lower the heat and baste the filets with melted butter.

Filet Mignon Cooking Tips

Always remove filet mignon from the refrigerator 30 to 60 minutes before cooking to bring it to room temperature. Cooking cold steak can result in an undercooked middle, even if the meat appears done on the edges.

Allow your cooked filets to rest for at least 10 minutes at room temperature before serving. This ensures even juiciness throughout the steak.

The best way to know if your bacon-wrapped filet mignon is at the doneness you prefer is to use a meat thermometer. Remove your steaks from the heat when they reach these temperatures:

• Rare: 115℉
• Medium rare: 125℉
• Medium: 135℉
• Medium well: 145℉
• Well done: 155℉

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