There aren’t many pairings that feel more natural together than a steak and a grill, but if that steak is filet mignon, you need to be well-versed on what your grill can do to it. Filet mignon is considered one of the most special cuts of steak you can buy, primarily for its tender, buttery texture. And while it’s considered a prime cut, it can also really benefit from a grill, where the flavors of smoke and char will help out what is actually a relatively mild flavor for a steak. But filet mignon has one big downside that becomes a real problem on a grill: It has very little fat. A lack of marbling means filet mignon can easily overcook and dry out, turning your pricey steak into a disappointing meat brick. With a grill, where the temperature can be hard to measure and even harder to control, the chance of overcooking is high, and this goes double for a gas grill.
Why do you need to be careful with gas and filet mignon? Gas grills run at a higher temperature than charcoal grills and can get as high as 600 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike charcoal, that makes it harder to use the 2-zone grilling method of direct heat and cooler indirect heat, which limits your ability to adjust the rate your steak is cooking on the fly. Cooking steak in a gas grill is more like roasting — it’s a high heat surrounding your filet at all times.
Grilling filet mignon over gas means closely watching time and temperature
Your filet mignon is going to cook quite fast at the high temperatures of a gas grill and, with little fat, your margin for error is small. One thing that helps is letting your filet mignon come to room temperature before putting it on the grill, which will help the outside cook fast enough without overcooking the center. It also helps to have a thicker cut steak to give you more breathing room on time. Filet mignon is usually pretty thick to begin with, but stick to steaks that are at least two inches thick to make sure.
If you can measure the temperature of your gas grill, try and get it to around 450 degrees. At this temperature, your filet mignon should cook to medium rare in four to five minutes per side. While not totally necessary, it will really help to have a good digital thermometer to make sure you don’t go past your target temperature.
Finally, you should let your steak rest for up to 10 minutes once off the grill. This is good for any cut because the rest lets some of the liquid in the beef get reabsorbed, so that it stays juicy — and it’s extra important for such a lean cut like filet mignon. Taking those precautions with your filet mignon should help your gas grill turn out a tender, perfect steak as good as any other option.
