PAN-SEARED & ROASTED FILET MIGNON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
• Let steaks warm to room temperature and rub with water on each side. Apply kosher salt, garlic salt, meat tenderizer, and fresh ground pepper liberally. Sprinkle paprika and parsley on each side for color/garnish.
• Warm olive oil in a grill pan, frying pan, or skillet over medium high heat and add filets while pan is warming. As steaks begin to sizzle, adjust temperature to high heat, gently lift the steaks to prevent sticking and apply pressure to ensure steaks are browning. Repeat process and adjust heat as necessary until steaks are brown (roughly 2 to 3 minutes on each side).
• Upon browning both sides, place steak in an oven safe pan or skillet and roast using the following temperature guidelines (which vary depending upon the thickness of the meat) - rotate halfway through cooking:.
• Rare - 4 to 6 minutes (130 to 140 degrees internal temperature).
• Medium Rare - 6 to 8 minutes (140 to 150 degrees internal temperature).
• Medium - 8 to 10 minutes (150 to 160 degrees internal temperature).
• Use a foil tent as necessary to keep steaks warm until serving. Remember they will continue to cook as they are removed from the heat. I prefer to serve with mashed potatoes and stir fried green beans or sauteed mushrooms.
• The following guidelines help to determine steak temperature without cutting into the steak and ruining the presentation according to Big Oven: very rare feels soft and squishy, rare is soft to the touch, medium-rare yields gently to the touch, while medium yields only slightly to the touch and is beginning to firm up, and medium-well is firm to the touch.
• Safety note per Big Oven: "Doneness" is an issue of personal preference. However, it is recommended that beef be cooked to medium-rare doneness, the internal temperature should reach 145 degrees F to ensure that harmful bacteria have been destroyed. A thick cut of beef that has been cooked to an internal temperature of 140 degrees F, may be removed from the oven, loosely covered, and allowed to rest a few minutes. The temperature will continue to rise about 5 degrees F, reaching proper doneness.