Super Tender Medium-Rare Roast Beef Filet

One of the secrets to success in restaurants is prepping food ahead of time, also known as mise-en-place. This means that when meat and other side dishes are already pre-cooked, you only need to reheat and sear them a few minutes before serving. It’s a great way to manage your time when needed, and it allows you to sit at the table and eat with your guests without the stress of cooking meat at the last minute. Here is an efficient way to cook large portions of meat in advance with excellent results.

Please note that the full access to this content needs a subscription: please sign up.

Here is an efficient way to cook large portions of meat in advance with excellent results...

This recipe is a protected and only available for paid members. To obtain the full step by step recipe and detailed ingredients list, please sign up.

Preview the recipe

Roast Beef Fillet

You can prepare the roast using my tenderloin cleaning tutorial, or alternatively, ask your butcher to do it. Note that once cooked, roast beef will lose approximately 15% of its original weight.

Vacuum-Sealing Procedure

Meat can be vacuum-sealed into individual portions or larger ones. In order to hold its shape during cooking, a large roast should be tied up into a log first using heatproof plastic wrap or butcher twine. Wrapping it in lard isn't necessary. The salt, ground black pepper, and fat will be added later during searing. Clean your hands, utensils, and work surfaces thoroughly. Always store vacuum-sealed fresh meat at 41°F (5°C) or below. It's generally recommended to limit its shelf life to 14 days or less.
Start by folding about an inch of the sous-vide bag back to create a clean lip. Insert the prepared roast, add herbs, crushed garlic, olive oil, and vacuum-seal. Unless you own a pro-grade vacuumed sealer, liquids can prevent a bag from sealing properly. Ensure your bag is tightly sealed with no wrinkles or trapped food in the seal line. If the vacuum is lost, repackage immediately.

Sous-Vide Cooking Method

Fill a large pot or container with water and attach your immersion circulator. Set it to 55-57°C (135°F) for medium-rare. Place the sealed bag in the pre-heated water bath. Make sure the entire bag is fully submerged to ensure even cooking. Cover the pot partially with plastic wrap to prevent water from evaporating too quickly. Cook for 4 hours. Once cooking is complete, remove the bag and immediately transfer it to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. One cool, transfer meat in the refrigerator.

Storing

Cut the bag and save the rendered jus for later use. If planning to serve meat later, remove cooked roast from the bag and discard herbs and garlic. Re-vacuum-seal meat and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. At this point, it can be kept frozen.

Searing Roast Beef

Pat the meat dry and cut each roast into 2 portions. Heat a frying pan over high heat. Season the meat generously on all sides with salt.
Sear the roasts on all sides for a few minutes until browned. Remove them from the pan and place the roasts onto a baking tray.
Season with ground black pepper and top the roasts with chunks of butter. Just before serving, pop the roasts into a preheated fan-assisted oven at 480°F (250°C) for 6-8 minutes. Let them rest for 5 minutes, then serve.
Alternatively, the un-seared roast can be sliced into two-inch-thick tournedo steaks and seared on a hot cast-iron griddle or barbecue.

Quick Sauce

Deglaze the hot pan in which the roasts were seared with ½ cup of ruby port. Reduce by half, then add a cup of chicken or veal stock. Cook for 10 minutes. Pass the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan. Thicken the sauce using about 30 grams of beurre manié (a 1:1 mixture of softened butter and flour). Just before serving, remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in a knob of butter to give it a glossy finish.
Serve the beef filet with cooked vegetables and your choice of carbs. Bon appétit!