Fillet Steak, Idwala View, Bushveld Recipes, Self-Catering, Safari, Mabalingwe

A fillet is the most tender of all steaks due to the muscle’s location on the beef carcass. Overcooking is your greatest risk when braaing a fillet. You braai fillets whole and only slice them afterwards or cut the fillet beforehand and braai single portions. The steaks should be cut fairly thick in order to have a nice and juicy medium rare inside while being completely seared and sealed on the outside. To achieve this, fillet steaks naturally need to be braaied on extremely high heat.

Serves 4

Ingredients
  • 1 kg piece of Fillet Steak
  • Crushed Peppercorns
  • Maldon Salt
Instructions
  1. If you prefer to slice the fillet beforehand:
  2. Cut the fillets into 5 cm thick slices.
  3. Braai over extremely hot coals for 8–10 minutes, making sure that all sides of each steak face the coals for at least 1 minute at a time.
  4. Remove from the fire and let the steaks rest for a few minutes until serving.
  5. Serve with your choice of sauce.
  6. If you prefer to braai the whole fillet:
  7. Cut the fillets into 5 cm thick slices.
  8. Sear it on very high heat for about 2 minutes per side (a whole fillet usually has three sides).
  9. Then adjust the heat down by either lifting the grid higher or scraping away some of the coals.
  10. Now let it braai over more gentle heat until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 57C.
  11. Let the meat rest for a few minutes and then carve.
  12. Serve with your choice of sauce.

Courtesy of Jan Braai