Red Wine Sauce for Steak

Spoil mom or anyone special in your life with this deceptively easy to prepare red wine sauce for steak. Simply pan sear a filet mignon or boneless New York strip steak and make the red wine reduction sauce in the pan. Sponsored by Harris Ranch Beef.

Mother’s Day is around the corner and that means flowers are being ordered and brunches are getting scheduled. Which begs the question: Why does Dad get a steak dinner for Father’s Day and Mom gets…. brunch?! Moms love steak, too!

I have shared with you how to grill a Porterhouse steak for dad’s special day, and today I am sharing a filet mignon recipe for Mom by making a red wine sauce for steak.

Why this recipe is so awesome

The most coveted steak on a steakhouse’s menu is the filet mignon. This tender and delicious cut of meat comes from the small end of the tenderloin, located in the back rib cage of the animal.

This is the part of the cow that is not weight-bearing and not toughened by exercise. What this means for you is a very, VERY tender piece of meat. It has less marbling and fat as compared with other great cuts of beef. And moms like that, of course.

I understand that the filet mignon is an expensive cut of meat. And for some people, they just can’t pay this much for one meal. I totally get it. No worries. You can enjoy steak with red wine sauce using a less expensive cuts of meat.

We enjoyed this dish with boneless New York strips, too. The New York strip steak is cut from the short loin subprimal, sometimes with the bone attached but most often as a boneless steak.

Whichever steak you use, you prepare it by searing it in a cast iron pan finish cooking it in the oven. Afterwards, you remove the steak and let it rest and using the bits in the pan make a simple and delicious red wine reduction sauce.

It is crazy easy to make, you don’t need a big fancy grill and makes a very special and delicious meal. See my Filet Mignon with Red Wine Sauce Web Story for a quick visual guide to making this recipe

Ingredients you need

• Steaks: You can use filet mignons, 6 or 8-ounces each, or New York strips. Just use a good quality boneless steak.
• Kosher salt and pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil: Since you are preparing a good quality steak, you don’t want to ruin it using a bad flavored oil. Extra virgin olive oil can handle high heat for the amount of time you are cooking your steak. You can also use avocado oil.
• Onion: You can use regular brown onions or sweet onions. You can also use shallots.
• Garlic: You want to use real garlic and not garlic powder.
• Fresh herbs: Fresh herbs give the best flavor. Use fresh rosemary and thyme.
• Red wine: Choose a red wine you like to drink. Avoid anything fruity.
• Butter: You will finish the sauce with a little bit of butter. It adds creaminess and flavor.

Choosing the best steak

You could say that you can’t choose a bad filet mignon – they are THAT good. They are also expensive. If you do find “cheap” steaks, chances are the meat is old or from an unreliable rancher. The result would be money wasted on tough and bland steak.

A lighter color filet means more marbling and that means more flavor. If you are cooking more than one filet at a time, choose steaks that are similar in size and thickness. This guarantees even cooking.

For me, the best steaks come from Harris Ranch Beef. I have been lucky to work with this California beef company for over a year. I can honestly say that I loved their meats before I developed a professional relationship with them.

If you drive from Southern California to the Bay Area frequently, you have probably seen their feeding lot, restaurants and hotel off the I-5. It’s a delicious pit stop on a road trip!

Harris Ranch has spent the past 50 years bringing the highest quality of beef to the world. They are the only rancher that controls the entire beef production process, from the ranchers who raise the cattle to the custom made feed at the feed lot.

They also have their own near zero emission trucks that transport the cattle to their company owned feeding lot and processing plant. The cattle used to produce Harris Ranch beef spend approximately 80% of the time grazing on western ranches.

When the cows come to the feeding lots after 18-24 months of grazing on grass, they are fed custom made feed. Harris Ranch mills all of their own feeds under the guidance of a consulting animal nutritionist.

We have all seen grass-fed steaks. I understand that many people choose grass fed because they feel the cattle are raised more humanely. I have toured the Harris Ranch facilities and was very impressed with how well the animals are treated. Their livestock facilities were designed by Dr. Temple Grandin, a world-renowned expert in animal welfare.

If you want the best tasting steaks, whether you are talking filet mignon or any other cut of beef, grass fed beef falls short. Most people prefer the taste of grass fed grain finished beef, which also has more marbling than grass fed alone.

Step-by-step directions

1. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. This is important and insures even cooking. Pat meat dry and season all over with salt and pepper.

2. Heat a large cast iron skillet over and add olive oil. Sear the steaks until deep brown on one side, about 5 minutes. 

3. Turn and cook on the other side and sear for 5 more minutes.

4. Add butter, rosemary, thyme and onions. Stir herbs and onions into the oil and butter. Transfer skillet into 400ºF oven and cook until desired doneness. This will vary depending on the thickness of the steaks. Thinner steaks do not need to go in the oven.

You will need to Insert meat thermometer into one of the filets thru its side. For rare 125ºF, medium rare 130°F, medium 135°F. 

5. Remove skillet from the oven and transfer steaks to a serving plate and let it rest while you prepare the red wine sauce. Reserve the drippings in the skillet. Heat skillet and sauté onions. Add garlic then pour in wine and scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 5-7 minutes; remove from the heat. 

5. Remove and discard rosemary and thyme sprigs. Whisk in last tablespoon of butter.  Slice the steak against the grain and serve with the sauce.

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Yield: serves 4

Red Wine Sauce for Steak

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Spoil mom or anyone special in your life with this deceptively easy to prepare red wine sauce for steak. Simply pan sear a filet mignon or boneless New York strip steak and make the red wine reduction sauce in the pan.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 filet mignons, 6 or 8-ounces
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup minced onions
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 TBS butter

Instructions

1. Remove filets from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Pat meat dry and season all over with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
3. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil.
4. Place filets in the pan and sear until deep brown on one side, about 5 minutes. 
5. Turn and cook on the other side and sear for 5 more minutes.
6. Add 1 TBS butter, rosemary, thyme and onions. Stir herbs and onions into the oil and butter.
7. Transfer skillet into the oven and cook until desired doneness. 
8. You will need to Insert meat thermometer into one of the filets thru its side. For rare 125ºF, medium rare 130°F, medium 135°F. 
9. Remove skillet from the oven and transfer steaks to a serving plate and let it rest while you prepare the red wine sauce.
10. Reserve the drippings in the skillet.
11. Heat skillet to medium and sauté onions. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. 
12. Pour in wine and scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 5-7 minutes; remove from the heat. 
13. Remove and discard rosemary and thyme sprigs.
14. Whisk in last tablespoon of butter. 
15. Slice the steak against the grain and serve with the sauce.

Notes

You can also prepare this with 2 boneless NY strip steaks. Instead of cooking in the oven, sear both sides of the steaks in the pan until desired doneness then transfer to a serving plate. Sauté onions, then add garlic and herbs. Add red wine and scrape the bits on the bottom of the pan. Reduce wine by half, remove from heat and finish sauce with butter. Once melted, drizzle sauce over the steaks and serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 358Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 676mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 23g

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Disclosure: I did receive a stipend from Harris Ranch Beef Company to develop a recipe using their meat. The story I have written is all true, and the opinions are truly mine. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t blog about it.