Recipes / Meat
Peppered beef fillet on the braai
A whole beef fillet in a crust of cracked black pepper, seared over hot coals and finished over medium heat until pink in the middle.
- Prep
- 20 min
- On the fire
- 35 min
- Plan ahead
- 1 hour for the fillet to lose its chill, plus 10 minutes resting
- Serves
- 8
- Done at
- 145°F (63°C)
Ingredients
Method
Cooking on gas?
- Preheat with all burners on high and the lid closed for 10 to 15 minutes, until the lid thermometer reads 260°C (500°F) or more. Brush the grates clean and oil them.
- Cook with the lid open and use the recipe times as a guide, checking with a thermometer.
- Keep one burner off or on low as a cooler zone. If fat flares up, move the food there. Never use water on a gas grill flare-up.
- For a smoky taste, put a handful of wood chips in a smoker box, or a foil parcel pierced with a few holes, over a lit burner while the grill preheats.
- Fold the thin tail end of the fillet under so the whole piece is an even thickness. Tie it with string every 4 cm (1 1/2 inches).
- Crush the peppercorns and coriander seeds coarsely in a mortar or under a heavy pan. Tip them onto a tray.
- Mix the mustard and oil and brush it all over the fillet. Roll the fillet in the crushed spice and press it on. Leave it out of the fridge for 1 hour.
- Make a fire with a hot area and a medium area. Salt the fillet just before it goes on the grid.
- Sear the fillet over hot coals for 2 minutes on each of its four sides, about 8 minutes in total.
- Move it over medium coals. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, turning a quarter turn every 5 minutes.
- In the last 5 minutes, melt the butter and brush it over the fillet with the rosemary sprigs.
- Lift the fillet onto a board, cover it loosely with foil and rest for 10 minutes. Remove the string and slice it 2 cm (3/4 inch) thick.
Done when: the crust is dark and a thermometer in the thickest part reads 63°C (145°F) for medium. For a medium-rare middle, take it off at 55°C (131°F); it rises a few degrees as it rests.
Tips
- Fillet has very little fat, so it dries out fast once it goes past medium. A thermometer takes the guessing out of it.
- Ask the butcher to remove the chain muscle and silver skin, or trim them yourself with a thin knife. The trimmings make good sosaties.
- Serve it with a mushroom or pepper sauce, or with garlic butter left over from the T-bones.
A whole fillet is the cut South Africans bring out for a special braai, such as a birthday or a year-end gathering. It is lean, tender and easy to slice into neat portions for a crowd. Cracked pepper gives it the crust the meat lacks in fat. The method is simple: sear hard, then cook gently. See braai timing and order for fitting it in with the rest of the food.