Not too long ago, we launched a few new steaks in our Double R Ranch line, and I finally had a chance to take a Porterhouse home and cook it up for dinner.
First, a bit about the porterhouse steak in general. Porterhouse steaks are cut from the rear end of the short loin, and as a result include both at tenderloin (filet mignon) and a NY strip steak. A t-bone steak is very similar, however because they’re cut closer to the front of the short, they contain a smaller section of the tenderloin. A great reference to see the difference is the “Beef Cuts for Grilling” chart you can see here: http://www.beefretail.org/beefcutcharts.aspx
Back to my steak in particular. I included reference items (beer) in my pictures to give you a sense of the size of this steak, and let me tell you that this is a massive piece of meat. We cut them thick (1.5 inches) and as a result this was a 2.5lb steak (no, I didn’t eat it all myself, though I wanted to!). I seasoned it up nicely with BPS Double Secret Steak Rub, one of my favorites, and left it on the counter for about 30 minutes to warm up.
I’m experimenting with cooking methods beyond my gas grill, so for this beauty I decided to give the trusty Weber Kettle a shot. I loaded it up with a mix of briquettes and lump charcoal, with a few pieces of hickory wood tucked in the mix for some smoke. I set it up for indirect cooking – keeping all of the heat source to one side of the grill. Once it came up to temperature…about 250 degrees, I put the porterhouse on the side of the grill without the direct heat and closed the lid. After 10 minutes, I opened it up, checked the temp, and flipped it over. 10 minutes later and my steak was at a nice 115 degrees throughout, so I pulled it off the grill and loosely tented it with tin foil.
I'm reverse searing, so the next step was to stoke the fire in the kettle while the steak rested. I opened all the vents and removed the lid and stoked the fire just as hot as I could get it. After 7 or 8 minutes, I dropped the steak back on the grill, over the hottest part of the fire, for about 90 seconds a side to get a great sear and crust on the outside.
The results were phenomenal. The outside of the steak had a perfect dark crust on it all around, and this inside was a perfect medium-rare throughout. The great thing about the reverse sear method is that you don’t get the dreaded overcooked “grey band” around the outside of the steak – it’s a perfect pink throughout. The flavor was spectacular, and it’s interesting to eat a tenderloin and strip side-by-side as it gives you a great chance to compare the distinct differences in flavor and tenderness.
My conclusion: the Porterhouse may just be the Ultimate Steak, and while it’s designed for sharing, when it’s cooked perfectly it’s a challenge to give any of it up!
First, a bit about the porterhouse steak in general. Porterhouse steaks are cut from the rear end of the short loin, and as a result include both at tenderloin (filet mignon) and a NY strip steak. A t-bone steak is very similar, however because they’re cut closer to the front of the short, they contain a smaller section of the tenderloin. A great reference to see the difference is the “Beef Cuts for Grilling” chart you can see here: http://www.beefretail.org/beefcutcharts.aspx
Back to my steak in particular. I included reference items (beer) in my pictures to give you a sense of the size of this steak, and let me tell you that this is a massive piece of meat. We cut them thick (1.5 inches) and as a result this was a 2.5lb steak (no, I didn’t eat it all myself, though I wanted to!). I seasoned it up nicely with BPS Double Secret Steak Rub, one of my favorites, and left it on the counter for about 30 minutes to warm up.
I’m experimenting with cooking methods beyond my gas grill, so for this beauty I decided to give the trusty Weber Kettle a shot. I loaded it up with a mix of briquettes and lump charcoal, with a few pieces of hickory wood tucked in the mix for some smoke. I set it up for indirect cooking – keeping all of the heat source to one side of the grill. Once it came up to temperature…about 250 degrees, I put the porterhouse on the side of the grill without the direct heat and closed the lid. After 10 minutes, I opened it up, checked the temp, and flipped it over. 10 minutes later and my steak was at a nice 115 degrees throughout, so I pulled it off the grill and loosely tented it with tin foil.
I'm reverse searing, so the next step was to stoke the fire in the kettle while the steak rested. I opened all the vents and removed the lid and stoked the fire just as hot as I could get it. After 7 or 8 minutes, I dropped the steak back on the grill, over the hottest part of the fire, for about 90 seconds a side to get a great sear and crust on the outside.
The results were phenomenal. The outside of the steak had a perfect dark crust on it all around, and this inside was a perfect medium-rare throughout. The great thing about the reverse sear method is that you don’t get the dreaded overcooked “grey band” around the outside of the steak – it’s a perfect pink throughout. The flavor was spectacular, and it’s interesting to eat a tenderloin and strip side-by-side as it gives you a great chance to compare the distinct differences in flavor and tenderness.
My conclusion: the Porterhouse may just be the Ultimate Steak, and while it’s designed for sharing, when it’s cooked perfectly it’s a challenge to give any of it up!
