Porterhouse steak can be a challenge to cook. The filet side cooks faster than the strip side, so care must be taken when cooking this delicious and usually more expensive steak. The difference between a T-bone and a Porterhouse? The size of the filet determines the distinction. If the filet side is at least 1.25″ wide at its widest point, it can be called a Porterhouse.
There’s a number of ways to deal with this two-sided steak (T-bone or Porterhouse). First, I cook the steak standing upright on its bone (see picture). I do this because I want heat to migrate into the nooks and crannies of the meat closest to the thickest part of the bone. On a grill pan, I might cook the steak standing on its end for as much as 10 minutes — until you can see some blood coming out of the bone near where the meat touches the thickest part of the bone.
At that point lay the steak flat on the grill or grill pan and cook as you normally would — about 5 minutes per side (for about a 3/4″ thick steak). After about 3 minutes, however, either cover the filet side with aluminum foil (if cooking on the grill) or lift the filet side off the pan with a toothpick or a piece of foil — just get the outer edges of the filet side off of the source of heat — it’s just not reasonable to overcook a perfectly good filet.
Allow the steak to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving on a warmed plate.
There’s a number of ways to deal with this two-sided steak (T-bone or Porterhouse). First, I cook the steak standing upright on its bone (see picture). I do this because I want heat to migrate into the nooks and crannies of the meat closest to the thickest part of the bone. On a grill pan, I might cook the steak standing on its end for as much as 10 minutes — until you can see some blood coming out of the bone near where the meat touches the thickest part of the bone.
At that point lay the steak flat on the grill or grill pan and cook as you normally would — about 5 minutes per side (for about a 3/4″ thick steak). After about 3 minutes, however, either cover the filet side with aluminum foil (if cooking on the grill) or lift the filet side off the pan with a toothpick or a piece of foil — just get the outer edges of the filet side off of the source of heat — it’s just not reasonable to overcook a perfectly good filet.
Allow the steak to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving on a warmed plate.
There’s so much food with a Porterhouse I don’t even consider a baked potato when eating one, but the salad below is a perfect accompaniment to serve with any steak or rich food:
About 3 cups of loosely packed, very fresh (garden grown is obviously best), flat leaf parsley with most of the stems removed (you want only the leaf and perhaps no more than 1/2″ of stem per leaf). Regular “curly leaf” parsley simply isn’t a substitute for this salad. If flat leaf isn’t available (also called Italian parsley), consider using arugula instead. After washing, allow the leaves to dry very well (use a salad spinner or carefully tamp dry with a towel — try not to bruise of tear the leaves).
Make a basic vinaigrette:
3 TB extra virgin olive oil
1 TB champagne or white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Juice from a quarter lemon
Mix well with a whisk or in a jar
Pour dressing and parsley into a mixing bowl.
Add:
Thinly sliced shallots (sliced like mini onion rings) — about 1/8 cup, or more to taste
1-2 TB capers, more or less to taste (you can omit this and not lose too much)
About 6 anchovy filets, drained and chopped into 1/2″ pieces, or more to taste
Freshly cracked pepper
Gently mix everything together. Try to keep the anchovies from falling apart too much when mixing.
Allow the salad to marinate in the refrigerator for about half and hour and serve with any steak.
That steak looks sooo good!