You don’t have to head out to your favorite American steakhouse for a great porterhouse steak, but you do need to listen up—especially if it’s your first time cooking one. The porterhouse (not to be confused with the smaller T-bone steak) is a big piece of meat from the short loin end of a cow. It sports two different cuts of meat on either side of the T-shaped bone—a New York strip steak and a tenderloin.
The strip has a good amount of marbling, so it’s easier to manage, while the tenderloin is leaner and more prone to overcooking. The time spent in the marinade helps, but that doesn’t mean you should slap the steak on the grill over high heat and walk away. Go with medium heat and check on the steak as it cooks, moving it to a cooler edge of the grill if it’s burning. We’ve offered both cook times and internal temperatures in the recipe so you can be sure you will end up with a perfect steak. If you’re working without a grill, sear the porterhouse on your stovetop using a large cast-iron skillet and flipping the meat frequently—just be sure to turn on the exhaust and open a window; things can get smoky.
Meanwhile, the paprika-Parmesan butter gives the juicy steak a turbo boost, complementing its beefy flavor with spicy, umami richness. Serve with a crunchy iceberg salad and a nice bottle of chilled red wine.
Recipe information
Total Time
30 minutes, plus marinating and resting time
Yield
2–4 servings
Ingredients
¼
7
1
1
2½
1
1
6
1
2
2
1
1
½
Preparation
Step 1
Combine ¼ cup olive oil, 7 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated, 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh thyme leaves, 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal salt or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper and 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves in a 1-gal. resealable plastic bag or glass or ceramic baking dish. Add one 2 lb. porterhouse steak (about 2" thick) and turn to coat in marinade. Cover (or seal) and refrigerate, turning occasionally, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
Step 2
Prepare a grill for high indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off); oil grate with vegetable oil. Remove steak from marinade, letting excess drip back into dish (or bag); discard marinade. Grill over direct heat, keeping tenderloin (the smaller side) away from the most intense heat and turning steak about every minute or so to control flare-ups and ensure even browning, until deeply browned on all sides (including standing it on its side with tongs to render and brown fat around edges), 6–8 minutes. Move steak over indirect heat (still positioning tenderloin side away from the heat) and grill, turning every 1–2 minutes and moving closer to or farther away from heat as needed to build even color, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of steak registers 120° for medium-rare, 10–12 minutes, or longer for your desired doneness. Transfer to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and let rest 15–30 minutes.
Step 3
As the steak is resting, mix together 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature, 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. finely grated Parmesan cheese, 2 drained anchovy fillets, minced, 2 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, remaining ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, and ½ tsp. hot sauce in a small bowl until well combined. Using sharp knife, cut meat away from bone. Cut each meat section into ⅓"-thick slices. Spread butter over top of slices and serve.
Do Ahead: Parmesan butter can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. When ready to serve, bring to room temperature.
Editor’s note: This porterhouse recipe was first printed in our July 2001 issue; head this way for more of our best steak recipes →