Up until March of 2019, I don’t think that I’d ever had a porterhouse steak. I guess that I just missed it’s existence as I’m sure it’s been on a menu somewhere, sometime.
I would have skipped right over it and picked one of my favorites, a tender filet or a seared New York strip.
For some reason, I found a porterhouse steak in my freezer. I didn’t know what to do with it. So, I did what was natural in 2019, and turned to Pinterest for help. There, I learned a little bit about the porterhouse.
The porterhouse is a large cut of beef that contains both the (New York) strip and the filet mignon cut (tenderloin), separated by a bone. Duh, one steak containing both of my favorite types of steak. How had I missed this before.
I found a recipe that started on the stovetop and finished in the oven. My husband insisted I was making a mistake and wanted me to toss it on the grill. But I stuck to my guns.
I think it was the most perfect steak that I have ever made. It was tender and juicy and yes, it was also dripping in garlic butter. Suddenly I was asking everyone if they’d had a porterhouse steak before. (why did everyone I ask already know about this magical cut?).
And now, I share with you the perfect recipe for the perfect steak.
The Perfect Porterhouse
- 1 pound (16 ounce) porterhouse steak, roughly 1 1/2 inches thick
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 whole garlic cloves
- 1–2 sprigs, fresh rosemary (or dried rosemary or a seasoning of your choice)
- 2 tablespoons canola oil for searing
- kosher salt and cracked pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 415° F. Remove porterhouse from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking, this is to bring the steak to room temperature and ensure your cooking times are more accurate. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
Add the oil to a cast iron skillet and turn up high, allow the skillet to become VERY hot. Place the porterhouse in the skillet and sear undisturbed for 2 minutes. Flip the porterhouse and sear the other side for an additional 2 minutes. This should give your porterhouse a nice crispy edge. Add butter, garlic, and rosemary (or seasoning of your choice) to the skillet and transfer directly to the oven.
For rare, bake 4-5 minutes. Medium rare, 5-6 minutes (until internal temp reaches 120° F). Medium 6-7 minutes. Remember, depending on the thickness of the steak, the more or less time it will take. Remove steak from the skillet let rest on a cutting board for 5-10 minutes before serving. This is important to bring your steak to its final serving temperature. Baste with the garlic and rosemary butter from the skillet and serve.
Both times when I have prepared the porterhouse in this way, the filet has been so tender, like butter! It truly is an easy way to prepare the steak and so, so good.
Let me know if you give it a try!
*To the best of my ability, I have tried to indicate all ingredients, products and equipment that are available at Johnnies in Bold Print.
Recipe found and adapted from www.kitchenswagger.com