How to Make a Perfect Grilled Porterhouse Steak

Don’t be intimidated, steak is very easy to cook just right if you use these simple 3 tips.

When I do steak I go big. A thick cut can be super daunting, especially on an open flame however with a little direction it’s actually a quick and easy dinner solution.

The 3 things to keep in mind when cooking steak is HEAT, TEMPERATURE, and TIMING. You will see that I always have two temperature stations on my grill whether its charcoal or gas. This sets me up with a searing station and a cooking station from the beginning.

The next thing to know is internal temperature. We have amazing modern tools that do this for us, use them. Don’t make things more complicated then they need to be.

Finally timing. It’s so tempting to keep checking and moving your steak while searing. Unfortunately every time you lift the steak up before it’s ready, ready meaning you can easily lift off the grill without it sticking, you mess with the Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction is what occurs between amino acids and sugars to give food its browning color and flavor. We always want a balance of this reaction as too much can throw off the flavor of the steak more than you realize.

Instructions

Steak preparation

In this recipe I use a Porterhouse cut. When I get around  to cooking a steak like this I like to go big so I had the butchers cut this steak to 2 ½ to 3” in width which is a very thick cut. I prefer this size because it can feed up to 4 people without having to cook multiple thinner steaks at once.

When you get your steak home, season all sides generously with Dry Brine or salt. Set it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or ideally overnight.

Remove the steak from the fridge 1 hour before cooking to bring the steak to room temperature. 

MAT Pro Tip: Bringing steak to room temperature will give you a more even cooking temperature throughout your steak. This gets more important with thicker cuts.

Mashed Potatoes

Peel and cube 2 large potatoes. Use a starchy potato (Yukon Gold) as opposed to a waxy potato such as red or new potatoes.

Next, submerge the potatoes, in a pot of cold water and add 2 tbsp of  Dry Brine and slowly bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium and simmer the potatoes until they are tender. 

Drain the potatoes and put them back into the pot, uncovered to keep warm and remove excess moisture.

Set up a double boiler by putting some water back into a pot and place a bowl over the pot with the water. Bring the water to a boil. Next using a potato ricer, press the cooked potatoes into the bowl over the double boiler. Whisk in 8 tbsp of butter, 1 tbsp at a time to fully incorporate. Season to taste with Dry Brine. Turn the heat off and leave over double boiler to keep warm. 

Broccoli

Blanch two stalks of broccoli and drain to remove the excess moisture. Place them in a roasting pan with 3 tbsp of prepared horseradish 2 tbsp of olive oil and 2 tbsp of butter. Season to taste with Dry Brine. Set aside.

Roasted Onions 

Slice one large red onion into ¼ inch rounds, toss with 2 tbsp olive oil and season with  Dry Brine and 1 tbsp of  Wah Gwan® all purpose seasoning. Place on a roasting tray and set aside.

Wild Mushrooms

In a bowl, place the mushrooms, a handful of peeled whole garlic cloves, and 4 sprigs of thyme. Season with  Dry Brine and 1 heavy pinch of Wah Gwan®. Place on a roasting tray and set aside.

Blue Cheese Sauce

Pour 1 pint of heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat. When the cream is simmering, whisk in 1 cup of blue cheese crumbles and season with  Dry Brine and 1-2 teaspoons Scotch Bonnet Powder. Whisk until smooth, turn off the heat and set aside.

Grill the steak  

Like I said, I like to create two different heat sections on my grill. If using propane or gas, turn one side up to high heat and keep the other side on a medium to low heat. For charcoal you can create the same affect by gathering your coals mostly to one side.

When your grill is heated to temperature, place your steak on the hottest side of the grill and leave it to sear for at least 5 minutes or until steak lifts off the grill with no resistance. Turn over and do the same on the other side. Once seared, move the steak to the cooler side of the grill to continue to cook through. Turn the hot side of the grill to medium heat and add the roasting pans with the other vegetables if you have enough room on your grill. Otherwise roast all vegetables in a 450° degree oven until desired doneness. 

The steak is done when the internal temperature registers at 140° degrees for medium rare or 150° for medium.  Having a probe thermometer helps with accuracy especially when you are preparing a thick cut of steak.

Remove the steak from the grill and let it rest for a minimum of 5 minutes with a max at 15 minutes before cutting into it. Remove both cuts from each side of the t-bone and slice into 1 inch slices against the grain. Plate with the vegetables and mash and serve with blue cheese sauce, G Salt and fresh cracked pepper.

You can watch me cook this whole meal live, start to finish here!