This grilled porterhouse steak is impressive yet easy to make and arguably the best way to make a porterhouse steak at home. Here’s how.
Grilled Porterhouse Steak
Ingredients
Directions
Brush both sides of the steak with oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. If desired, sprinkle with garlic and/or herbs and let rest at room temperature while the grill preheats.
Grill the steak, covered and turning once, until cooked to the desired doneness. Figure about 5 minutes on the first side and 4 minutes on the second for medium-rare and 8 minutes on the first side and 5 on the second for medium, although the timing will depend on the size of the steak and the precise temperature of your grill.
Transfer the steak to a plate or, preferably a wire rack placed on a rimmed baking sheet and let it rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing it from the bone and serving. Divide the steak among 4 plates or, if you’re all about appearances, place the bone on a platter and arrange the steak slices tidily against the bone, as if the steak was still uncut, as they do at steakhouses. Originally published June 8, 2010.
Recipe Testers' Tips
This steak was divine. Super easy and very little prep.
Although I prefer a thicker steak, these were on the thin side weighing about 12 oz each. I did these on the Big Green Egg at 425°F for about 2 minutes per side for the perfect medium-rare. I do believe using a fresh rosemary-thyme herb mixture elevated this meal. I served it with the Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes from this site and simple green peas. A comfort meal with very little time or effort involved, but it tasted like you worked all day.
I love to grill, especially steak, however I haven't tried grilling a porterhouse before so when I saw this recipe I couldn't resist trying it and I'm so glad that I wasn't disappointed! I was a little nervous seeing as how it is a more expensive cut of steak, but I'm definitely doing this recipe again.
The thickness was 1 1/2 inches. I used 4 garlic cloves, minced, and 2 tablespoons chopped thyme. Put olive oil on the steak, seasoned generously with kosher salt and pepper, and then pressed in the garlic and thyme and let it rest at room temperature for an hour before grilling.
I cooked it for 5 minutes and then flipped it and cooked it for 4 minutes more. Perfect medium-rare. My grill was at 500°F. I let it rest for 5 minutes. I cut the steak and served the slices with the bone. I just cut the steak into slices and placed them back on the cutting board with the bone and put it on the table and my significant other and I dug in. Best way to eat steak! It served two.
I'll be making this again but know that the grilling time will be based on the size of the steak and temp.
This is another good grilled steak recipe. Be generous with the garlic and fresh herbs or it's just another basic grilled steak. If you use enough garlic and herbs, it doesn't need any sauce or other extras to make it flavorful.
I made 2 steaks and used rosemary on one and thyme on the other. My preference was the thyme, but the rosemary was good, too. Be careful, though, as I feel rosemary can easily overpower if you aren't careful with the amount you use.
Overall, this is a good quick and easy recipe to make for a special meal.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Danielle Roberson
It’s hard to beat a perfectly grilled steak. It’s even harder to beat one that sings with garlic, fresh herbs, and black pepper. Truly magnificent.
My steak was a lovely porterhouse from the local butcher weighing in at just a little more than 1 pound. I didn’t think to measure the thickness but I should have. It wasn't an excessively thick cut but was certainly not thin. I used 2 tablespoons of EVOO, 5 g minced garlic, and 1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro (not tightly packed). I used chopped fresh cilantro here as my herb of choice and highly recommend it for warm-weather grilling. I pulled my steak out early and let it come up to room temperature before I added the flavorings (aka I wanted to get started early and let the cilantro and garlic meld together while it warmed but I got distracted so it got room temperature while it was naked). I let it sit out about three or so hours before I started (whoops).
I used a charcoal grill with lump hardwood charcoal. I tossed my herbs and garlic into the olive oil and brushed it all on together so the oil would protect the herbs and garlic a little and so it would go on evenly. I used all of it. I cracked fresh black pepper and Himalayan pink salt over both sides and let the steak rest for 15 minutes. If I was going to do it earlier, I would save the salt and pepper for right before grilling, but didn’t in this case.
I grilled the steak for 6 minutes on the first side and 5 minutes on the second side. It rested for 6 minutes and it came out absolutely perfectly medium. The steak was evenly seared with lovely char marks. Again, this steak was fully room temperature when it went on so if it had only been out of the fridge for the time it took to prep it then my cook time would have naturally been longer.
This could serve 2 but definitely not 4 unless the slices were put over a salad or used as an appetizer. I don’t typically eat a lot of beef but I would clear my plate for this again and again.