There are a lot of steak recipes available, but none like this one. We are going to make the best porterhouse steak ever, right here in this recipe. With fresh herbs, brown butter and flame grilled over high heat, how can it not be perfection? Let's take a closer look at how to make the best porterhouse steak.
This grilled porterhouse steak recipe is: Gluten Free, Paleo Friendly, Low Carb and the most flavorful steak ever.
BEEFY PORTERHOUSE STEAK RECIPE
At my cooking school, we ran our Steakhouse Secrets cooking class a couple times. My Executive Chef, Randy, has worked in a number of high-end steakhouses and really shared a ton of knowledge with the classes. One thing that we never covered was how to sous vide a steak to perfection. Today we will review that method as well as some of the basics that Randy passed along to our classes.
If you don't have a sous vide, you can either make a work around (the link is in the notes to the recipe below) sous vide or season up your steak, cook it how you normally would on the grill and pour over the herbed brown butter at the end. It may not be quite as tender but I bet that it will be equally delicious. If you want to see how I would do it without a sous vide, check out the Pan Seared Steak Recipe.
SOUS VIDE STEAK RECIPE
Cooking with a sous vide is something that is relatively new to me. My in-laws were kind enough to give me a sous vide for Christmas this past year. Unfortunately, the unit that was sent out was defective, but after a little work I was in business. I've made about ten different dishes in the sous vide so I could develop a comfort level with a new piece of kitchen equipment before blogging about it. I have made pork chops, fish, steak and chicken in the sous vide now with varying results for each.
For this sous vide steak recipe, I made it two times just to make sure that it was easily repeatable with the correct equipment. I use the Sancerre Sous Vide Immersion Circulator, which is really an awesome machine. When you sous vide a steak, it is a gentle cooking method which means simply that the meat doesn't contract when introduced to the heat. The idea is that it will result in a more tender cooked steak than through grilling or pan frying. I have to admit that it was a pretty frickin tender porterhouse steak.
HOW TO COOK PORTERHOUSE STEAK
So here is where I will reveal some of our steakhouse secrets.
- When we go to cook this porterhouse steak the very first thing that we want to do is make sure that it is room temperature. It is easier to control the temperature for grilling or pan frying and will ensure that it is properly cooked in the sous vide bath.
- Seasoning, seasoning and more seasoning. All a good steak needs is salt and pepper. However, it is more than most people would normally put on a piece of meat. Make sure that your porterhouse steak is seasoned will on both sides and let the seasoning stay on the meat about 30 minutes before the steak is cooked.
- For traditional cooking (grilling or pan searing), make sure that the cooking surface is HOT. On a gas grill, I like to turn the burners off under the steak to prevent flare-ups. On the flip, I'll move the steak to the side with the burners on, turn those burners off and relight the burners that were off when I first put the steaks on the grill. That way the grilling surface is always hot under the steak. For pan searing, I baste the steaks in garlic herbed butter with a bit of bacon fat or duck fat to prevent the butter from burning.
- After you cook the steaks on the grill or in a pan, they need to rest. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the steak. With sous vide, I found that this step is not necessary.
- Add a compound butter to the top of your cooked steak. Whether it is herbed, blue cheese or balsamic onion, the butter really adds some delicious flavor.
QUICK COOKING TIP: There is a huge amount of information on how long to cook steak sous vide style. With my Sancerre Sous Vide, there was a card that was sent with it indicating appropriate cook times for various meats. For steak, it suggests 60 minutes at 126 degrees. I've cooked four different steak recipes in the sous vide, not including this one twice. All my cuts have been 1" and they have all turned out perfectly. Please refer to your sous vide manual for appropriate cook times if they vary from what is provided here. Consuming undercooked meats is never good!
Let's get into the meat of this porterhouse steak recipe.
PORTERHOUSE STEAK
This sous vide porterhouse steak recipe will make the most tender and flavorful steaks you’ve ever tasted. So good with browned butter and crisped herbs, then flame touched on the grill.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Organic Butter
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 8 Sprigs Fresh Thyme, divided
- 1 Sprig Fresh Rosemary, split in half
- 2 Porterhouse Steaks, 1″ thick. I used Prime cut for this recipe for maximum tenderness
- Kosher Salt
- Cracker Pepper
Instructions
- Add water to a large pot and insert your sous vide. Set the temperature to 126 degrees.
- In a small sauce pan, melt the butter. As the butter is melting, add in the bay leaves, thyme and rosemary.
- Brown the butter over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Be careful to just brown the butter and not burn it. Medium to medium low heat will prevent burning along with some good stirring. Taste the butter before adding to the sous vide bag to ensure that the butter is not burnt. If it burns, start again.
- When the butter is browned, set aside to cool.
- Season the porterhouse steaks with a good coating of salt and fresh cracked pepper. See the image above for how it should look on both sides.
- Add the steaks to their own gallon sized ziplock bags. Split the herbs evenly between the two steaks. Pour the brown butter evenly between the two steaks. Remove as much air from the bags as possible without stressing too much about it.
- Add the steaks into the sous vide bath, separating the steaks so that the water will circulate around the bags. Allow to cook for 1 hour. If your steaks are thinner than 1″, reduce the cook time. If they are thicker than 1″, increase the cook time. The rule of thumb is if you double the thickness, you should quadruple the cook time. I specifically requested 1″ cut porterhouse steaks to keep things simple.
- When there is 10 minutes left to go, turn on the grill. I use a gas grill so I just turn it on. If you are using charcoal, go ahead and start way in advance. You want a REALLY HOT grill grate.
- After the hour, remove the steaks from the bag. Place on a tray that will capture the juices- remember that the steak is cooked now, so those juices will be delicious on the steak after it is flame grilled.
- Place the steak on the grill for about 15 seconds, then rotate 90 degrees. Let it sit for 15 seconds to get some great grill marks and searing. Flip and repeat.
- Add back onto the the tray and spoon the juices over the top.
- Serve hot and happy eating this wonderful steak recipe.
Notes
Special Equipment: For this recipe you will need a sous vide immersion circulator. If you do not have one, you can see how to sous vide without an immersion circulator here.
I use ziplock bags for my sous vide. I have a vacuum sealer, but I find that it is just a pain to use most days. I’m sure that you can find food safe bags for heating as well, I just don’t have any of them. If you find some, place a link in the comments please!
The portion size is set to 4 due to the size of porterhouse steaks. Some people can finish one themselves, but 2 steaks with a side of veggies should serve 4 people easily.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Amount Per Serving Calories 647
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE BEST PORTERHOUSE STEAK RECIPE:
Wow. This is hands-down one of the best steak recipes I have ever eaten. The brown butter with herbs just elevates the flavor beyond what I expected. It was so flavorful and deep that it was almost unfair that I didn't call all my friends to invite them over for a bite. I felt the immediate urge to share the recipe with everyone I know! The good news is that you're reading about it now- the next step is to make it.
There are a bunch of incredible sides that go with this recipe. I made it both times with my Herbed Sauteed Onions and Garlic Spiked Mushrooms. This porterhouse steak would be delicious with some Sauteed Brussels Sprouts or these delicious Haricots Verts (French style green beans) with lemon butter and sauteed shallots.
I hope that you give this porterhouse steak recipe a try and let me know what you think!
Well a sous vide is definitely on my someday bucket list...but until then I'll definitely use your tips on cooking a steak on a gas grill. Great way to prevent flare ups but still get the perfect sear. Great post.
Hi Erin:
Thanks so much- sorry for the late replies- was having an issue with the site!
Take care-
Scott
[…] you want to know my favorite pairing, you have to check out the Porterhouse Steak recipe. Just absolutely divine. However you eat your sauteed onions, I hope you enjoy the recipe […]
Holy cow, it's only 9 am and I wish I could have that for lunch or maybe even late second breakfast!!
Hi Lorena:
Me too! I could eat red meat about any time of day. Working on a new post for grilled steak with different compound butters. My herbs are popping out of the ground already, so the season is near!
Take care-
Scott
[…] love to pair these potatoes with my delightful grilled porterhouse steak recipe or crispy pan seared pork chops. Thinking about pairing with some chicken? Perfect. Try it with my […]
[…] asparagus alongside some delicious pan seared pork chops. But it would be equally delicious with a porterhouse steak or yummy pork burgers. Some other thoughts would be to roast some cherry tomatoes and add into a […]
[…] delicious antipasto or serve chilled on their own. Or, you can go ahead an throw them on top of a porterhouse steak, a grilled pork chop or sauteed chicken breast. I love the temperature difference when you add a […]
I got my sous vide over the holidays and have not used it until today. Just the recipe I was looking for... perfect steak!
Hi Wally:
Thank you for your appreciation.
Hope you have a fantastic weekend!
Scott
[…] with grilled meats and vegetables. For a completely fantastic dining experience, pair it with a Sous Vide Porterhouse Steak or Perfect Pan Seared Pork Chops. The smokey flavor from the grill compliments the earthiness of […]
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