There’s nothing more stunning than a huge, perfectly grilled porterhouse steak. Using simple techniques and great seasonings, you can grill a tender, delicious steak at home.
What is a Porterhouse Steak?
The larger side of the Porterhouse steak is a New York strip steak, known for its robust flavor and moderate marbling. This cut is suitable for high-temperature grilling and offers a satisfying chew.
On the other side of the bone you’ll find the tenderloin, a smaller but incredibly tender cut of beef. With minimal marbling, the fillet is buttery soft and melts in your mouth when cooked properly.
Porterhouse Steak vs. T-Bone
Both porterhouse and T-bones are cut from the short loin and contain the same two cuts of meat: New York strip and filet. However, the main difference between these two cuts lies in the size of the fillet.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, for a T-bone qualify as a concierge, the fillet must be a minimum of 1.25 inches thick, measured from the bone to the widest point of the fillet. T-bones are cut from the front of the short loin where the fillet tapers, resulting in a smaller fillet, while porterhouses are cut from the back of the short loin where the fillet is thicker, resulting in a heartier portion of fillet .
What is reverse burn?
When grilling a thick cut of steak like a porterhouse, my favorite method is reverse searing. This technique involves grilling the steak at a lower temperature over indirect heat and finally searing it over high heat, allowing the steak’s temperature to slowly rise. As a result, your steak will be perfectly cooked from edge to edge, rather than being charred on the outside and undercooked in the center.
How Long to Grill Porterhouse Steak
For a medium rare steak, plan on the entire reverse searing process to take about an hour and a half. This includes one hour on indirect heat, fifteen minutes for the searing process, and fifteen minutes of resting the steak. Since these are large steaks, it is crucial not to rush the cooking process to avoid overcooked or undercooked steaks.
Of course, the total cooking time of your steaks will vary based on your desired doneness. While a rare steak will take less time on the grill, a well-done steak will take much longer. To ensure accurate results, I always recommend using a high-quality meat thermometer (like mine Thermapen ONE) when grilling steaks, eliminating the need to guess the internal temperature of thick cuts.
Cooking temperature
For a complete guide on steak temperature and doneness, refer to my Steak Temperature Guide, which will help you achieve your preferred doneness when cooking steaks. Here’s a quick overview though, in case you need a refresher.
- Rare: 125 degrees F
- Medium rare: 135 degrees F
- Medium: 145 degrees F
- Average Good: 155 degrees F
- Well done: 160 degrees F
How to Grill a Porterhouse Steak
The following guide will help you prepare for the grilling process, with full instructions provided in the recipe card below.
Here’s how to do it:
- Prepare your grill. Whether it’s a gas grill, charcoal grill or smoker, preheat it to 225 degrees F. Designate a spot where your steak can slowly rise in temperature without being exposed to direct heat.
- Seasonal steak. Give your steak a generous seasoning with my award-winning Signature Beef Seasoning or equal parts salt and pepper for a simple yet effective flavor profile.
- Grilled steaks. Place seasoned steak on preheated grill on low, indirect heat. Close the lid and let the steak slowly rise in temperature for about an hour, aiming for a medium-rare finish. Remove the steak from the grill when it reaches 10 degrees below your desired finished temperature.
- Reverse browning. For a crispy crust, sear the steak in a hot cast-iron skillet with avocado oil, butter, garlic, and fresh herbs like thyme.
- Rest and enjoy. After cooking, remove the steak from the pan and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting individual steaks off the bone and into slices.
Prepare this recipe in the oven
To replicate this recipe in the oven, make the following small changes:
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees F instead of broiler.
- Place the steak on a baking sheet and in the oven, rather than directly on the grill.
- Follow pan searing instructions as written.
More steak recipes
For all the steak lovers out there, be sure to check out some of the other delicious steak recipes I have on the site, including:
Porterhouse steak recipe
Follow this simple recipe for a delicious grilled Porterhouse steak, so check out the Hey Grill Hey app for more great BBQ recipes. Don’t forget to stay connected with us for more delicious recipes, grilling tips and culinary inspiration. Follow us on Youtube, InstagramAND Facebook to stay updated on the latest content.
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Preheat the grill. Preheat grill or smoker to 225 degrees F with indirect heat. If you smoke, use your favorite hardwood such as oak, hickory or pecan.
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Season. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator and season them on all sides with the beef seasoning (or simply salt and pepper).
1 porterhouse steak, 1 tablespoon proprietary beef seasoning
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Cook the steaks. Place the steaks on the grill at low temperature and close the lid. Slowly cook the steaks for 30 minutes before turning. Close the lid and cook again for another 30 minutes or so.
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Remove and rest. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of your steaks during the cooking process. We recommend taking the steak off the grill and placing it on a plate about 10 degrees before desired doneness. For example, if you want to finish with a rare steak, take the meat off the grill at 115 degrees F. 125 for Medium Rare, 135 for Medium, 145 for Medium Well, 155 for Well Done. Bring the steaks inside to rest while you prepare for the next step.
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Heat the oil. In a large cast-iron skillet, preheat the 4 tablespoons avocado oil over medium-high heat until the oil begins to visibly ripple and shimmer in the pan.
4 tablespoons avocado oil
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Sear Porterhouse steaks. Gently place the steak in the pan, then add the garlic cloves and thyme. Do not move the steak for at least 2 minutes while the crust forms. You should be able to hear it sizzling. Flip the steak in the pan to sear the other side as well. At this point add the butter to the pan. Use a large spoon to drizzle hot butter and garlic-seasoned oil over the top of the steak during the last 2 minutes of pan cooking.
2 cloves of garlic, 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, 4 tablespoons butter
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Remove and rest. Remove the steak from the pan when it nears the desired final temperature. 125 degrees F for Rare, 135 for Medium Rare, 145 for Medium, 155 for Medium Well, 165 for Well Done. Let the steaks rest for 10 minutes.
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Cut and serve. When the steak is finished resting, slice the fillet and steak away from the bone and slice. Arrange on a serving plate with the bone and sprinkle the top with the cooking juices. Serve with roasted garlic and, if desired, crumble fried thyme leaves over sliced steak. You can also finish with a sprinkling of flaked sea salt.
Calories: 637kcal | Carbohydrates: 3G | Protein: 36G | Fat: 53G | Saturated fats: 14G | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 525mg | Fiber: 1G | Sugar: 1G | Vitamin A: 100UI | C vitamin: 3mg | Soccer: 36mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information is calculated automatically, so should only be used as an approximation.
**We originally published this post in April 2020, but recently updated it with additional information and helpful tips. However, the recipe remains the same.
