Porterhouse Steak

Every week my wife makes me a nice inch and a half thick porterhouse...she usually drizzles a bit of Olive Oil and some Kosher Salt and Pepper before setting it on the grill pan for 5 minutes on each side (I like med-rare). Any other ideas for something a bit different? We only have an electric stove top and oven, so I don't have the grill as an option.

Roast it in the oven with various stuff in it - although you probably should go with a thicker porterhouse. Can do tomatoes and quartered onions one day, shallots and rosemary/thyme another day. Make sure to deglaze the roasting pan with some wine and top the steak. Very simple stuff.

Maybe some carmelized onions and Chevre on top?

Butter is the key to taking the steak to the next level. I usually coat it in olive oil and kosher salt (a lot of salt), then grill it for a few minutes and then take a generous amount of butter and just keep coating it in while your finishing it off. It gives you a great crust and all that flavor. Also, drop the porterhouse, go with a bone-in ribeye, much more flavor

I dont see how 10 minutes on a coil stove top will get a 1.5" steak to medium rare.

The best in-house results for a thick steak is a 2 stage low-temp oven roast and then subsequent sear on a high-mass pan. (some people do it in reverse order but the former is optimal)

You can do a porterhouse version of Steak Diane

steak florentine

you need an iron skillet and a broiler. so many things you can do.

Cooking a steak is one of the few things that I know I know how to do well.

First, consider that olive oil has a fairly low smoke point. I would not saute a big, thick steak in olive oil as you describe. My guess is that you are trashing the oil in your pan and making the steak wallow in its bitter rancidness. Be careful. A better way to introduce fat (for flavor) would be to put about a half tablespoon of quality butter on the steak right as it comes out of the cooking pan. The butter will melt over the steak while it rests --you do let it rest for a few minutes before you cut it, no?

Or better, try this: use a flat bottom fry pan that does NOT have a nonstick coating. Ideally use stainless steel or anodized aluminum. Get it hot. Ahead of time salt and pepper the steak on both sides and make sure it is no longer refrigerator-cold before you cook it. That's critical. Throw it in the pan cook your steak to the desired temp. It'll stick to the pan just a little bit, not a lot, provided you make sure it's not a cold hunk of meat when it goes in. The sticking is what makes it good. It creates the brown bits that give it flavor. This brown (called "fond" in French) forms in the pan and will serve as the basis for your pan sauce. When it's ready remove the steak to a resting plate. Do not cover it or you will **** up the outside texture (it'll steam itself and lose its crispy brown edges).

Before you cook that steak, prep some vegetables and get out some liquid stuff for your pan sauce. This is more of a technique than a recipe. It's flexible. What follows is just a suggestion. The idea is this: you want to build a sauce off of the fond left in your fry pan. It'll release and mingle with vegetables when you add your liquid.

So you've just taken the steak from the pan. Drop it down to medium heat. Use a paper towel to dab out any excess fat you see. Don't wipe away the brown stuff. Add minced shallots (or garlic) and let them cook for a couple of minutes until they're jut starting to brown. Don't let them burn. Throw in a bunch of clean, chopped mushrooms. Cook them for a few minutes until they release their liquid. Hit the pan with a pinch of salt and keep the stuff in the pan moving by using a wooden spoon or wooden scraper. Right after the mushrooms release and the steam slows down, pour about a half a can of beer or a glass of wine into the pan on top of all the mushrooms and stuff. If you have beef stock or chicken stock add a little bit of that too. Watch out for splatter. Work the bottom of the pan with your wood spoon and watch all the brown disappear into the sauce. Reduce the liquid by at least half. Add available herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Finish with a little bit of butter. Serve this kind of chunky sauce on the side of the meat, not on top.

Good luck. Bottled steak sauces need not apply.

How long should I let a steak sit? I like eating steak when it's still really warm, but I don't know if I am robbing it of it's tenderness.

5-10 minutes is generally the rule. It will still be plenty warm, dont worry. If you cut it right away the steak will be tense and all the juices will flow right out. Give it at least 5.

I start with a 2" steak (usually rib steak), sear it in a cast iron pan, then finish it in the oven.

Usually I marinate with a little olive oil, garlic and rosemary. Coarse salt and pepper are good for a nice crust. Another interesting option is a coffee rub. I also make mushroom pan sauces.

You could try stepping up to steak au poivre. It doesn't vary too much from how you currently cook your steak:

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Originally Posted by philosophe

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I start with a 2" steak (usually rib steak), sear it in a cast iron pan, then finish it in the oven.

Usually I marinate with a little olive oil, garlic and rosemary. Coarse salt and pepper are good for a nice crust. Another interesting option is a coffee rub. I also make mushroom pan sauces.

at what oven temp and for how long?

Originally Posted by edmorel

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at what oven temp and for how long?

On the top for 4 min on one side, flip and in the oven (450) for 6 minutes

(for medium rare)

Originally Posted by TGPlastic

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Cooking a steak is one of the few things that I know I know how to do well

***


Or better, try this: use a flat bottom fry pan that does NOT have a nonstick coating. Ideally use stainless steel or anodized aluminum.



The best pan to do a steak on the stove top is cast iron, not any kind of stainless steel or aluminum. The reason is because it will get hotter and will maintain the heat the longest and will distribute the heat evenly. You should heat your oven to 500 degrees, throw the cast iron skillet in there for a while, then when the skillet is nice and hot, take the skillet out and put it on the stove top burner.

You should rub the steak with peanut oil or canola oil (because they have the highest smoke points), and then throw the steak on the skillet for about 90 seconds each side. Then, take the whole cast iron skillet and throw it in the oven and leave it in there about 2.5 minutes per side. This should give you a medium rare with a nice sear on either side of the steak.