Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

Porterhouse steak
-1" to 1 1/2 " thick
1/4 c Olive oil
Black pepper
2 tb Butter
Juice of 1/2 lemon

1. A good thick (1 to 1 1/2 inch) porterhouse easily will feed two to
four people, unless they are starving lumberjacks or threshers. So
buy one steak for every two (or four) people, the day before you plan
to cook it. It benefits by spending a day in a good olive-oil bath.

2. Pour 1/4 cup of the best quality olive oil over eack steak, along
with a generous grind of coarse black pepper. Let the steak marinate,
refrigerated, for 8 to 12 hours, turningoccasionally. If the steak is
frozen, it may take as long as 24 hours to thaw, and the best way to
do it is in an oil bath.

3. When you are ready for the best steak that you've ever eaten, heat
that black iron skillet over high heat until it's almost red hot. I
use an old Wagner skillet that's 11 inches across with the ridges on
the bottom that give those great grill marks to the steak. (Somehow
those grill marks make any steak taste better). Two big porterhouse
steaks will fit in my skillet at the same time. If I need to cook
more than two, I use the broiler in my oven or my barbecue grill.

4. Put the steak in the hot skillet and stand back! It's going to
sizzle some, and smoke a little - it could even set off your smoke
alarm. Cook the steak for about 2 minutes, then turn it 90 degrees
and cook another 2 minutes. Turn the steak and repeat the process for
the second side. The total cooking time is about 8 to 10 minutes.

5. If a steak is to be cooked past the rare stage, turn the heat down
after the second position so that the outside won't char before the
inside is cooked to the desired degree ofdoneness. When the steak is
well seared, with a nice crust on one side, turn it and sear the
other. Reduce the heat to medium and cook to the desired degree of
doneness. An instant-read thermometer is a must for cooking all kinds
of meat.

6. Remove the cooked steak to a heated serving platter. Remove the
pan from the heat to cool slightly, then return to low heat and add 2
tablespoons butter and the juice of half a lemon to make a simple
lemon-butter sauce that adds a nice zip to the flavor of the steak.

7. If you are using a black iron skillet with the ridges on the
bottom, stirring with a basting brush will help mix the lemon butter
and, at the same time, incorporate the steak drippings that have
drained down between the ridges of the skillet. Pour the sauce over
the steak, garnish with a sprig of chopped parsley and serve
immediately. A good steak doesn't like to be kept waiting.

Appeared in the San Antonio Express 3/27/96

Recipe By : Merle Ellis, The Butcher column

Browse by categories