You don’t have to head out to your favorite American steakhouse for a great porterhouse steak, but you do need to listen up—especially if it’s your first time cooking one. The porterhouse (not to be confused with the smaller T-bone steak) is a big piece of meat from the short loin end of a cow. It sports two different cuts of meat on either side of the T-shaped bone—a New York strip steak and a tenderloin.
The strip has a good amount of marbling, so it’s easier to manage, while the tenderloin is leaner and more prone to overcooking. The time spent in the marinade helps, but that doesn’t mean you should slap the steak on the grill over high heat and walk away. Go with medium heat and check on the steak as it cooks, moving it to a cooler edge of the grill if it’s burning. We’ve offered both cook times and internal temperatures in the recipe so you can be sure you will end up with a perfect steak. If you’re working without a grill, sear the porterhouse on your stovetop using a large cast-iron skillet and flipping the meat frequently—just be sure to turn on the exhaust and open a window; things can get smoky.
Meanwhile, the paprika-Parmesan butter gives the juicy steak a turbo boost, complementing its beefy flavor with spicy, umami richness. Serve with a crunchy iceberg salad and a nice bottle of chilled red wine.