For A Flavor-Packed Porterhouse Steak, Use This Cooking Method

When steak is part of a meal, it's often supposed to be the showstopper, and fewer cuts command more attention on a plate than a porterhouse. This mammoth steak is actually two steaks: a New York strip separated by bone from a filet mignon, two of the most desirable cuts in one package. To make the most of this prized steak, you have to cook it right.

Daily Meal chatted with Evan Lobel, co-owner of the butcher shop Lobel's of New York, who shared his preference for how to cook this flavorful cut of beef so that the meat itself shines: Cook the porterhouse over high heat and season it with only salt, pepper, and, if you like, a finishing or compound butter.

Cooking over high heat is key to getting the nicely browned crust that's a hallmark of a memorable steak. And the unassuming seasoning profile accentuates the meat nicely without overwhelming it with dried herbs and powders. But cooking the perfect porterhouse is not quite as simple as salt, pepper, and a hot surface either.

It might seem second nature to season food before cooking it, but you may want to think twice before searing steak with freshly cracked pepper. This spice burns easily under the temperatures needed to sear a steak, and will develop a bitter taste that most people find off-putting. Salt can be added before the meat hits the heat, but pepper might be best left alone until after cooking.

As far as the actual cook goes, using a properly preheated cast-iron pan is one of the best tips for cooking a steakhouse-style steak at home. Steakhouses often use ultra-hot broilers to sear steaks all over in minutes, but without these expensive machines, which also require commercial-grade fire-prevention systems, the humble cast-iron pan is your next best bet. Though with proper technique, a stainless steel pan will also work.

But what about the finishing butter? Finishing or compound butter can provide a flavorful finish to porterhouse steaks, with warm butter being mixed with herbs and spices, formed, and re-chilled. A dollop of finishing butter will melt flavor all over a freshly-cooked porterhouse, but remember the simplicity of seasoning: don't over-season the butter, or you'll start to lose the taste of the meat.