Porterhouse is truly the king of all steaks, and of course, our mascot. This simple recipe has its roots in Tuscany. A simple marinade and a hot fire typically of olive wood produce the exquisite flavors of beef and fire. You can replicate it by cooking over a hot bed of coals with some wood chips or on your Traeger grill with oak pellets. The key here is the smoke, gas grills won’t cut it. Start with a 2” cut of porterhouse, marinate it for up to two days and cook it to no more than rare to medium rare. If you are short on time, you may marinate it for a couple of hours at room temperature just before grilling. It is best shared with friends whom you love dearly. (They should bring you an expensive bottle of wine to share).
Porterhouse Florentine Recipe
1/2 TEASPOON SALT
1/2 TEASPOON SUGAR
1 CUP MATCHSTICK DAIKONS
1 CUP MATCHSTICK CARROTS
In a bowl, sprinkle the salt and sugar over the carrots and daikons. Let stand for 30 minutes, rinse and enjoy. Warm your tortillas, spread with a bit of pate, squirt on a touch of mayo, and pile on the pulled pork. Top with daikon, carrots, jalapenos, cilantro and a squirt of sriracha. Squeeze on some lime and you’re good to go!
Mix together the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Put the steak in a shallow dish and rub the mixture all over both sides of the meat. Cover and refrigerate for up to two days turning the steak frequently. You may replace the two days with two hours at room temperature for almost as good results. At any rate, it is always best to allow all your steaks to come to room temperature for at least an hour before grilling. This allows the seasonings to work in as well as it will cook more evenly.
Prepare your grill hot. Sear the steak over high heat for about 3 minutes on each side. Add any wood chips for smoking and move the steak over indirect heat. Be sure to keep the lid down at this point to capture the smokiness flavors onto the steak. Turn periodically to prevent burning for 10 to 20 minutes more depending on the heat of your fire and thickness of the steak. Preferably no more than an internal temperature of 115F to 120F.
After removing the steak from the grill, allow it to rest for 10 to 15 minutes loosely covered with tin foil. To carve, cut the loin meat and the fillet meat away from the bone. Cut into ½ inch thick slices. Arrange the meat on a platter with the bone; squeeze a ½ of a lemon over the steak. Serve with the remaining lemon wedges and offer the bone to the hungriest (or loudest) carnivore while they pass you a glass of that expensive wine.