Bobby Flay's Important Butter Tip When Cooking Porterhouse Steak

When Bobby Flay makes a steak, you know it's going to be good. The celebrity chef knows his way around this cut of beef, especially when it comes to the porterhouse. This type of meat can weigh around two pounds and is comprised of two different types of steak that are separated by a bone — filet mignon and New York strip. So to make things simpler, Flay has a couple of hard and fast rules for cooking this type of beef, per Today. It begins with bringing it to room temperature and seasoning it with a substantial amount of salt and pepper.

The "Bobby's Triple Threat" star also notes that to achieve a beautiful crust he sears this steak in a cast iron skillet over medium heat for just a few short minutes before cutting the two cuts of meat from the bone that separates them. But don't throw that bone out because when Flay is cooking a porterhouse, it's his butter trick that will have your mouthwatering. He arranges the two pieces of beef back around the porterhouse bone in the skillet, puts a pat or two of butter on top of that seared crust, and places it in under the broiler until it is medium-rare. 

First, butter enhances the flavor and texture of any steak, but especially a porterhouse. As it melts, the meat soaks up some of that buttery taste, mixing with the juices of the steak and intensifying the overall flavor. But the butter also helps to contribute to the tenderness of the beef which makes you want to sink your teeth into it. While Flay uses regular unsalted butter for his porterhouse, you could swap it out for a homemade compound butter of your choosing whether it is an herb-infused version, garlic butter, or even a blue cheese or gorgonzola.

If you are worried that the butter may cause your beef to burn under the broiler, don't. Butter has a low melting point, so as long as you don't put your meat under the broiler and forget about it, you will end up with a yummy meal. According to the Steak Specialist, there is a word for this technique — "Arroser." This is French for the technique known as basting which simply means to melt butter over meat, a porterhouse in this instance, as it cooks to keep it moist.