For our family, if there ever was a PERFECT cut of steak, it would be the bad-boy Porterhouse steak. It’s big. It’s massive. One giant hunk will feed our family of four.
But before I get into our love for Porterhouse (because I’ll get carried away and will forget about anything else I was supposed to tell you), a word about the Whiskey Mushroom Sauce:
Simply. Must. Make.
Of course, you don’t have to just use this sauce on Porterhouse – any cut of steak will do. Even pork tenderloin, chicken breasts, grilled tofu….whatever your little heart desires. Promise me you’ll make it.
Oh and bonus: just wanted to mention that this is a one-pan + one piece of tin foil meal!*
Anatomy of the Porterhouse Steak
This summer, I’m beef gal for Sweetbay Supermarket – a Florida based supermarket chain, known for its amazing Black Angus Beef (best job ever, right!?)
Now, back to the Porterhouse. The Porterhouse steak has two very distinct sections on either side of the bone.
Image credit: Savio D Silva (check out more beef cut diagrams + many more other diagrams on wide variety of subjects!)
For sake of simplicity, I’ll boil this anatomy of a Porterhouse Steak down to easy terms to relate to. Many of you know what a filet mignon, T-bone and strip cuts are, so we’ll use these terms to describe the anatomy of a Porterhouse. There are so many different cuts of beef that it can get incredibly confusing.
The left side, or the smaller side is part of the tenderloin, the most tender steak cut (pssstt…..it’s what butchers and restaurants call “filet mignon.”) Now the larger side on the right is the strip (pssstt…..the “strip cut.”) The middle? Well, that’s the bone – you can call that the “t-bone” because it’s shaped like a “T.”
You can also think of it this way. A T-Bone steak and Porterhouse steak are very, very similar and found right next to each other. A Porterhouse steak is just a larger T-Bone steak 🙂
What’s great about Porterhouse is that it’s a great deal, especially when you can find a piece that has a very large tenderloin section. Also, for families like ours, it’s the absolute perfect cut. My husband, Scott is a filet guy – he loves the tender tenderloin cut. My kids love the big beefy flavor of the longer “strip” side.
So where does that leave me? Well, let’s take a look at what’s left…the meat close to the bone! It’s crazy-tender, full of flavor and for the evening, I’ll ditch all my table manners and bite off all that meat. I swear I was a dog in a former life. Though, I should tell you that I’m also a lover of blue crab, crawfish, chicken wings and ribs….basically I like to work for my food!
The bone that’s left is for our dog, Coco. I try very hard to leave Coco some of the meat on the bone, but when steak is this good…I simply can. not. resist.
Okay, so now that we’ve got the anatomy of the Porterhouse out of the way, let’s focus on the recipe!
As you can see, this Porterhouse is pretty thick. This one steak will feed the four of us for dinner tonight. Well, five if you count the dog too.
Preheat the oven to 375F. The first step is to rub the steak with a little bit of cooking oil. I like doing this instead of oiling the pan. You’ll use less oil this way.
My instructions here are for cooking on the stove and oven….feel free to grill this on your BBQ grill as it’s the perfect weather for grilling now!
Heat a cast iron pan (or other oven-safe pan) on high heat – get it very hot! When it’s hot, lay the steak on the pan. Let it cook, undisturbed for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, let’s flip it over.
Let the other side cook for 5 minutes. Then we’ll put the entire pan in the oven to cook for 7 minutes for medium rare (for a 1 3/4″ steak) or 5 minutes if you’ve got a 1-inch steak.
While the steak is in the oven, let’s cook the mushroom sauce. Heat butter in a saute pan and add the onions and the mushrooms. We’ll let that cook on medium for a few minutes.
Once the onions and mushrooms get soft, we’ll pour in 3/4 cup of chicken broth.
And stir in 1 tablespoon of grainy mustard, season with salt and pepper.
The sauce includes whiskey, but please feel free to leave the whiskey out if you prefer.
Glug…glug…glug…about 2 tablespoons of whiskey**.
Let everything cook for a minute more.
And pour on top of the steak once it’s done.
Porterhouse Steak Recipe with Whiskey Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
- 1-2 Porterhouse steaks
- salt and pepper
- cooking oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
- 2 tablespoons whiskey (or bourbon)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Season the Porterhouse steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Let steak rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Rub both sides of the Porterhouse steak with cooking oil.
- Heat a oven-safe pan (cast iron preferred) over high heat. When very hot, add the Porterhouse steak to the pan and let cook for 5 minutes. Flip steak and cook an additional 5 minutes. Place entire pan into oven to cook for 5-7 minutes, timing depends on thickness of steak and desired temperature.
- For 1-inch thick steak, I recommend 5 minutes and then check internal temperature of the steak.
- For 1 1/2 inch Porterhouse steaks, I recommend checking temperature at the 7 minute mark.125-130F = rare130-140F = medium rare140-150F = medium150-155F = medium well160-212F = well-done
- While the steak is the oven, let's cook the mushroom sauce. Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat with the butter. When the butter starts bubbling, add in the mushrooms and the onions. Stir and cook until onions are fragrant and softened.
- Pour in the chicken broth, mustard, whiskey and season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to low and let simmer for 2 minutes. Just before serving, pour over the steak.
***
*BONUS: I’ll give you a couple of side dish ideas that will complete the meal with no additional pans – just a piece of tin foil.
1) Oven roasted tomatoes: Slice tomatoes in half, drizzle olive oil on top. Let them cook in the oven at the same time that the steak is cooking. Usually 10 minutes is all it takes.
2) Edamame: Find these healthy Japanese beans already cooked and shelled in the produce section, right next to the tofu. After you’ve made the mushroom sauce and have poured it on the steak, don’t wash that pan yet! Return the pan to the stove and turn the heat to medium. There’s plenty of flavor still in the pan and just add in the edamame. Stir and when the edamame is warmed through, it’s done!
**A piece of nifty advice here, if your husband is a Single Malt Scotch Whiskey lover, don’t try to grab any ol’ bottle to cook with. Especially the one that says, GlenFarclas 1968 Family Cask.
More Steak Recipes
Simply Recipes: Steak Fajitas
Leite’s Culinaria: Steak au Poivre
White on Rice Couple: Whiskey Flat Iron Steaks
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
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DO NOT give cooked bones to dogs!! Cooked bones splinter to sharp edges that can kill your dog. Raw bones do not do that.
Is it ok to use beef broth instead of chicken?
yes of course!
Keep meaning to comment every time I make this…I was looking for a sauce that used whiskey because HRH is often trying something new and he got one he didn’t like. Someone reposted this recipe and it was perfect. I liked that it didn’t have cream but the broth and mustard makes it look like a cream sauce. It is amazingly good, great flavors and I’ve used it on chicken breasts (like Marsala) and been equally pleased.
Great recipe! Just did it and everything turned out as stated. Timings are accurate. I did alter it just a little bit – de-glazed the pan where the meat cooked with a slosh of red wine, scrubbed all these tasty little bits and added it to the mushroom sauce. Divine and fast! Thanks a lot!
you are using scotch, not whiskey. there is a difference.
Hi Allan, thanks for your comment. We researched further and updated the temps. Thanks again!
Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 160 degrees f is not medium!!!! IOn my opinion
rare 125-135
medium rare 135-145
medium around 145-150
well 155
Contrary to popular belief a well done steak can have some light pink in the middle! As long as it temps correctly. I always try to cook steak to nothing better than medium rare. You can always cook it a bit more in some aujus some other way. Always let your meat rest before cutting 5-10 minutes to let the juices redistribute
I cooked a ribeye to pour the sauce over and it was delicious. It was so nice to find a whisky mushroom sauce recipe that didn’t have cream in it. My husband whistled while he did the dishes he was so happy from the great dinner.
Gonna try it for my husband …he will love it
Yum Yum Yum!!!! I made this last night, and was the best wife ever by delivering it to my husband while he was downstairs watching baseball. I wanted to take a picture of it to put it on my blog, but nom nom nom. It vanished. Fast.
Delicious.
My husband would love me forever if I made this. I love recipes that call for browning on the stovetop then moving the pan right into the oven.
sounds like we’re on the same page, lets make food exciting! check out our show if you have a sec, the sneak peek is this sunday at 10:30/930 central – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3J824ZuGXA
I know you love steak, and you seem entranced by Porterhouse, but let me recommend grilled or broiled skirt steak.
I’m taken by your whisky mushroom sauce, and the next time I grill a steak I’m going to try it!
Take good care and may God bless us all!
TGY
I love how you’d incorporate meat lessons with diagrams. I feel smarter now (in the meat department) 😉
I love the mushroom sauce. I always love dishes that cook with some alcohol, it is always taste and smell so nice. But I never try to cook steak at home. Not too sure that any beef I buy from market can be eaten with rare or medium. But if cook it till well-done, the steak become too hard and chewy.
Nice recipe Jaden, I must try this out on the grill this weekend. Your pics are such great inspiration, what model camera are you using?
I’m using Canon 5D MarkII
Hi Jaden. Your diagram made me howl with laughter. Too funny. I wonder if this would be okay sans mushrooms. I know that’s blasphemy but we don’t like them here at the Bee household. Do you think it would be good with just onions and maybe some shallots?
Oh totally! Onions alone is great too.
I love your diagrams! So cute. The mushrooms and onions look soooo good!!
Great post…and visuals. Looks like a ‘must.try’ dish, especially that whiskey mushroom sauce.
Jaden- I have a question about a sauce called Gochujang- Korean I think. Is there another name on the jar in the oriental supermarket I shop in Sarasota? Lots of Kim Lee jars but no one has heard of gochjang. Is it Korean Barbque sauce? I am on a quest for this after reading a recipe with it! Thanks!
Yes, you can find in Sarasota. Gojujang or Gojuchang is Korean red pepper paste. Try the Korean market near Clark Road
Long live the porterhouse! It is a great cut we like to treat ourselves to once in a while 🙂 This sauce looks amazing…definitely a must try!
LOL I can see us chanting “Long Live the Porterhouse!” with steak knives in our hand.
My husband will love this! Luckily he doesn’t have whiskey from 1968, ’cause I’m sure he would be very upset if I used that in a recipe! 🙂
Oh, and I once gave a real steak bone to our dog. The “end” result wasn’t pretty, Jaden, so keep that in mind! LOL! 😉
LOL yes, I know EXACTLY what you mean.
Oh my, bring on the meat! Steak and mushrooms are just so perfect together! Yum!
This looks incredible! Great diagrams – hilarious anatomy of a steak.
Great looking mushrooms!
I don’t eat beef but I would love to try this with chicken breast! I know it probably won’t be the same thing but at least I will experience the flavor 🙂
Ohhhhhh, this sounds amazing! Definitely going to try it out soon!
Any steak and mushroom combo is steak heaven! I will definitely try this one specially my husband always have some whiskey on the cabinet.
Looks and reads amazingly! I have to try it! But, I have smokey/peaty whiskies in my cabinet. I’m wondering if the flavor would compliment or destroy the porterhouse steak flavor. Have you tried it?
I think it would be perfect!
Love the narration, pictures, etc. Looks so yummy and easy that I will definitely will try this one!