As you know, cooking meat takes a little know-how but when done right, those meals become legend amongst family and friends and who doesn’t want bragging rights in that department?!
When mastering a Porterhouse Sirloin Steak whether on the grill, in a pan or oven, there is one thing for certain, there are a lot of great options for this magnificent cut that is often called the “choice of steak lovers.” Here you will learn a little about the cut then we will go through some of the most popular methods to prepare this cut so that you can try different preparations and see which one suits your taste.
What is a Porterhouse Sirloin Steak?
The Porterhouse Sirloin is cut from the Striploin. In Australia, it is also known as a Boneless Sirloin Steak. This is a primal section near the rear of the animal that is located between the Cube and the Rump. In the US, restaurants favour this cut and it’s seen on many menus being referred to as a New York steak, a New York Strip, a Boneless Club Steak, a Kansas City Strip Steak and occasionally a Veiny Steak. If you were in Canada, you might simply refer to it as a strip loin. It is the “big brother” to the T-Bone Steak.
The porterhouse steak historically earned its name from being served at traditional porter houses during the 19th century. This is where malt liquor used to be served.
It is often called the choice of real steak lovers as not only is it very tender, bursting in rich flavour and especially juicy but it also has a fine but firm texture.
Restaurants will often refer to it as a “meal for two.” You can serve it whole or sliced and it is a steak tailor-made for special occasions.
As it is cut from the striploin, (which is an area that consists of a muscle that does little work), the meat from this area is very tender, although not quite as tender as the tenderloin. It will have more marbled fat through it than an eye fillet or a tenderloin. It is a larger muscle which is why you will see larger cuts of steak coming from this area.
How thick should a Porterhouse Sirloin Steak be?
When choosing a porterhouse steak, you really want to select one that is at least 3.5 - 4.0 cm or 1.5 inches thick. Occasionally, these will be sliced more thinly and sold as "thin" cut steaks, but for true steak aficionados they consider these thin cuts to be quite pointless. The reason that a Porterhouse Sirloin should be cut thick is that to get a large steak like this cooked to perfection without it drying out, it needs to have significant size and thickness.
An ideal Porterhouse should have marbled fat running through the meat. This is not the cut of steak to look for a bargain on when purchasing. A quality cut of Porterhouse will have exquisite flavour and texture.
HOW TO COOK THE PORTERHOUSE SIRLOIN STEAK
We will cover the traditional methods of cooking this in the oven, on the BBQ and on the stove top. If you are already experienced, you may want to experiment with methods used by professional chefs such as a reverse sear, sous vide or smoking.
Step 1 for all Cooking Methods. Prepare the Porterhouse Sirloin Steak
Remove the steak from your fridge. To remove the moisture from it, pat it dry with paper towels, then prick it all over with a fork to allow it to absorb the seasoning.
Add salt first followed by pepper and your choice of rub or seasoning. Hand rub your choice of seasoning in, this will help it seep into the meat better as it has been pricked, which helps with absorption.
Allow it to stand for at least an hour for your seasoning to absorb into the meat before you cook it. Up to 24 hours in the fridge creates the most incredible results.
Cooking the Porterhouse Sirloin Steak in the Oven
Set your oven to “broil” and preheat it to 210 Degrees Celsius or 400 Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.
Position the steak on the rack of a broiler pan in the oven so that the surface of the steak is 10 centimeters or 3–4 inches from the heat. Broil to the desired level of cooking doneness. We have included a cooking guide for a thick Porterhouse below.
For example, if you were cooking a medium-rare steak, broil in the oven for 16–18 minutes and turn it once at the halfway mark. The internal temperature should be around 55 degrees or 130° Fahrenheit. This can be tested with a meat thermometer which is particularly helpful when cooking a thick Porterhouse.
It is critical to rest the Porterhouse Steak for at least 5 minutes before serving. You have the option to cover it while resting. The internal temperature of the meat will continue to rise during this time which we call "carryover cooking". The final temperature will be up to 5 degrees higher when done.
Resting your steak is important because the heat of cooking pulls the juices in the meat toward the surface. If you slice into it immediately after cooking, those flavourful juices will end up on your plate, not in your steak. Allowing your steak to rest will give the juices time to sink back in and throughout the meat, keeping it moist and flavourful.
Cooking guide for the Oven for a thick Porterhouse Steak
| Rare | 14–16 mins |
| Medium-Rare | 16–18 mins |
| Medium | 17–19 mins |
| Medium-Well | 19–21 mins |
When you have cooked your Porterhouse Sirloin steak perfectly, it will still be tender and juicy. Test with a fork or knife.
Cooking the Porterhouse Sirloin Steak on the Barbeque or Grill
Gas Barbeque or Grill
Preheat the BBQ on high heat.
Sear both sides for 1–2 minutes, then, lower the BBQ to medium heat and continue to cook for the times listed in the chart below. Turn the steaks over at the halfway cooking point.
Charcoal Barbeque or Grill
Preheat your grill on high. Place steaks over the hottest part of the grill, and sear both sides for 1–2 minutes. Then, move to medium, ash-covered coals and continue to grill for the times listed below. Turn about 1 minute prior to the halfway point.
Cooking guide for the Barbeque for a thick Porterhouse Steak
| Rare | 12-15 mins |
| Medium-Rare | 14-17 mins |
| Medium | 15-18 mins |
| Medium-Well | 17-20 mins |
Cooking the Porterhouse Sirloin Steak on the Stove
Preheat a cast pan skillet on medium heat until hot, for about 5 minutes. We have found if you start with a very hot pan, you will see the best searing results.
Place your steaks in the hot pan. It is not necessary to add any cooking oil or water.
If you want to cook a medium rare, sear it in the pan for 15-17 minutes. This would result in a reading on a meat thermometer of around 55 Degrees Celsius or 130° Fahrenheit.
Once again, rest the steak for at least 5 minutes before serving. This will help enhance the flavour and moisture of the steak.
Cooking guide for the Stove for a thick Porterhouse Steak
| Rare | 13-15 mins |
| Medium-Rare | 15-17 mins |
| Medium | 16-18 mins |
| Medium-Well | 18-20 mins |
Reverse searing a Porterhouse Sirloin Steak
Preheat your oven to 135 degrees Celsius or 275°F. Place the porterhouse steak on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet on the middle or centre rack of the oven once it is pre-heated. Cook according to our chart below.
Remove the steaks from the oven and allow them to rest for 5 minutes.
Preheat a cast iron pan on high heat for about 5 minutes until it is very hot. This will generate the best sear.
Add either beef tallow, grass fed butter or cooking oil to the pan. Then sear the steak for 1 minute on each side.
Check with a cooking thermometer the internal temperature. This should be 55 degrees Celsius or 135°F for medium-rare and 60 degrees Celsius or 145°F for medium.
Aim for a sear that looks golden brown as if it has come off the Barbeque.
You can serve the reverse seared Porterhouse immediately instead of letting it rest further. As it was finished on a low oven heat it does not need to rest further for carryover cooking.
Sous vide a Porterhouse Sirloin Steak
This is a great way to cook a Porterhouse steak that is very evenly cooked and extra tender. This utilizes a low-heat, slow cooking process for an even result that is delicious.
Preheat the sous vide water bath. Fill up the sous vide container with warm water and set the sous vide device to the below temperature depending on what level of doneness you desire.
| Rare | 50 °C / 120 °F |
| Medium-Rare | 55 °C / 130 °F |
| Medium | 60 °C / 140 °F |
| Medium-Well | 65 °C / 150 °F |
Place the packaged Porterhouse steak in the Sous Vide water batch and cook it for 2 hours.
Once the steak has finished cooking, remove it from the sous vide and take it out of the packaging.
Pre-heat a cast iron pan for 5 minutes on high heat. Lightly coat the pan with tallow, butter, or cooking oil.
Sear the steak on the pan for 2 minutes on each side.
You can also serve this very quickly as the low heat cooking has not drawn the juices to the surface of the meat.
Cooking the Porterhouse Sirloin Steak in an air-fryer.
Heat the air-fryer to 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Celsius.
Place the steaks in the basket.
Spray with oil.
Cook the steak for 10 minutes and turn it over at the halfway mark.
Then allow the steak to rest on a plate for 5 minutes before serving.
Once you have mastered cooking the Porterhouse steak you can have a dinner extravaganza at home. This is the ultimate “hanging off the edge of your plate” steak designed for a masterful meal.
ADD PORTERHOUSE SIRLOIN TO YOUR NEXT BOX
About the Author
Steven Hines is one of the owners and co-founders of Stockman Steaks. His family has been in the meat business for over 5 decades and 3 generations. He has a passion for eating great quality meat and researching the health benefits behind it.
