Whenever I take my friends to a great steakhouse like Peter Lugar’s, I’m invariably asked how a great steakhouse steak like that can be replicated. The bad news is that it’s next to impossible to completely replicate a steakhouse’s prime porterhouse or strip steak; the good news is that you can get pretty close if you follow a few pieces of advice that I’m going to provide you with.
1. Start with the best steaks money can buy. While this usually means the steak will be USDA grade “Prime,” some of the best meat comes ungraded because small or highly prestigious farms will want to avoid the cost incurred by hiring a USDA grader, in addition to hiring an inspector to supervise meat processing and packing. A great steak should be marbled, containing lots of little fat pockets within the red muscle tissue. What’s more, the best steaks are dry-aged for at least 21 days; though 35-50 days is optimal if the aging conditions are right. Dry aging gives time for the enzymes within the meat to begin to break down the protein, resulting in a more tender steak, while the evaporation of water that takes place in the dry environment will further concentrate flavor, making it so that your cooked steak is lubricated by its own melted fat as juice, rather than blood, which is mostly water and dilutes the flavor.
2. Use very high heat to sear the meat. Steakhouses sear their steaks under a broiler after seasoning generously with salt and pepper. The idea is to get a good ‘crust’ on the meat, which can only happen at very intense heat. If you don’t have a gas broiler, you would be better served by using a hot grill – charcoal gets the hottest – or else using a lightly greased, smoking hot cast iron pan.
3. Slice the seared, still raw meat into thick, 1 inch slices and place it – shape in-tact – on a broiler safe dish. Ladle clarified butter over the entire steak. (Some steakhouses will add rendered chicken fat to the melted butter.) When you’re ready to serve and are shooting for medium rare – the best way to eat steak – put the plate under the broiler and cook for a few a minutes until the platter begins to sizzle; this will be medium rare, and is noticeable by its warm red center. For more well-done steaks, finish them in a 500 or 600 degree oven.
4. Serve the steak with the juice from the platter, which will be juices from the steak and clarified butter. Enjoy!
