If you happen to have the king of all steaks at hand, I am sharing my grilled porterhouse steak recipe. These easy instructions and a delicious cowboy steak rub, you’ll certainly have a feast worthy of a king!

Growing up in Texas, I definitely got exposed to a lot of good steak and barbecue. But I have to say, that I really started appreciating it here in California, when I wanted to recreate those steakhouse meals at home.
What my husband and I kept screwing up on was the first step: buying quality meat to grill. We bought whatever was on sale, didn’t grill the meats right and were always disappointed with the charred piece of rubber sitting on our plate.
Over the years, we have really upped our grilling game. And today I am going to share with you a very special cut of meat and show how to grill a porterhouse steak.
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Recipe highlights
- Fast: By using a dry rub instead of a marinade, you can prep and quickly grill your steak. No waiting hours for the marinade to get absorbed into the meat.
- Simple: You can find the spices needed for this dry rub in most any grocery stores. It is easy to add more or less based on your own preferences.
- Texture: The porterhouse includes two cuts of meat in one, the longer side being a New York strip and the smaller side holding a filet. Both sides are terrific cuts of meat and come out tender and juicy.
- Flavor: The spices in my dry rub are not over powering or spicy. I also do not add sugar, like most spice mixes do. I do add a little coffee grounds, which helps enhance the flavor of the spices.
At first glance, a porterhouse steak looks like a giant t-bone steak. Although both cuts are from the short loin, porterhouse steaks are cut from the rear end of the short loin while the t-bone is cut closer to the front. What does this mean to you?
The porterhouse steak is not just larger than a t-bone, it also has two pieces of steak on either side of the bone: the New York strip and and the filet. The porterhouse holds a larger piece of tender filet than a t-bone, making it the king of all steaks.
Reader’s Reviews
“Yum! This is the perfect steak rub. Our family loves it!” — Kelly
Ingredients you need
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- Steak: Look for fine marbling within the meat itself. This is the fat that will melt and give your steak great flavor and juiciness. You also want the meat to be pink or light apple red. You don’t want a dark color because that will mean a bland and tough steak. The fat around your porterhouse should not have any yellow tinge to it, which is a sign of old, dry meat.
- Kosher salt: I prefer kosher salt for steak rubs as it is less salty than regular salt and is flakier. This helps the salt dissolve onto the meats surface, creating a little bit of a crust, depending on how long it sits there. Kosher salt is NOT the same thing as table salt, so do not substitute this in equal amounts. If you want to use sea salt, the amount will vary depending on the saltiness flavor of it. If using sea salt, cut it by ½ or more then taste the spice mix to test the saltiness.
- Coarsely ground black pepper: I like tasting the pepper so I prefer coarse pepper. Finely ground pepper blends in with the spice blend more.
- Sweet paprika: You can also choose a smokey paprika, depending on your preference.
- Ground coffee: Huh? Coffee actually caramelizes when the meat cooks, creating a flavorful crust that seals in the moisture. Just another level of flavor to make your porterhouse steak extra special.
- Chile powder: There are a variety of flavors and heat intensities in chile powder, so choose your favorite. It can be green or red, spicy or mild.
- More seasonings: Onion powder, garlic powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, dried oregano and dried thyme
This cowboy steak rub is super simple to make and also makes an easy Father’s Day present or hostess gift. I found these cute mini mason bottle jars and created a free steak rub label printable for you to download (I used these avery labels). I don’t know about you, but I love homemade gifts – especially when they are edible!
Step-by-step directions
- Mix the dry rub. Combine all the ingredients for the dry rub and transfer to a large jar. Cover and store away from heat and light. The rub will keep for several weeks.
- Prep the steaks. Remove steaks from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for about 1 hour to allow the steaks to come to room temperature.
- Coat the steaks. Coat both steaks with rub, approximately 1-2 tablespoons of rub for each steak. To prevent flare-ups, trim off excess fat, but do leave a ½-inch of fat around your steak.
- Grill. Preheat your grill to high. If using coals, create two zones of heat. Clean grate and rub down with oil. Place porterhouse steaks over high heat and cook for 8-10 minutes. To create crossed grill marks, rotate meat 90 degrees after 3-5 minutes and grill for 3-5 additional minutes. Flip steak over and repeat with second side.
- For rare, cook for approximately 6-8 minutes for each side. For medium rare 10 minutes per side. If you have thick steaks, transfer to medium heat to continue cooking and keep steaks from burning.
- Allow steaks to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Expert tips and recipe FAQs
Depending on how thick your porterhouse steak is, it can weigh about 10 to 24 ounces. This is a great steak to share with a friend or loved one, or to fill up a big guy who has a big appetite! Just like any other steaks, I like to serve up my favorite vegetables with a porterhouse steak.
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Because there are two steaks in one porterhouse, we like to first remove the filet and NY strip completely and then slice it up. For sides, I like to add a green like asparagus, green beans or broccoli along with a starch like potatoes, rice or a roll.
Always work with a clean grate. We make it a habit to clean the grate before and after we use the grill. A quick rub down removes the old bits of charred whatever-you-grilled-last-time and that old char doesn’t go onto your beautiful steak.
Always oil your grate before adding the meat. You don’t want the meat to stick to the grill, so it needs a light coating of oil. I like to use avocado oil when I grill because it has such a high smoking point. You can also cut off a chunk of fat from your steak and rub that on your grill grate.
Create two zones of heat on your grill. When grilling your porterhouse or any steak, you initially want high heat to create the crust on the outside that seals in the moisture. Once the char is complete for both sides, you can finish the cooking process in a medium heat zone, so your steak won’t burn.
Add some smoke! Because you are grilling, you want that extra smoky flavor to permeate into your steak. So be sure to add some hardwood lump coal or wood smoking chips to the mix.
Check for doneness. I don’t like poking my steak with a meat thermometer to check for doneness because it is a thinner cut of meat than a roast. So we gently prod the steak and if the meat feels springy, you are close to medium rare. If it still feels loose, then you keep the steak on the grill for a few more minutes until done.
You want the steak to have the same consistency of that part of flesh in your hand that is between your thumb and your forefinger.
Let your meat rest. The hardest part of grilling a porterhouse steak is to let it rest before you start slicing it up. Remember, this only needs to take 3-5 minutes for the juices to settle in nicely within your steak. So while your steak rests, gather up the rest of your meal and call in the troops!
If you love this recipe, try my Smoked Prime Rib Roast with Herb Garlic Crust – another fabulous meal and partnership with Harris Ranch Beef.
And if you like this cowboy steak rub, try my other homemade seasonings. Grind up sea salt with saffron to make some golden and aromatic saffron salt. My orange lemon salt blend is a bright and flavorful salt blend that will bring your roast chicken, salad, avocado toast or any meals to life with it’s vibrant salty citrus flavor!
You can serve up your steaks with a number of great sides. Some of my favorites are my grilled potato salad, mango coleslaw, or my orzo pasta salad.
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Store any leftover steak in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
TO FREEZE: You could also freeze leftovers, but I suggest not to do this as the texture does change when frozen and thawed.
When, it comes to steak, generally speaking, if you have a high quality cut of meat, you do not need to marinate it. Marinating not only adds flavor to your meat, but it also tenderizes it. But if you want some more flavor that will compliment your dish and not overwhelm it, then we are talking about a good steak rub. A steak rub is generally a mix of spices that you coat your meat with. It is a dry rub.
Why add coffee to a steak rub? It actually caramelizes when the meat cooks, creating a flavorful crust that seals in the moisture. Just another level of flavor to make your porterhouse steak extra special. And the beauty of the dry rub is that you can apply it to your meat right before you slap it on the grill!
If you don’t have a grill or if weather is keeping you from grilling, you can also prepare your porterhouse steak indoors. When I’m making just one steak, I like to cook it on the stove using a cast iron pan. Just like you would grill, I like to sear it first on high heat then lower the temperature to medium to finish cooking. You can learn more on how to cook a porterhouse steak on the stove here.
Grilled Porterhouse Steak with Cowboy Steak Rub
Ingredients
- ½ cup kosher salt
- ½ cup coarsely ground black pepper
- ¼ cup sweet paprika
- 3 tablespoon ground coffee
- 3 tablespoon chile powder
- 2 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 2 porterhouse steaks
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir or whisk to mix.
- Transfer to a large jar, cover, and store away from heat and light. The rub will keep for several weeks.
- Remove steaks from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for about 1 hour to allow the steaks to come to room temperature.
- Coat both steaks with rub, approximately 1-2 tablespoons of rub for each steak.
- To prevent flare-ups, trim off excess fat, but do leave a ½-inch of fat around your steak.
- Preheat your grill to high. If using coals, create two zones of heat.
- Clean grate and rub down with oil.
- Place porterhouse steaks over high heat and cook for 8-10 minutes. To create crossed grill marks, rotate meat 90 degrees after 3-5 minutes and grill for 3-5 additional minutes.
- Flip steak over and repeat step 8.
- For rare, cook for approximately 6-8 minutes for each side. For medium rare 10 minutes per side. If you have thick steaks, transfer to medium heat to continue cooking and keep steaks from burning.
- Allow steaks to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
Will i ruin it if I used smoked paprika
Ha ha! No, Connie. If you like smoked paprika, by all means use it. I switch between the two all the time.
Laura
I am going to use this recipie on 2″ thick porterhouse steaks, served with fresh steamed lobster for a bbq this weekend. What type of coffee/flavor do you suggest? I don’t want to overpower the steak or take away from the lobster. I can’t wait to try this!!!
Hi Robin-
You barely taste the coffee, so I wouldn’t over think it. I used whatever coffee I had on hand, as I’m not really a coffee drinker. And remember to use kosher salt and not regular salt, as some people get those mixed up. BIG difference.
Sounds like you will have a wonderful dinner!
Laura
Thank you so much! I will let you know how it goes!!
Thank you. Made it last night and everyone raved
Do you leave porterhouse steak on high heat for full 8 minutes?
The key is to create a nice crust on the steak. If your heat is too high and you notice it is burning, then reduce heat or move the steak to a cooler part of the grill. Otherwise, yes, I grill on high heat.
This rub is delicious! Now, I have to say I left out the salt, because I always salt first, and then add the rub. I also added some porcini mushroom powder to up the umami factor. I’m gonna be testing it out with the porcini powder tomorrow on some really nice ribeyes. I have a good feeling about it because it smells really good.
Hi Ryan-
I love the idea of adding mushroom powder to the spice mix. I’m going to have to try that myself.
Laura
Way too much salt… I cut it in half and still tasted like a salt lick, thanks for ruining a good cut of meat!
Hi Chuck-
Did you use kosher salt or regular salt? The recipe calls for kosher salt, which is bigger, flakier and less salty than regular salt and sea salt.
Laura
Yum! This is the perfect steak rub. Our family loves it!
So happy you all liked it! Very little effort for big flavor!
Grilled porterhouse steak absolutely look delicious with the grill mark. I have never heard porterhouse steak before and so thank you for explaining it 😀
It certainly is a very special cut of meat and worth the extra hunt to find it.
Good Lord, that is one sexy piece of meat! The rub is fantastic–I’m going to use it on burgers, too! And how you cut that guy? Perfection. It was like a lightbulb went off. “Why haven’t I been cutting my steaks that way all along?!” Probably because we don’t buy steak that often! lol Gorgeous post. And wow, Harris Ranch is amazing!
Wow – great instructions and information at each stage of the process and I love the rub!
Porterhouse is my favorite cut too. Great tutorial — and now I’m really, really hungry for steak. 🙂
Nice tutorial at the start of grilling season. Thanks Laura.
Thank you, Patricia! Grilling season is the best season!