The Meatwave

I like cheap meat. Not cheap as in low quality, but I tend to gravitate towards the more inexpensive cuts of beef. I'm pro griller at skirt, flank, and hanger steaks, all on the cheaper side of spectrum, but still delivering a deep, beefy flavor. So when I decided to go for a porterhouse one night, I was steeping into almost uncharted steak territory, feeling both uncomfortable with the price I paid for a steak and my ability to grill such an expense perfectly.

Going to the butcher and picking out such a large, beautiful slab of beef was a bit exhilarating in itself. The steaks I normally buy don't fit the classic picture of beef the way a porterhouse does, and something primeval kicked in that gave me a feeling of conquest when I brought the steak home and held it in my hands. With such a gorgeous piece of meat, I saw no reason to do anything more to it than add the standard salt and pepper and let it come to room temperature before slapping it on the grill.

Although I consider myself a bit of a purest, I also don't know when to leave well enough alone. This led me to want to top the beef with something, opting for a classic blue cheese butter to go with a classic steakhouse cut. While the charcoal was lighting and the steak was warming up, I mixed some butter, blue cheese, shallot, garlic, and parsley together to make a tangy compound butter as a topper for the steak.

With the butter made and charcoal arranged for a two-zone fire, the fateful moment arrived where beef was to meet heat. After consulting the always helpful Cooks Illustrated, I felt cautiously optimistic that the process I decided on would result in a perfectly cooked, medium-rare steak. I started the steak over the hot side of the grill, tenderloin portion facing the cooler side, and cooked until a nice crust formed on each side. The I moved it to the cool side of the grill, with the bone side of the steak facing the fire, covered and let it cook until medium-rare, flipping it half way through.

After coming off the grill, I let the steak rest for 10 minutes before topping it with the blue cheese butter and digging in. As I had hoped, the grilling method produced an evenly cooked, medium-rare steak. Compared to the steaks I normally choose, this cut of beef had an absolute balance of flavor, tenderness, and fat, each piece melting in my mouth. Even though the steak did not need any flavor enhancement, I was really glad I made the blue cheese butter, since it added a nice tang that complimented, but didn't overpower, the main flavor of the beef. Although financial realities will ensure that I'll be sticking to my more modestly priced cuts of beef for foreseeable future, I now know the greatness that I'm working towards.

Published on Fri Sep 5, 2008 by Joshua Bousel

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