How Did the Porterhouse Steak Get Its Name?

Throw some porterhouse steaks on the grill for a tasty and easy meal.

Porterhouse steaks are a well-known beef cut that can be enjoyed grilled as well as cooked on a stove top. How the steak was named is up for speculation, as many stories have emerged to explain its origin.

Definition

A porterhouse is a type of beef steak. It is cut from the rear end of a short beef loin and contains a large section of the tenderloin. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's industry guide, "Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications," sets forth specifications as to the measurements and cut that define a porterhouse tenderloin.

Theories of Naming

There are a number of theories as to how the porterhouse steak got its name. A 1909 article in the New York Times speculates that food and drink establishments were once called porter houses, and this particular cut of steak was first served in a porter house. Another publication takes this idea a step further by asserting that a Manhattan porter house owner named Martin Morrison allegedly served the first porterhouse steak in 1814.

Fun Fact

American author Mark Twain, best known for penning "Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," was unimpressed with Europe's food while traveling abroad in 1878. He requested that a pan-fried porterhouse steak with mushrooms be ready for him upon his arrival back home.

References

• Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias: T-Bone Steak
• U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service: Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications
• The New York Times: Porterhouse Steak
• The Big Apple: Porterhouse Steak
• University of Minnesota Press: Pan-Fried Porterhouse with Mushrooms

Resources

• Rough Morning: How Those Steaks Got Those Names