Cooking the Perfect T-Bone Steak

What Is a T-Bone?

T-bone steaks get their name from the shape of the bone that is in the middle of the piece of meat. T-bones and Porterhouse cuts come from the same part of the cow, along the short loin. Both cuts have a bone that separates a piece of beef tenderloin from a sirloin strip steak. The difference between T-bones and Porterhouses deal with the size of the meat. T-bones are generally smaller cuts, with smaller pieces of tenderloin. Porterhouses are cut from the larger end, resulting in much larger pieces of meat.

Buying the Perfect T-Bone

The perfect T-bone steak is between 1 and 2.5 inches thick. The thickness, not the weight, is key. A 1-pound T-bone steak may have 3 to 4 oz. of bone. A 1-inch T-bone steak will have a good amount of meat. Anything smaller than 1 inch will cook much too quickly and come out dry. Anything larger than 2 to 2.5 inches will take longer to cook all the way through.

Grilling the Perfect T-Bone

The important part of this process is the grill. Oven cooking or broiling a T-bone is not recommended, unless the cook is particularly skilled at her work.
Start out with a clean grill. Use a wire brush to clear large debris and use some olive oil on a paper towel to clean residue from the grates. Start the grill and get the grates hot. If using a charcoal grill, build the coals up on one side and let the fire cook down until the coals are red. With a gas grill, ignite the fire and let the entire grill heat to 450 to 500 degrees (approximately 7 to 8 minutes for newer, clean grills).
Season the meat with salt and pepper. Do not marinade or overload a T-bone with spices. This is a fine cut of meat and should not have its flavor masked by artificial additives.
Set the meat on the hottest part of the grill. If you are using a gas grill, keep one side at high and turn the other side down to medium or medium-low. Sear the meat for 2 minutes on each side. This will create a cooked outer layer to trap the juices and flavors of the meat.
After the meat is seared, move it to the cooler side of the grill. It will take 5 to 6 minutes to cook the steak to rare (140 to 150 degrees), 6 to 7 minutes for medium (160 to 170 degrees) and 7 to 8 for medium well (175 degrees). T-bone steaks should be tender. Longer cooking steals that tenderness, so try to shoot for the medium range.
Set the steak to side and let sit for 10 minutes. The meat will continue to cook while the juices build inside. This makes for a flavorful steak.