Truth be told, I’m not the biggest steak fan. I understand that automatically revokes my Texan citizenship, but it’s a fact. I’m more of a burger gal. Steak night is a bit of a treat for my husband, and many times I will buy one steak (for him) and I’ll eat a bite of that and mostly veggies. Other times I’ll buy the biggest steak I can find and we’ll share it. This was one of those times. Porterhouse or T-bone steaks have two steaks in one – tenderloin (filet mignon) and strip. I used J. Kenji López-Alt’s radical technique for pan-searing and paired the meat with a quick (delicious) miso-dressed summer corn salad.
Steak method adapted from J. Kenji López-Alt’s Perfect Pan-Seared Steaks on Serious Eats. Serves 2.
For the steak:
1 bone-in porterhouse/T-bone steak, at least 1 1/2-inches thick, about 1 pound
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons oil
For the salad:
1 ear of corn, husk on
¾ cup sugar snap peas, de-stringed
Handful of small tomatoes (cherry, grape, etc), halved or quartered depending on size
½ large cucumber, sliced into ½ inch rounds, then quartered
½ small avocado, cubed
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons miso paste (I used white miso, but any lighter miso will work)
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane or pressed through a garlic press
4-5 tablespoons olive oil
Squeeze of lemon/lime juice
Pepper to taste
Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Season liberally with salt. Allow to rest at room temperature for at least 40 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Prepare the salad. Trim the base of the corn slightly, so the husk separates from the corn. Microwave with husk on for ~3 minutes. Allow to cool a little for safe handling. Using a clean dish towel, grasp the ear by the tip and squeeze – this should release the corn and keep the husk and silk in the dish towel (win!).
Using a pair of tongs, place the husked corn directly on the gas burner grate[1]. Turn the heat on high, and rotate corn until desired amount of charring is reached. Allow the corn to cool slightly, then carefully remove the kernels[2] and put into a medium sized bowl.
Make the dressing. Add miso, vinegar, garlic, and olive oil to a small bowl and whisk to combine. You may need to add a little more oil depending on the consistency. Squeeze your lemon/lime and add pepper to taste.
Add the rest of the veggies to the bowl with the corn and just enough dressing to coat (there may be extra). Toss the veggies to evenly distribute the dressing.
Cook the steak. Heat oil in a large stainless steel or cast iron skillet over high heat until heavily smoking. Season steaks with pepper and add to pan and cook, flipping frequently with tongs or cooking fork until internal temperature has reached 110°F for rare or 130°F for medium (steak will continue to cook for a bit), 8 to 14 minutes depending on thickness. Remove from pan and tent loosely with foil. Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
[1] If you don’t have a gas range, 1) I’m sorry to hear that 2) corn is fine without char marks.
[2] I use the Kuhn Rikon Corn Zipper for this task. It is one of the scariest kitchen tools I own (have cut myself quite badly on it) despite it’s bizarre smiley face. I think, if done carefully, a knife will work fine.