THE BEST PORTERHOUSE EVER

I like to throw a steak on the grill on a Friday night.  Friday nights are the best nights of the week, aren’t they? This week I picked up a prime porterhouse steak at McCord Butchery on Veterans.  It was huge and it was expensive.  And it was so worth it.  So, this is not so much a recipe as it is a reminder to me of how I grilled this steak.  I don’t want to forget because it was perfect.  I used the Fogo wood charcoal that I found at McCord’s and built a gorgeous hot fire.  When I got the temp to 550 – 575 degrees, I put the steak directly on the grill grates.  Remember to bring the steak to room temp and pat it dry, then season with salt and pepper, before grilling.  I grilled it on one side for four minutes, turned it and grilled four more minutes, and then turned again and grilled for a final four minutes.  This was a very thick steak so 12 minutes total gave me a great medium rare result.  Now, I suppose I could have taken it off a few minutes earlier.  But, when I took off the steak and covered it with foil for about 10 more minutes, it continued to cook a little.  No worries.  It was still a very pretty pink in the middle and tasted great.  Perfect, in fact.  And don’t forget the Peter Luger’s steak sauce.  THE MOST PERFECT BITE:  A good slice of the strip side dipped in Bearnaise on one side and Peter Luger’s steak sauce on the other.  OMG.  Was this a splurge?  YES.  Am I worth it?  Well, maybe not, but I earned it this week, I’ll say that much.

NOW ABOUT THE WINE:  I opened a bottle of Silverado 2022 cabernet.  Interesting.  The wine was absolutely delicious, and oddly, I thought to myself it was so picture perfect it lacked character.  What does that mean?  I think as I expand my wine horizons, I have come to appreciate the distinctive qualities of different grapes.  My house wine for example is an under $20 bottle of Italian wine that grabs your attention and evolves a bit in the glass.  This Silverado was a straight line cab, velvety, easy drinking and very, very, very nice.  I have zero complaints about the wine, and given that I was eating asparagus on the side, and literally swooning over that bite of steak dipped in two sauces, I think it was a great Friday night choice.  This would be a great wine to serve to guests – non-controversial and delicious.

And to make life even better, after a very difficult week, it was such a relief to be at home enjoying my dogs and my quiet house.  I have to admit I’m still not lounging on my ‘new’ sofa, a vintage Jack Lenor Larsen piece that I gifted to myself at Christmas.  I looked for this exact sofa for years before I found it on 1st Dibs and it makes me happy every time I see it.