Paula Disbrowe | Food Editor

You might think of a porterhouse as the T-bone’s luxurious cousin. Both steaks have the iconic T-shaped bone that imparts flavor and divides the sirloin and tenderloin—the most premium cuts of beef available. But a porterhouse is cut from the rear end of the short loin, so it has a bigger section of luscious tenderloin. The meat is so extraordinary that you don’t want to do too much to it. Here subtle heat is added with shichimi togarashi, a peppery Japanese condiment, and a quick turn in a garlic-soy marinade that enhances the beef’s umami.

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons shichimi togarashi
2 cloves garlic, grated on a Microplane
2 1 1/2-inch-thick porterhouse steaks, about 3 1/2 pounds total

1. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, olive oil, togarashi and garlic. Pour 3/4 of the marinade into a baking dish and reserve the rest. Lay the steaks in the marinade and flip them a few times to generously coat. Set aside to marinate 10 minutes.

2. Prepare a charcoal grill for two-zone cooking and build a medium-high fire, or heat a gas grill to high.

3. When the coals are glowing red and covered with a fine gray ash, add your smoke source (chips, chunks or log). Carefully wipe the preheated grill grates with a lightly oiled paper towel. Using a grill brush, scrape the grill grates clean, then carefully wipe with a lightly oiled towel again.

4. When the fire begins to produce a steady stream of smoke, place the steaks over direct heat, close the grill, vent the grill for smoking and smoke 2 minutes. Move the steaks to indirect heat, close the grill and smoke 4–5 minutes. When juices appear on top of the meat, flip the steaks and repeat the process, starting on direct heat 2 minutes, then moving to indirect heat 4–5 minutes, until the meat is nicely charred and glossy and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each steak reads 125 degrees, 15–20 minutes total; carryover heat will take it to 130 degrees for medium-rare as it rests. Transfer the meat to a cutting board to rest 10 minutes.

5. Using a sharp knife, cut the meat off the bone, then cut the sections into thin slices. Serve with the remaining marinade on the side.

Serves 6–8 (or 4 steak lovers).

Reprinted with permission from Thank You for Smoking: Fun and Fearless Recipes Cooked with a Whiff of Wood Fire on Your Grill or Smoker by Paula Disbrowe (Ten Speed Press, 2019).