Amp Up the Flavor With Butter Sauce When I first began work on this recipe , I tried dry rubs , oil , and simple salt and pepper . All of these are wonderful things to put on steaks , but I felt like it needed more . ( I had Fourth of July in mind , and I wanted to make it special but not complicated .)
I settled on basting the steak with an herbed butter sauce . First , because butter . Second , because I have an extensive herb garden and it didn ’ t require a trip to the store . I was worried that the butter might burn on the grill , and leave an acrid flavor , but it didn ’ t .
It was pure deliciousness . The herbs added complexity without masking the meatiness of the steak .
Advice From Grilling Expert Steven Raichlen Deciding the flavor and the cut I wanted was the easy part . I turned to grilling expert Steven Raichlen , founder of BBQ University , television host , and the author of more than 30 books on the topic of grilling , on how best to set up my grill . -Ribeyes vs . Rib steaks : A ribeye has the bone taken out ; a rib steak , also known as a bone-in ribeye , is a ribeye with the bone in . Due to its extensive marbling , this cut cooks beautifully on the grill , bone in or out . Trim the thick fat from the outside edge — leaving it on will cause flame flare-ups that can give your steak an unpleasant burnt flavor . Don ’ t worry , trimming it off won ’ t result in lost flavor !
-T-Bones vs . Porterhouses : People often confuse these two cuts , which is understandable because both cuts come from the loin ( behind the ribs of the cow ) and both have a T-shaped bone with meat on both sides . But porterhouses are larger and actually have more of the tenderloin than the T-bone . The U . S . Department of Agriculture ’ s Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications say the tenderloin of a porterhouse must be at least 1 1 / 4 inches thick at its widest , while that of a T-bone must be at least 1 / 2-inch . Ultimately , I chose to use ribeye steak for its flavor , size , and the lack of bone -- I wanted to slice and serve this steak family-style , and the fact that it doesn ’ t have a bone makes that easier .
The ribeyes I used to test this recipe were 1 1 / 2 inches thick and weighed in at a whopping 1 1 / 4 pounds each . Because this cut has extensive fat marbling , it stays tender and tastes great after grilling . A steak this size is also ideal for serving two people , which means less meat to manage on the grill at one time .
I chose to use a thick cut because of its forgiving nature for a newbie at the grill — it ’ s pretty easy to overcook a 1-inch steak , but adding just a half inch can give you some extra leeway when you ’ re first mastering the technique .
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