Porterhouse Au Sel et Poivre

1. 1

   Gently crush the peppercorns using a heavy mortar and pestle, or place them in a zipper-lock bag, press out the air, seal, and coarsely crush with the bottom of a heavy skillet or a flat meat pounder.

2. 2

   Pat the steak dry with paper towels and rub all over with the olive oil.

3. 3

   Press the crushed pepper into both sides of the meat.

4. 4

   Set aside to rest.

5. 5

   Preheat the grill for high to medium-low bilevel grilling.

6. 6

   If you are using a charcoal grill this means banking your coal bed so that one side is about three times as thick as the other side.

7. 7

   The thicker side should be blazing hot.

8. 8

   If you can hold your hand a foot above the fire for more than 4 seconds, the fire needs stoking.

9. 9

   If you have a gas grill, turn half the burners to high and the other half to medium-low (if you have a thermostat in the hood of your grill it will register 375 to 425F).

10. 10

    Brush the grill grate thoroughly with a wire brush to clean it and coat lightly with oil.

11. 11

    Sprinkle each side of the steak with a three-finger pinch of salt.

12. 12

    Put the steak on the grill over high heat and cook until darkly crusted, 4 to 6 minutes per side.

13. 13

    Move over the low fire and grill for another 10 to 15 minutes for medium-rare to medium doneness (135 to 140F).

14. 14

    Transfer to a platter and let rest for 5 to 8 minutes.

15. 15

    Cut the steak on the diagonal into 3/4-inch-thick slices and serve the slices with additional salt, making sure that each person gets some of the larger muscle (the strip loin) and the smaller muscle (the tenderloin).

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.