Is Porterhouse Steak Really The Same As T-Bone Steak?

You might consider a particular cut of steak the king of meats. And let's be honest, just the smell of a well-seasoned slab of beef hitting the grill is enough to make most of us drool. Regardless of the cut, steaks are the epitome of luxury dining, and as the numbers show, Americans love a steak.

According to Comfy Living, the average American eats about 55 pounds of beef each year. That roughly equates to about 30,000 beef cows being raised annually (via Statista). The USDA Economic Research Service tells us that people in the U.S. have access to 28 billion pounds of prime red meat yearly. While the South Florida Reporter notes that almost half that beef is turned into hamburgers, that still equates to a lot of steaks on our plates.

While most people are familiar with their favorite cuts, there is one realm that tends to confuse people — porterhouse and T-bone steaks. Many folks may think they are the same, and they do share similarities. However, they also have some differences.

The Steak Society tells us that both porterhouse and t-bones are what they call double-cut steaks, which means that you get two different cuts of meat separated by a bone in the middle.

In both a t-bone and a porterhouse steak, you will find a new york strip (top loin) on one side of the bone and, on the other side, a smaller piece of the tenderloin either a filet mignon or ribeye. This helps explain why they are such large pieces of meat. In truth, you are getting two steaks at once with both cuts.

According to Steak Revolution, because they can be such a challenging meal to finish, they are often sold as a meal for two people to share. We also find from the same source that steak experts recommend you order both steaks a minimum of 1.25 inches thick. Needless to say, this leads to some massive cuts of beef. 

Though they look much alike and come from the same general area of the cow, that is where the similarities between a porterhouse and a t-bone end. According to Steak Revolution, A porterhouse steak comes from the cow's top loin and tenderloin area. The t-bone, on the other hand, comes from further back and contains a smaller portion of the tenderloin and cut of the short loin. Because of this, the t-bone is normally a smaller cut of beef and more suitable for individual serving, while the porterhouse is often recommended as a meal for two people and requires a hearty appetite to eat on your own.

Both steaks are delicious, and the best choice is often a matter of use. Country Living recommends saving a porterhouse for group gatherings. In their opinion, a t-bone is perfect for individuals, but a porterhouse is a bit much. However, they are great for minimizing your cooking chores for parties. Cooking a bone-in steak can be challenging as the bone makes it more difficult to get an even sear on the steak

Martha Stewart points out, you are cooking two different cuts of meat at the same time. On one side, you have a filet mignon, and on the other, a strip steak. She recommends grilling over using a skillet to achieve a perfect porterhouse steak.