How Martha Stewart Cooks The Perfect Porterhouse Steak Every Time

If Martha Stewart's got a tip on something, you should follow it. So when the home, style, and culinary maven opens up about the method she uses to cook a perfect porterhouse every time, you should listen. Stewart's technique is featured in her upcoming 100th cookbook coming out this fall.

It all comes down to simple preparation, as she told Daily Meal in an exclusive interview. "I very gently salt it and pepper it, and then I sear it and then I put it in the broiler. And I have an open air broiler I call the salamander, and that's what I like to cook it in. But simple, simple, simple and not overdone. People who go for well-done steak should not do that."

Stewart admitted she only eats steak about once a month but, when it's prepared correctly, she could "eat a whole little porterhouse," she said. The sear-then-broil method allows the meat to develop a beautiful browned crust before broiling it to finish the cook and lock in the moisture.

Using an open-air broiler to cook steak isn't a new concept. In fact, it's often recommended to leave the oven door slightly open while you broil for best results, at least if you're using an electric oven. This helps you get the best results from the best cuts of steak. When you keep the oven door shut, the internal temperature can rise too fast, which can trigger the oven to switch over to bake mode, where the heat circulates around the food rather than directly hitting the surface from above. This interrupts the cooking process and prevents the development of that coveted crispy exterior. When you keep the oven door slightly ajar, you're allowing that excess heat to escape, which ensures the broiler stays on without shutting off.

This tip is generally only good for electric ovens, however. Be sure to check the manual on your gas range before trying out this technique. Or get on Martha's level and invest in an open-air salamander broiler. These appliances allow for high levels of heat but with the added benefit of control in that the user can adjust the position of the cooking grids and the heating element.

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