The Reason Ruth's Chris Steak House Steaks Are So Much Better Than Homemade

Devouring a sizzling steak drenched in butter at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse is a pretty special experience. And as you pop another bite of meat into your mouth you may wonder why the steak you cook at home doesn't quite match up. There are a few reasons for this, with one being the unique way this restaurant chain cooks its steak. Ruth Fertel, the Ruth in Ruth's Chris, isn't just a savvy restaurateur who took a small New Orleans steakhouse with a strange name and grew the business to more than 150 locations worldwide, she also holds degrees in chemistry and physics.

In 1967, two years after opening her restaurant, Fertel patented and manufactured an infrared broiler capable of reaching 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit to quickly and evenly cook steaks and lock in the juices. It's still in use today at every one of the company's locations. The high heat perfectly sears the meat, producing a fast Maillard reaction that gives the steak a delicious caramelized crust without overcooking it. The Maillard reaction produces chemical changes in the meat's sugars and proteins, creating umami-rich flavors. This is also the reason meat changes color as it's cooked. Most home kitchen broilers can only reach 550 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning you'll never be able to achieve the cooking temperature Ruth's Chris uses.

Another big difference between your home cooked steak and what Ruth's Chris serves is the meat the restaurant sources for its establishments. This has given Ruth's Chris an army of ardent devotees and a fairly high ranking among steakhouses. The company uses corn-fed Midwestern beef that is typically reserved for high-end restaurants. The meat is wet-aged, meaning it's vacuum-sealed in plastic bags and aged in a refrigerator for days or weeks to tenderize it. The company's steak is also never frozen.

If you're lucky enough to find a source for the caliber of meat Ruth's Chris uses, you still probably won't be able to mimic the restaurant's broiling technique. Howeverm according to Colin Shive, who was a general manager for several of the company's locations, grilling is a decent alternative. "If you're doing it at home, ot's good to have one zone that's really, really hot to sear it and get the color and the flavor and then a zone on the other side to ... let it ride and cook the rest of the way," he told FOX 2 St. Louis. While enjoying a home-cooked steak is definitely satisfying, you may have to go to Ruth's Chris when you want something really special.