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Follow these guidelines for the perfect Memorial Day steak

The porterhouse has juicy tenderloin on one side and firmer filet on the other.
The porterhouse has juicy tenderloin on one side and firmer filet on the other.

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of the summertime grilling season. With that in mind, I’d like to share my tips for getting the best results when grilling one of my favorite dishes: steak. All of my chefs at my CUT steakhouses (in Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, London, Bahrain, Singapore and New York City) follow these lessons.

First and most important, find the best butcher shop in your area, and get to know the people working there. You want butchers who hand-select their meat and help you choose the best cut. If you don’t start with good-quality, tender, flavorful meat, you and your guests won’t be happy with the results, no matter how you cook it.

Next, get to know your cuts of steak and varieties of beef available. The options are too many to detail here, but you can talk with your butcher about the relative merits of different choices, and you can read about them online. For example, I personally like to use dry-aged beef, which has a more concentrated flavor, for a rich, fat-laced bone-in rib-eye steak, also known by the French term cote de boeuf.

Some people favor a boneless filet mignon, prized for its exceptional tenderness and juiciness, while others prefer a finer-textured and slightly firmer New York strip steak, also known as top sirloin. For the best of both worlds, I often like to prepare large bone-in steaks like the porterhouse, also known as a T-bone, which has juicy tenderloin on one side of the bone and firmer filet on the other.

Another key to great grilled steak is to let it come to room temperature before putting it on the fire, for even cooking. Then, just before the steak goes on the grill, I rub it with some olive oil to help keep it moist, promote browning and prevent sticking; and I season it just before cooking so the salt won’t have time to draw out the meat’s juices.

I cook the meat just to the medium-rare stage, still deep pink in the middle. To me, doing this maximizes the flavor, texture and juiciness. And I always let the steak rest

10 minutes before cutting into it, allowing time for the meat’s fibers to reabsorb the hot, bubbling juices.

Finally, I steer clear of complicated sauces. In the following recipe, for example, I simply spoon a little garlic-thyme butter over the meat just before serving and sprinkle on a little fleur de sel, delicate little petals of sea salt you can find in well-stocked supermarkets.

Please try this recipe for yourself, and you’ll enjoy great steak all summer long, whatever cut you choose. Happy grilling!

GRILLED PORTERHOUSE STEAKS WITH GARLIC-THYME BUTTER

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 porterhouse steaks, each about 34 ounces

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons kosher salt

4 tablespoons coarsely cracked black peppercorns

8 tablespoons unsalted butter

8 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

6 sprigs fresh thyme

2 tablespoons fleur de sel

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Build a fire in a charcoal grill, or preheat a gas grill for direct-heat cooking.

Meanwhile, remove the steaks from the refrigerator, place them on a platter or tray, and leave them to rest at room temperature for at least 25 minutes.

When the grill is hot, if using charcoals, arrange the coals in an even bed, and set the grill grid over the coals.

Rub the steaks on both sides with the olive oil. Holding the salt about 10 inches above the steaks, season them evenly on both sides. Then season them the same way with the cracked peppercorns.

As soon as you have seasoned the steaks, place them on the cooking grid, and grill until evenly, deeply browned, 10 to 12 minutes on each side for medium-rare. To give them a diamond-shaped pattern of grill marks, rotate them once a quarter turn halfway through the cooking time on each side. To test the meat for doneness, use an instant-read grilling thermometer inserted into the center of the thickest part, not touching bone. The temperature should read about 145 degrees.

As soon as the steaks are done, transfer them to a clean platter, cover with aluminum foil, and leave to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

While the steaks rest, in a saucepan on the cooler edge of the grill or on a burner on the stovetop over medium heat, melt the butter with the garlic cloves and thyme. Remove from the heat, cover, and keep warm. Set aside.

To carve the steaks, transfer them to a carving board. Use a sharp knife to cut the meat in a single piece from both sides of the bone. Then, perpendicular to the bone edge of each piece, cut it vertically into slices about 1 inch thick.

Evenly divide the meat from both sides of the steaks among four heated serving plates. Spoon the garlic-thyme butter over the meat, and sprinkle lightly but evenly with the fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

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