How to Grill T-Bone Steaks Perfectly

Summer is the perfect time for firing up your grill and throwing on some juicy thick T-bone steaks. Topped with blue cheese butter, this cut of beef is a mouthwatering plate of deliciousness. It's time to sit back on your shaded deck, relax and enjoy a delectable steak this evening. In my opinion, this is the true essence of Springtime!

For weeks now, it seems there's been an eternity of downpours and storms here in the Midwest. Finally, we've got a couple of days of sunshine but not for long I'm afraid. So, I'm taking full advantage of the break in the weather to grill up these amazing T-bones. The hunger within me increases and anticipation builds as the aroma of sizzling steaks emanates from my back deck. There's a satisfying feeling when you become the envy of the neighborhood with the whiff of that undeniable smoky scent rising in the air. I LOVE this time of year!

Why I love Grilled T-Bone Steaks:

Grilling keeps the heat out of the kitchen when the weather turns hot. I find that most of my meals during the summer months consist of some kind of grilling. Not only does it keep my house cool, but the clean-up from grilling is pretty much non-existent. Which is always a WIN for me!

There's plenty of marbling with a T-bone steak which gives it flavor and juiciness. It requires no fancy marinade. The gorgeous fatty streaks in these steaks create natural juices which result in an amazing burst of grilled flavor. Never ruin a really good steak by additional rubs or seasonings. It's just unnecessary.

Grilled steaks are super simple and can be on the table in 20-25 minutes. There's nothing complicated in grilling steaks. A little bit of salt and pepper, a little tossing and turning on a hot grill, a little bit of resting time. And there you got it, a simply exquisite piece of meat with every bite giving you a satisfying culinary experience.

How to Choose the best T-Bone Steak

1. If I'm gonna indulge in a really good cut of beef, I will choose the USDA Prime Cut. There's a hefty price tag that comes with it but it is superior to the other USDA cuts of meat. The Prime Cut, because of more marbling, has amazing flavor, juiciness, and tenderness beyond even the USDA Choice Cut which would be my second selection.
2. I ask my butcher to cut my T-bones 1 ½ inch thick which ends up being about 1.5 pounds for each steak. I can easily get two or even three meals out of one. One for dinner, one for steak and eggs in the morning and sometimes even lunch the next day. My husband, if I'm lucky and he's not famished, gets "maybe" two meals out of it. And then he tries to grab my leftovers on the sly. He's shameless!
3. The t-bone steak is easily recognizable because of the t-shaped bone in the middle. It has meat on both sides of the bone. One side is the strip side (left side in the photo above) and the other is the tenderloin side (right side).
4. The tenderloin side of the t-bone lives up to its name as it is most tender. Some think it does not have as much flavor though because it doesn't have as much marbling through the meat. In my opinion, the tenderness of the cut is well worth the little bit of flavor you give up. You can almost cut it with a fork.
5. Porterhouses and T-bones are basically the same cut but the porterhouse always has more fillet than the T-bone. If both of these cuts are the same price, always choose the porterhouse. Usually, the porterhouse is more expensive. When I was choosing these steaks, I ask my butcher for T-bones with a large tenderloin side without going up to the porterhouse cut. As you can see above, he cut me a couple of steaks with a nice portion of the fillet. It never hurts to ask, right?

Getting the t-bone ready to grill

1. Pull out the steaks about an hour before you are ready to throw them on the grill. This gives them time to come to room temperature which helps with even cooking throughout the steak.
2. When you first pull them out, brush with olive oil and generously salt and pepper them on both sides. Salt will draw out water from the meat but then the salt and water will absorb back into the meat if given plenty of time. Allow the hour sitting time for this to occur. If you do not salt them first thing, then wait until 10 minutes before you are ready to grill, otherwise, you will draw out all the liquid without time for it to re-absorb. This will result in a less juicy outcome.
3. While the steaks are coming to room temperature, prepare the blue cheese butter. It's such a simple throw-together, but boy does it ever add a rich depth of flavor to the finished steak. All that is required is a 2-ounce wedge of Maytag Blue Cheese and a ½ cube of butter whipped together with a hand mixer. Once it is completely combined, I used a cookie scoop and made dollops of butter, set them in the refrigerator and dropped one on each steak when they first come off the grill.

How to Grill T-bone Steaks

1. Turn all the gas grill burners to high and let it get really hot. Mine heated up to 650°F by the time I was ready to place the steaks on it. Once it is really hot, I turned off the right-hand side burners. Also, now's a good time to use your wire brush and get all of last night's dinner off the grates.
2. When placing the steaks on the grill, point the tenderloin side (which is the smaller fillet side) to the right where the burners have been turned off. The fillets cook quicker, so you want them pointed toward the side of the grill that is not as hot.
3. Place the T-bone steaks diagonally at a 90-degree angle over the heated burners. Let them cook for 2 minutes, Use tongs, rotate the steak 90 degrees diagonally in the other direction. Cook for an additional 1 ½ minutes. This creates a crisscross pattern which not only gives a beautiful presentation but allows the steak to cook more evenly.
4. Turn the steaks over and cook for 2 minutes again at a 90-degree angle. Rotate one last time and cook for another 1 ½ minutes.
5. Remove the steaks from the lit burners and place them over the right-hand side where there are no flames. Close the lid. Depending on how hot your grill is at this point and how thick your steaks are, cook them anywhere from 3 to 4 minutes more. The best indicator is an instant-read thermometer.

Here's a good "internal" temperature chart showing when you should remove the steaks (according to how you prefer them).

For rare - 120-130°F internal temperature
For medium-rare - 130-140°F internal temperature
For medium - 140-150°F internal temperature

One of the Most Important Steps to Grilling Steaks - Resting Time

Grilled steaks need time to rest before cutting into them. Once you remove the steaks from the grill, place them on a plate and add the dollops of blue cheese butter. Cover them with foil. Let them sit there for at least five minutes and ten is even better. Whatever you do, don't miss this step. It's what holds all the juices in the meat. Otherwise, if you slice it too quickly all the liquid runs out.

Perfect Sides to complement a Grilled T-Bone Steak

While you have steaks on the grill, throw some asparagus stalks beside them and pull both of them off together. Add a side of quinoa alongside it and there you have it, a really simple meal in less than 20 minutes. Check out this asparagus idea  -Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus Bundles.

Roasted Rainbow Carrots are a side dish that goes well with grilled steaks as well. They are not only gorgeous in appearance but they bring a healthy aspect to any dinner table.

Another side dish that is both healthy and colorful is these Roasted Veggies with garlic and herbs. The flavors and textures of this dish are a delightful addition to these T-bones.

But the most enjoyable addition to these Grilled T-Bone Steaks is a glass of dry, full-bodied red wine. I would go with either cabernet or merlot. Malbec from Argentina is a great choice as well.

(This is the perfect recipe for a Keto Diet.)

Please consider following me on Pinterest - Lingeralittle.

How to Grill The Perfect T-Bone Steak

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 7 reviews

Summer is the perfect time for firing up your grill and throwing on some thick and juicy T-bone steaks. Topped with a blue cheese butter, you have the making of a mouthwatering plate of deliciousness.

• Author: Kristy Murray
• Prep Time: 2 minutes (not including resting time)
• Cook Time: 11 minutes
• Total Time: 13 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Beef
• Method: Grilling
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 large T-Bone Steaks, 1 ½ inch thick (about 3 lbs)
• 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to Taste
• 2-ounce wedge Maytag Blue Cheese
• ½ stick of Butter, softened

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Pull the steaks from the refrigerator, brush the olive oil on both sides and generously salt and pepper each steak. Let sit covered for one hour until they come to room temperature.
• Preheat the grill by setting each burner to high until it heats to between 500-650°F temperature.
• While the steaks are coming to room temperature, prepare the blue cheese butter by beating together the blue cheese and softened butter. Use a cookie scoop and make dollops of blue cheese butter. Store the dollops in the refrigerator until ready to top the grilled steaks.
• Turn off the far right burner of the grill. When placing the steaks on the grill, point the tenderloin side (which is the smaller fillet side) to the right where the far right burners have been turned off.
• Over the burners of the highest heat, place the t-bone steaks 90 degrees diagonal, let it cook for 2 minutes, Use tongs, rotate the steak 90 degrees diagonally the other direction. Cook for an additional 1 ½ minutes.
• Turn the steak over and cook for 2 minutes at 90 degrees diagonal, rotate again and cook for another 1 ½ minutes.
• Remove the steaks from the lit burners and place them over the right-hand side where there are no flames. Depending on how hot your grill is at this point and how thick your steaks are, close the lid and cook anywhere from 3 to 4 minutes more. The best indicator is an instant-read thermometer. Here's a good temperature chart showing when you should remove the steaks according to how you prefer they're cooked. For rare - 120-130°F internal temperature
  For medium rare - 130-140°F internal temperature
  For medium - 140-150°F internal temperature
• Remove the steaks from the grill, place them on a plate and add the dollops of blue cheese butter then cover them with foil. Let them set there for at least five minutes and ten is even better.

Notes

• There's a hefty price tag that comes with a USDA Prime cut of beef but it is superior to the other USDA cuts of meat. The Prime Cut, because of more marbling, has amazing flavor, juiciness, and tenderness beyond even the USDA Choice Cut which would be my second selection.
• The t-bone steak is easily recognizable because of the t-shaped bone in the middle. It has meat on both sides of the bone. One side is the strip side (left side in the photo above) and the other is the tenderloin side (right side).
• The tenderloin side of the t-bone lives up to its name as it is most tender. Some think it does not have as much flavor though because it doesn't have as much marbling through the meat. In my opinion, the tenderness of the cut is well worth the little bit of flavor you give up.
• Porterhouses and T-bones are basically the same cut but the porterhouse always has more fillet than the T-bone. If both of these cuts are the same price, always choose the porterhouse. Usually, the porterhouse is more expensive.
• Pull out the steaks about an hour before you are ready to throw them on the grill. This gives them time to come to room temperature which helps with even cooking throughout the steak.
• When you first pull them out, brush with olive oil and generously salt and pepper them on both sides. Salt will draw out water from the meat but then the salt and water will absorb back into the meat if given plenty of time. Allow the hour sitting time for this to occur. If you do not salt them first thing, then wait until 10 minutes before you are ready to grill, otherwise, you will draw out all the liquid without time for it to re-absorb. This will result in a less juicy outcome.
• Turn all the gas grill burners to high and let it get really hot. Once it is really hot, turn off the right-hand side burners.
• When placing the steaks on the grill, point the tenderloin side (which is the smaller fillet side) to the right where the burners have been turned off. The fillets cook quicker, so you want them pointed toward the side of the grill that is not as hot.
• Place the T-bone steaks diagonally at a 90-degree angle over the heated burners. Let them cook for 2 minutes, Use tongs, rotate the steak 90 degrees diagonally the other direction. Cook for an additional 1 ½ minutes. This creates a crisscross pattern which not only gives a beautiful presentation but allows the steak to cook more evenly. Do the same on the flip side.
• Remove the steaks from the lit burners and place them over the right-hand side where there are no flames. Close the lid. Depending on how hot your grill is at this point and how thick your steaks are, cook them anywhere from 3 to 4 minutes more. Use an instant-read thermometer to get the perfect internal temperature.
• Grilled steaks need time to rest before cutting into them. Once you remove the steaks from the grill and place them on a plate. Cover them with foil. Let them set there for at least five minutes and ten is even better. Whatever you do, don't miss this step. It's what holds all the juices in the meat. Otherwise, if you slice it too quickly all the liquid runs out.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: ⅓ T-bone steak
• Calories: 521
• Sugar: 0 g
• Sodium: 533 mg
• Fat: 29 g
• Saturated Fat: 13 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 0 g
• Fiber: 0 g
• Protein: 61 g
• Cholesterol: 149 mg

Keywords: how to grill a t-bone steak, how to cook t-bone steak, how to grill the perfect t-bone steak