Do you know the music of T Bone Burnett, Grammy and Academy award winning producer and musician? We watched HBO’s newest drama, True Detective, this year, and the music captivated me in every episode. After a little research, I learned that T Bone selected the music for the series, some of which was his original music.
Curious about his work, I downloaded some of his music and, and I now count myself as a big fan. Not only is he a prolific producer, having worked with the likes of Roy Orbison, John Mellencamp, Counting Crows, Elton John, Elvis Costello, and Leon Russell, but his original music spans many years and several different genres. He composed the scores to several popular Hollywood films.
As I was listening to his music over the weekend, my mind wandered to food and more specifically, T-bone steaks for obvious reasons. I realized I hadn’t eaten one of these delicious steaks in years. When my mother made steak for the family, she often chose T-bone. It’s odd that I don’t see them on restaurants menus that much anymore.
T-bone steaks and their cousin, the porterhouse, come from the short loin portion of the cow. Appropriately named, the steaks contain a t-shaped bone with a New York strip on one side of the bone and tenderloin on the other side. A larger portion of tenderloin distinguishes the porterhouse from the t-bone.
Today’s post features grilled t-bone steaks with blue cheese, bacon, and chive butter. I personally think that a grilled steak only needs salt, pepper, olive oil, and nothing more. Any additional flavor comes from a pat of compound butter melted over the steak the minute it comes off the grill. Compound butter is nothing more than softened butter mixed with any number of supplementary ingredients. I couldn’t think of a better combination of flavors to top these steaks with than blue cheese, bacon, and chives. This recipe will make more butter that you’ll need for the steaks, but it will keep in the refrigerator and you can use it on other meats, vegetables, or toast.
The accompanying grilled okra, Vidalia onion, and cherry tomatoes require only olive oil, salt, and pepper and few minutes on a hot grill.
Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles (plus additional for garnish)
1 tablespoon finely chopped cooked bacon
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 T-bone steaks (1 to 1/2 pounds each)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 large Vidalia onion
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 pound fresh okra
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Instructions
1. Using a fork, combine butter, blue cheese, bacon, chives, and salt together in a small bowl. Roll the butter in plastic wrap, forming a log. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Preheat grill to high heat. Brush steaks with olive oil and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place steaks on grates and grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until internal temperature reaches 130 degrees for medium rare or 135 for medium. Remove from grill, top with a slice of compound butter, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with grilled vegetables.
1. Trim and peel onion, leaving root end intact. Slice into 3/4 inch wedges. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. Drizzle tomatoes and okra with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Either using a grill pan on the stove top or a slitted pan suitable for your gas grill, grill vegetables over high heat until okra and onions are browning and tomatoes are softening. Remove from grill and serve immediately with steak.
https://southernboydishes.com/2014/08/05/grilled-t-bone-steak-with-blue-cheese-bacon-and-chive-butter/You may also like:
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Hello Bill,
Oh goodness…We had this meal last night with your Creamed Corn, and oh what a wonderful meal! I just found your site and have fallen in love with your recipes. I appreciate how you take the time to explain how to make them, share stories about the recipes and provide pictures. This has allowed me to become a better cook.
Thank you!
Wow! What a great compliment, Marie! I really appreciate the feedback! 🙂
Oh YUM!!! Like you, I haven’t had a T-bone steak in a very long time! Now you have me craving one with some blue cheese, bacon and chive butter. What a great summer meal! I’ve heard a lot about True Detective. I’m hoping it comes out on Netflix soon.
I haven’t had a T-bone (or porterhouse) in ages! I love serving individual T-bones, but when I get a porterhouse I always get a big one (2 pounds or so), and then slice it thinly and serve the slices. In either case, a good compound butter is absolutely necessary, IMO, and yours is a good one. Thanks.
i really need to get out and grill steak more. this looks delicious, and blue cheese with bacon is a killer flavour combination… i can imagine how good it would have tasted!
T-Bones are making a big comeback in LA. Those and the GIANT “Cowboy” steaks which I had never heard of until suddenly they were on every menu in town. Me however, I prefer to grill steak at home. GREG
Fantastic looking steak, Bill! I love a T-bone steak too – it’s the best of all worlds with the strip steak and that luscious bit of tenderloin. Yum! I might have to throw a couple on the grill this weekend. Cheers!
Omg now this is a steak!!!!
Yum, a T-bone with compound butter. Sounds and looks delicious and the tomatoes make it so pretty. T-bones and porterhouse steaks are a real favorite in our kitchen. .
Sam
T-bone steaks are my absolute favorite cut. It’s like getting 2 steaks in 1. 🙂 The addition of the compound butter sounds like it would be quite tasty!