The t-bone is a steak cut of beef. It consists of a t-shaped bone with meat on each side. The larger side contains meat from the strip loin, whereas the smaller side contains the tenderloin. Were these pieces of meat to be separated, you would have a strip steak and a small filet mignon. T-bone steaks from the rear end of the tenderloin contain a much larger section of the tenderloin, and are called porterhouse steaks.
Due to their large size and the fact that they contain meat from two of the most prized cuts of steak, t-bone steaks are generally considered one of the highest quality steaks, and one can expect to pay a premium to have one at a steakhouse. Porterhouse steaks are even more highly valued due to their large tenderloin.
Anatomy of the T-Bone
Anatomically, it is a lumbar vertebra sawed in half through the vertebral column. The downward stroke on the 'T' is a transverse process of the vertebra, and the flesh surrounding it was the spinal muscles. The small semi-circle at the top of the 'T' is half the vertebral foramen.
Although the spinal cord is removed by packers during processing, there is still concern (in the European Union) that it could be a source of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, more popularly known as mad cow disease. This is because spinal tissue contains nerve cells, and these can experimentally transmit the prion that causes this disease.
Preparation
T-bone and porterhouse steaks are suited to fast, dry heat cooking methods. Due to their relative lack of collagen, longer cooking times are not necessary to tenderize the meat.
Because of the temperature conduction properties of the bone, and the differences in the two cuts of meat, different parts of the steak will reach doneness at different times. The meat near the bone will cook more slowly than the rest of the steak, and the tenderloin will tend to reach the desired level of doneness before the strip.
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