Let’s savor summer just a little longer, with Campfire Porterhouse Steaks topped with herby Compound Butter. This classic combo is perfect for backyard parties or your weekend camping trip.

Porterhouse Steak with Compound Butter - overhead shot

Camping with Kids

Lt. Dan and I used to adore camping.

We spent many of our early vacations backpacking in Colorado. We loved following quiet trails, bathing in ice-cold streams, and preparing our food over a campfire. Through college and our first few years of marriage, most of our extra money was spent purchasing gear such as all-weather sleeping bags, a portable purifier that could turn mud into drinking water, and high-beam headlamps, stuff like that.

We had high hopes of raising our children to enjoy the great outdoors. In fact, part of the reason we moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains was to live in a place where we could regularly enjoy “roughing it” together.

Then… we chickened out.

We were nervous to take our babies deep into the woods. Then we were nervous to allow unpredictable toddlers around a campfire. Then life got really busy and a little out of control for a while. Before we knew it, we had a 9 and 7-year-old who had never been camping.

It was time to stop, re-prioritize our life, and commit to making great family memories while our kids still enjoy our company.

Porterhouse steak recipe with herb butter topping - cut on plate

This summer we went on two family camping trips. Not the way we used to do it, bare-bones with something to prove. We took relaxed family camping trips at a campsite.

I’ll admit the first go was a little shaky. It rained all night and there was a puke-in-tent incident. Yet the second trip was much easier and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. We fished, swam, hiked, and cooked everything under the sun, over our portable camping grill.

Do you think I’m kidding about the camping grill? We made stromboli, huevos rancheros, grilled margarita pizza, french toast, bacon and eggs and all sorts of regular grilled items as well.

Here are some of the Instagram shots I took.

French Toast, Bacon, and Huevos Rancheros cooked on the camping grill.

You know, meals at the campsite don’t have to be mundane. Really, anything you could cook on a stovetop you can put on a grill. With a little forethought, you can serve sensational meals right around your campfire.

ingredients for compound butter

Grilled Porterhouse Steak with Compound Butter

Porterhouse Steaks with Compound Butter is a dish I might serve to guests at a weekend dinner party, but who’s to say you can’t serve it at the campsite?

My other favorite go-to item for camping is Bush’s Grillin’ Beans. We enjoyed the bold Steakhouse variety with our Porterhouse Steaks, and the Texas Ranchero beans with our Huevos Rancheros.

Grillin’ Beans are such a great convenience food for camping because they are already seasoned to perfection, needing only to be opened and warmed.

We plan on taking more camping trips this fall and will definitely have Bush’s Grillin’ Beans with us for more camping grill creations!

compound butter ingredients in food processor

What Is A Porterhouse Steak?

A Porterhouse Steak is a large beef steak cut with a T-shaped bone down the center. On one side of the bone is a large strip steak. On the other side is a beef tenderloin steak. A Porterhouse steak is a type of T-Bone Steak, but not all T-bones are Porterhouse. It depends on the size of the tenderloin cut.

How to make compound butter in the food processor

Herb Compound Butter

I packed a few enormous porterhouse steaks in the cooler, and whipped up a batch of compound butter before we left on our trip. This lemon herb butter was an elegant and flavorful touch atop the hulky man-steaks. I served them up with grilled veggies and Bush’s Steakhouse Grillin’ Beans for an impressive open-air feast.

The compound butter not only made the porterhouse steaks sing, but it is also a great item to keep in the cooler on a camping trip. You can add compound butter to scrambled eggs, toast, easy campfire pasta dishes, grilled veggies, you name it.

Best Compound Butter Recipe - chilled and sliced

What Ingredients You Will Need

For the Compound Butter Recipe:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 clove garlic peeled
  • 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Dash cayenne

For the Porterhouse Steaks:

  • 4 Porterhouse steaks 1 to 1 1/4-inch thick
  • Hot smoked paprika
  • Salt and black pepper
grilling porterhouse steaks - on grill pan

How to Make Porterhouse Steaks

Instructions for Homemade Compound Butter…

Place all the ingredients for the compound butter in a food processor. 

Puree until smooth and creamy. 

Scoop the compound butter onto wax paper and roll it into a cylinder. 

Wrap the ends under and refrigerate.

Easy T-Bone steak recipe for the grill

Cooking Porterhouse Steak…

Heat the charcoal grill (or gas grill) to high heat. (If you are ‘grilling’ at home you can use a cast iron skillet on the stove as well to get a good sear over the entire surface.)

Generously sprinkle with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. 

Grill for 2-4 minutes per side, flipping with tongs to desired level of doneness. 2 minutes per side for medium-rare steak. (You can always check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer for accuracy.)

Once off the grill, tent the steaks with foil and allow the steak to rest 10 minutes before serving so the juices stay in the meat. 

Slice the compound butter with a sharp knife and top each warm steak with a slice.

how to cook T-bone steak

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do leftovers last?

You can store leftover steak in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. But if you are out camping and don’t have access to a refrigerator, then you might be able to keep it on ice just overnight. 

How do I know my steak is at the final temperature needed?

You can use a meat thermometer or an instant-read thermometer to read the level of doneness of your cut of beef. For medium-rare the internal temp should be about 145 degrees F.

Steak with herb compound butter - fork lifting bite

Other Great Meat Recipes 

Check the printable recipe card below for the nutrition information including calories, protein, fat, cholesterol, and sodium percentages.

Porterhouse Steak with Compound Herb Butter - overhead shot on plate
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Porterhouse Steaks with Compound Butter

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes
Easy Campfire Grilled Steaks with Lemon Thyme Compound Butter Recipe.
Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the Compound Butter:

For the Porterhouse Steaks:

Instructions

  • Place all the ingredients for the compound butter in a food processor. Puree until smooth and creamy. Scoop the compound butter onto wax paper and roll into a cylinder. Wrap the ends under and refrigerate.

For the Porterhouse Steaks:

  • Heat the grill to high heat. Generously sprinkle with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Grill for 2-4 minutes per side, to desired interior color. 2 minutes per side for medium-rare.
  • Once off the grill, tent the steaks with foil and allow them to rest 10 minutes before serving. Slice the compound butter and top each warm steak with a slice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 965kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 71g, Fat: 73g, Saturated Fat: 35g, Cholesterol: 251mg, Sodium: 478mg, Potassium: 1083mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 960IU, Vitamin C: 8.7mg, Calcium: 48mg, Iron: 7.8mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Sommer Collier
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