How To Eat A Bone-In Steak Without Looking Like A Caveman

There are some cuts of meat you're supposed to eat off the bone — in fact, it would be weirder if you used a knife and fork. Chicken wings, spare ribs, lamb chops, and others like it are totally acceptable hands-on experiences. But if you were to go to a steakhouse and pick up your porterhouse to eat off the bone, people might look at you and wonder whose leash you slipped to get a reservation. So if you can't pick up your steak and eat if off the bone, how are you supposed to get rid of every last scrap of meat? We asked Joonas Jokimieni, chef and founder of Smoke Grill Love, and he gave us some sound advice: namely, cutting bite by bite.

"At a nicer steakhouse, I keep it simple: fork left [hand], knife right [hand], and I cut bite by bite instead of slicing the whole thing up," Jokimieni said. In case you think he's just carving into his steak willy-nilly, he has a pretty sound system for cutting his meat: "First bite I take is usually from the center — that tells me if it's cooked where I wanted. Then I work outward and save the best parts for later: the browned edge, and the meat closest to the bone." It's common steakhouse etiquette to cut bite by bite, anyway — it's less distracting to fellow diners — and it also lets you cut your meat with more precision so you don't have to gnaw at the bone. "If there's good meat tight to the bone, I'll run the knife along it and lift those pieces with the fork," Jokimieni added.

As anyone who's eaten steak will tell you, not all cuts are created equal. So how exactly do you handle something like a porterhouse, also known as a T-bone? Do you just cut each piece of meat off each side of the bone? According to Joonas Jokimieni, yeah, pretty much. The thing about a porterhouse is that it's essentially two steaks — a strip steak and a tenderloin — which means you approach them differently. "I'll trace the knife along the bone to free each side, then slice each muscle separately across the grain," said Jokimieni. "I'm especially gentle with the tenderloin because it can shred if you hack at it."

How about a tomahawk steak, which is basically just a thick ribeye with a big attention-grabbing bone still attached (and best enjoyed at a restaurant due to its challenging nature)? Should you grab hold of the bone there, even if it's just for cutting? According to Jokimieni, maybe not. "If it's a formal steakhouse, I usually don't [grab the bone while slicing]. I'll anchor the steak with the fork and let the plate do the work." Between following that guidance along with other steakhouse etiquette rules — like not to ask the waiter for A1 steak sauce – you'll be golden.