CarneAtlas
T-bone steak

T-bone steak substitutes

What to use when you can't find T-bone steak at your butcher

T-bone steak is the traditional name in United States. Outside that tradition, butchers carry comparable beef cuts under different names — sometimes the same anatomical piece, sometimes a close cousin. The alternatives below are grouped by country so you can match what your local butcher actually carries.

United States

Porterhouseclose substitute

Both contain strip and tenderloin separated by a T-bone, but the porterhouse is cut further back and has a substantially larger tenderloin portion — the USDA requires at least 1.25 inches of tenderloin for a porterhouse.

Tomahawk steakapproximate

Both are dramatic bone-in steaks, but the T-bone comes from the short loin and includes both strip and tenderloin

Italy

Bistecca alla fiorentinaclose substitute

A thinner fiorentina from the front of the short loin can be cut from the T-bone area; the porterhouse-style cut is the more traditional fiorentina.

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