That juicy, tender cut of steak you’re served at Ruth’s Chris is something you can’t quite
replicate at home. Stay tuned as we reveal the secrets behind their sizzling-hot steaks!
If you've ever taken a marketing course, you've heard of the ever-essential USP,
aka Unique Selling Proposition. Essentially, it’s that one special benefit that makes a
business stand out to customers. And if you've ever eaten at a Ruth's Chris Steak House,
you can probably guess that its USP is its signature sizzle — the sound
of a steak as it arrives at your table on a roaring hot, 500-degree-Fahrenheit plate.
"When you get a steak here you don't just
taste it. You're going to hear it. You're going to smell it."
Take it from Lana Duke, the advertising professional who helped transform the
famous steakhouse from a New Orleans staple to an international fine-dining operation
that consistently wins awards from Wine Spectator and Distinguished Restaurants of North America.
In an interview with Dine Magazine, Duke explains that a custom broiler cooks the
steaks at 1800 degrees Fahrenheit, while the scorching-hot serving plate keeps them,
quote, "hot to the very last bite." Duke told the outlet:
"It was difficult to get every Ruth's Chris in the world to do that. 'If it doesn't sizzle,
send it back.' That helped build the brand."
The Daily Meal reports that the specific technology used to cook a Ruth's Chris Steak
House steak is an infrared broiler. These broilers differ from the ones attached to
conventional gas or electric ovens because, as Fine Cooking explains, they heat a large,
level surface rather than a winding rod or set of pipes to an even temperature. This
type of surface radiates heat more evenly over the broiling food, so you end up with a steak that's
expertly seared and consistently colored all over rather than pink in one spot and black on another.
The broiler is also really hot. A BlueStar Salamander infrared broiler, for example,
reaches up to 1850 degrees Fahrenheit and has cooking racks that allow you to move the food
closer to or farther from the broiler. The adjustments allow Ruth’s Chris to
prepare both intensely seared steak and delicate seafood with the same broiler.
A standard broiler only reaches about 550 degrees Fahrenheit, per Bon Appétit. This makes the Ruth's
Chris method a bit unapproachable for the home cook without a Salamander, which starts at $4,090.
A sizzling Ruth's Chris bone-in New York strip, on the other hand, will run you $66. You do the math.
When it comes to creating a high-quality steak, chefs need to engage all of their
senses. According to Men's Journal, many steak cooks rely on sight and
touch to determine how well a piece of protein has cooked. But some astute professionals can
listen to the sizzle and tell just how far along the cooking process has progressed.
The sound of a perfect sizzle typically follows the formation of the perfect brown crust,
making food taste even better. The creation of this crispy exterior is known as the
Maillard reaction, and it makes food much more appealing to diners, according to Serious Eats.
Humans have evolved to appreciate this chemical reaction, which causes proteins
and sugars to transform when exposed to heat. The effect signals that the food
has better nutrition than an uncooked meal while also demonstrating that bacteria and
other dangerous pathogens have been cooked off. The sizzle of a steak accompanies this reaction,
and when diners hear it, food sounds that much more tempting.
When patrons decide to visit Ruth's Chris Steak House, they can opt for
a sizzling steak among a variety of other beloved menu items. According to Delish,
diners love to pair their proteins with Veal Osso Buco Ravioli or a Pomegranate Martini.
Of course, no one knows the Ruth's Chris menu better than the restaurant itself.
And according to its website, you can't go wrong when you choose any steak. Ribeyes offer the most
intense flavor, while the filets come out the most tender. A T-Bone or Cowboy Ribeye steak
offers the best bone-in experience, while the porterhouse gives you the biggest bang for the
buck. For an all-around good time, though, the restaurant recommends its New York Strip steak.
When in doubt, any of these options can serve up that sizzling goodness associated with the chain.
Any meat-loving diner will be hungry at the mere thought of
hearing a steak hitting a hot pan or broiler.
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