Texas Roadhouse steaks are consistently tender for reasons that go beyond just buying good meat. They age their beef in-house, hand-cut every steak daily, use a Jaccard tenderizer on each one, salt and refrigerate them uncovered before service, then hit them on a 500°F flattop for exactly one minute per side to build the crust. Here’s how each step works and how to replicate the results at home.
Table of contents
They Use Dry Aging and High Heat Searing
Texas Roadhouse ages their beef in-house after delivery. Tenderloin is aged for 14 days; other cuts go for 22–25 days. This dry-aging process allows natural enzymes to break down muscle tissue over time, which is why the meat is more tender than what you’d buy at a supermarket and take straight to the grill.
After aging, steaks are hand-cut daily, Jaccarded (run through a mechanical tenderizer that pierces the meat with small blades), seasoned, and refrigerated uncovered. They’re then cooked on a flattop grill at 500°F — one minute per side to build the crust — before moving to an open grill for the signature diamond marks and finishing to temperature.
How Does Texas Roadhouse Tenderize Their Steaks?
Cooking and preparing to serve hundreds of people a night differ significantly from cooking at home. You can use the techniques that Texas Roadhouses uses or you can also try the methods below.
1. Using a Jaccard or Meat Mallet
“This is one of the methods Texas Roadhouse actually uses in-house — a Jaccard tenderizer runs small blades through each steak before seasoning, physically breaking down the muscle fibers and shortening them. This makes the steak easier to chew and allows the seasoning to penetrate deeper.
A reader who worked at Texas Roadhouse confirmed this in the comments below. At home, you can use a Jaccard tool (available at most kitchen stores) or a meat mallet.
For a mallet, place the steak between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness — this both tenderizes the steak and helps it cook more evenly. This method is most useful on tougher cuts like sirloin or flank, where the muscle fibers are longer and denser.”
2. By Using Dry Steak Rub. 🧂🌶️
A dry rub is one of the best ways to tenderize steak, as it can help break down muscle fibers.
Step 1.
Forty minutes before cooking time, pat the raw steak dry with a paper towel. Then, season the meat with a Dalmatian rub (salt and ground black pepper).
Step 2.
Let the steak rest for 40 minutes, then rinse it. When the steak’s appearance is a deeper red, it is ready to cook.
The salt and pepper penetrate the meat and help draw water from it through osmosis. This tenderizes the meat, making it less chewy and more flavorful.
The steakhouse also sells its seasoning, Texas Roadhouse Steak Seasoning. The seasoning can be used the same way as the Dalmatian rub, making the meat tender. Steak seasoning can also be used on chicken and fish.
If you do not have the seasoning, follow a copycat Texas Roadhouse steak rub recipe below (this would be for 2-3 serves)
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Salt
2 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Cornstarch
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Chili Powder
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix all ingredients. Store the rub in an airtight container bag.
- Apply the rub on each side of the uncooked steaks and let them rest for 40 minutes or overnight.
3. By Dry-Aging or Wet-Aging at Home. 🧊⏳
Another way to tenderize a steak is by dry-aging it. Dry-aged meat has a more beefy flavor, a funkier aroma, and a smoother texture. Well-aged beef is more tender than fresh-cut meat.
Dry aging generally involves placing cuts of meat on a rack and leaving them in the fridge for 2-6 weeks. Dry aging steaks can be beneficial because it promotes moisture loss, flavor development, and tenderization.
New York strip steaks and ribeye are the best cuts of meat for aging. Dry aging makes the meat more tender because collagen breaks down. The longer the meat is aged, the more tender it gets. This is because it loses more water to evaporation. If you don’t want to wait weeks, wet aging is a practical home alternative. Vacuum-seal your steak and leave it in the fridge for 7–14 days. The meat ages in its own juices, tenderizing without the moisture loss of dry aging. It won’t develop the same concentrated flavor as dry aging, but it will be noticeably more tender than a fresh-cut steak
Wet aging — vacuum-sealing the meat and letting it age in its own juices in the fridge — is a faster alternative that maintains moisture without the moisture loss of dry aging
4. By Using The Sous Vide Technique 💧🔥
You can also use the sous vide cooking method. We find that sous vide ribeye usually works out best. This allows you to cook steaks to your preferred doneness. It involves cooking the steak in a temperature-controlled water bath.
Sous vide is a French term meaning ‘under vacuum” and it can be applied to cuts of steak.
The sous vide technique involves two steps. The first step is to cook the meat in a sous-vide bath to the desired temperature. The second step consists in searing the steaks to develop their color and flavor. The steaks should be seared on each side for 4-5 minutes until golden brown.
The doneness of the meat is determined by its internal temperature during cooking. This can be checked with a meat thermometer.
For well-done steaks, the ideal temperature is around 156°F. For rare steaks, the temperature should be around 120°F, or 129°F for medium-rare.
Don’t Skip the Rest
Texas Roadhouse rests every steak after it comes off the grill before it goes to the table. Resting allows the juices that have been pushed to the center by the heat to redistribute through the meat.
Cut into a steak immediately after cooking, and those juices run straight out onto the plate. Rest it for 3–5 minutes, tented loosely with foil, and it stays in the meat where it belongs. This is one of the simplest things you can do at home to improve a steak, and most people skip it.
Why the 40-Minute Salt Rule Matters
Salting too close to cooking pulls moisture out without time to reabsorb. ThermoWorks’ guide to dry brining meat confirms it takes a full 40 minutes for that brine to reabsorb back into the muscle — cook in that window and you’ll end up with a wet surface and weak crust.
Why Sous Vide Works So Well on Steak
The water bath maintains a constant temperature throughout the cook, making overcooking physically impossible. Anova’s sous-vide steak guide covers times and temperatures for every doneness level. Our sous vide ribeye walks through the full process if you want to try it at home.
Wrapping it Up
Texas Roadhouse gets consistent results because they control every step — the grade of beef, the aging time, the mechanical tenderizing, the seasoning window, and the cook temperature. At home you can replicate the most impactful steps: salt the steak 40 minutes out, let it sit uncovered in the fridge overnight if you have time, and sear it hard on a properly preheated surface. The rest is just patience.
Smoke On!
Charlie
Author: Charlie Reeves
Hi, I’m Charlie, I have been meat-smoking and grilling for the past 15 years. I have an array of different smokers, thermometers, and have a love for finding the right wood and charcoal combo My favourite recipes are my EXTRA CRISPY smoked pork belly, juicy pulled pork, smoked brisket, duck poppers, and ANY SEAFOOD I grill).
I loves sharing his tips with beginners, helping them navigate the world of smoking. I find it’s not just about cooking; it’s a quest for that perfect smoky flavor.
You will usually find me playing with the kids, perfecting my brisket bark, or sipping beers with boys around the fire. Can’t wait to share all my delicious smoking and grilling recipes with you!
You can read more about me on our About Us page.
Hungry For More?
Thanks!! I am going to try tenderizing my steak like this and see how it goes
This worked great!!!
I worked at Texas Roadhouse for a Jew years—they also pound the steaks if they’re thick and jaccard the steaks everytime. They sit in the marinade and after tenderized is thrown on the grill
yum!! these steaks out so good!