Longhorn Steakhouse Grilling Tips and Menu Must Haves

Longhorn Steakhouse has been around since 1981 and if you have never eaten at LongHorn, you are truly missing out. This is one of those rare places where you can always count on a good meal and a perfect steak. I recently visited LongHorn and had a fun Q&A with manager and former LongHorn grillmaster, Mike Jackson. He filled me on some of the LongHorn standards that make it a steakhouse champion. He also passed along some grilling tips to help us master the at-home steak.

Let’s start with what LongHorn is known for: steak! LongHorn steaks are never frozen and arrive in the restaurant twice a week. Several of their steaks are also hand-cut on site. Here are the grilling tips Mike shared with me:

• Make sure your grill is hot enough before you put anything on it. Clean your grill with a wire brush and heat it to 500°F.  Place your hand 3 inches above the grates, and if you need to pull away before you count to 3, it’s ready to start grilling! Mike emphasized the importance of this and said if you put the steaks on too early, they just will not turn out the way they should.
• Boldly season. Don’t be shy when seasoning your steak. Try “The Big 4”  (salt, pepper, granulated onion powder and garlic powder) and coat both sides of the steak well. LongHorn also has their own addition to steak seasoning, but that’s a secret so he could not tell me (darn!). 
• Make sure you let your steaks rest for 2-3 minutes before serving. This will allow the juices to settle back into the meat, resulting in optimal flavor.

If you prefer the surf to the turf, LongHorn also has something for you. LongHorn offers several seafood choices including the Grilled Hawaiian Salmon you see below. The salmon served at LongHorn Steakhouse is fresh Atlantic salmon that is never frozen and is delivered the day after the manager orders it. You can taste the difference and this salmon was an actual joy to eat. The Grilled Hawaiian Salmon is marinated in a sweet ginger-garlic soy sauce and topped with fresh pineapple salsa.

My son is a rib-loving teenager and LongHorn’s baby back ribs put a smile on his face. LongHorn slow cooks the ribs for four hours, fire-grills them, and then brushes the ribs with a housemade barbecue sauce.

LongHorn Steakhouse has a great kid’s menu with lots of fun activities and several food choices. My daughter likes visiting LongHorn because it is one of the few places where a kid can get a good steak, which she describes as crispy but chewy. I’d be willing to bet LongHorn is not going to add that description to their menu, but my daughter says it’s the way a steak should be.

LongHorn also has several irresistible desserts, including this Molten Lava Cake. This mountain of deliciousness is large enough to share and tastes amazing. If large desserts aren’t your thing, LongHorn also has several Sweet Bites, which are smaller desserts that really hit the spot.

My family has tried many LongHorn menu items, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be the Wild West Shrimp. This shrimp is hand-battered and flavored with spicy cherry peppers and garlic butter. It is a dream and it practically dissolves in your mouth. My son and I have even ordered this as an entree to share.

Be sure to visit your nearest LongHorn and try some of these must have menu items. The food is great, the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, and it is an all around nice place for a family dinner, a date, or even a business dinner.

Keep reading for a useful tool for at-home grillers!

LongHorn Grill Us Hotline

LongHorn’s Grill Us Hotline is in its fifth year, connecting guests directly with these top Grill Masters when they dial 1-855-LH-GRILL. Experts will be standing by on the days leading up to summer’s biggest grilling holidays to help guests prepare for cookouts with family and friends. The Hotline will be live from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET on the following dates:

Sunday, May 28 – for Memorial Day advice
Sunday, July 2 – for Fourth of July advice
Sunday, September 3 – For Labor Day advice

To help make every grill-out successful, LongHorn has even more resources available to guests.

Engage on Social Media: Guests can chat live with LongHorn for expert advice from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern time, seven days a week, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This summer, LongHorn is also debuting an all-new Grill Hero Facebook Messenger, where fans have round-the-clock access to mouthwatering recipes and grilling know-how tailored to their personal tastes. This new feature is now available on LongHorn’s Facebook page.

Text “GRILL” to 55702: Guests can get some of LongHorn’s top tips and recipes delivered straight to their phone all summer – and tips will change every week.

ExpertGriller.com: LongHorn’s web site, www.ExpertGriller.com, is dedicated to chef-inspired recipes, cook-out guides and even more expert advice.

Happy grilling!

Disclaimer: My family and I were recently invited to visit our local LongHorn Steakhouse to try several tempting menu items and learn more about grilling, popular LongHorn menu items, and what makes LongHorn different than other steakhouses.  All opinions are my own.