Broiled Tex-Mex T-Bone
with Enchilada Sauce Spices

Farm-to-Table Fine Dining, Delivered to Your Westport Home

Private Chef Robert L. Gorman has been redefining the at-home fine dining experience across Westport, Wilton, Darien, Greenwich, and the greater Fairfield County corridor for discerning clients who refuse to compromise on quality. With a culinary philosophy rooted in seasonality, provenance, and bold flavor, Chef Gorman transforms private kitchens into five-star dining rooms — one extraordinary meal at a time.

Whether orchestrating an intimate dinner party for six, a weekend family feast, or a curated weekly meal program, Chef Gorman brings the same relentless attention to detail that defines the finest restaurants in New York City to the comfort and privacy of your own home. Every menu begins at the source: Connecticut's thriving network of family farms, artisan purveyors, and vibrant weekly farmers markets.

Chef Gorman is a familiar face at the Westport Farmers Market at Imperial Avenue — a year-round hub for the region's best produce, pastured meats, and handcrafted provisions. He sources heritage-breed beef from Sport Hill Farm in Easton, CT, fresh herbs from Gilbertie's Herbs & Garden Center in Westport, organic peppers and seasonal vegetables from Wakeman Town Farm, and specialty chiles and southwestern pantry staples from Terrain Garden Café in Westport. For dry goods and imported spice blends, he relies on Terrain and Hay Day Country Market in Westport — mainstays of the local food culture for decades.

From sourcing to plating, Chef Gorman manages every detail of the private dining experience — including custom menu consultation, full kitchen setup, table service, and complete cleanup. For clients in Westport and across Fairfield County, booking Chef Gorman means bringing the soul of a real restaurant — and the ingredients of a real farm — directly to your table.

The History of Tex-Mex T-Bone with Enchilada Sauce Spices

The T-Bone steak — defined by its distinctive T-shaped bone separating the strip and tenderloin — became a symbol of American beef culture in the 19th century, born from the cattle drives that pushed vast Texas longhorn herds northward along the Chisholm Trail. As cowboys and vaqueros cooked over open fires on the range, they seasoned their beef with whatever the Southwest provided: dried red chiles, wild cumin, dried oregano, and wood smoke.

Tex-Mex cuisine — the vibrant fusion of Texas ranching traditions and Northern Mexican cooking — formally emerged in the early 20th century along the Texas-Mexico border. The enchilada, one of its most iconic dishes, traces its roots to pre-Columbian Mesoamerican culture, where corn tortillas were dipped in chile sauces and filled with beans, squash, and game. Spanish colonizers encountered the dish and documented it as early as the 1500s. By the time Tex-Mex cuisine crystallized into a distinct regional identity in cities like San Antonio and El Paso, the enchilada sauce — a deeply seasoned blend of dried ancho and guajillo chiles, cumin, garlic, Mexican oregano, smoked paprika, and coriander — had become the defining flavor profile of the entire culinary tradition.

Marrying that enchilada spice profile with a broiled T-Bone is a natural Tex-Mex evolution: the dry rub method, drawn from Mexican adobo technique, penetrates the beef's fat cap and forms a magnificent, smoky bark under the broiler's intense heat. Chef Gorman's modern interpretation honors that history faithfully — using real dried chiles sourced from Connecticut specialty vendors — while elevating the presentation to suit the most discerning private dining table.

Westport & Fairfield County Vendors Chef Gorman Trusts

Total Kitchen Time at a Glance

Prepare Everything Before You Begin

Chef Gorman's golden rule: mise en place — "everything in its place" — is not optional. Complete every preparation step below before you apply heat to anything.

• Remove T-Bone steaks from refrigerator 45 minutes before cooking to reach room temperature
• Pat steaks completely dry on both sides with paper towels
• Measure and combine all dry spice blend ingredients in a small bowl; set aside
• Mince 4 cloves garlic; slice 1 jalapeño; dice ½ white onion; set each aside in small prep bowls
• Zest and juice 2 limes into a small bowl; set aside
• Rough chop 1 bunch fresh cilantro; reserve stems separately for cooking, leaves for garnish
• Preheat broiler on HIGH for a minimum of 15 minutes with oven rack set 4–5 inches from element
• Line a heavy-duty broiler pan with foil; lightly coat grill grate with high-smoke-point oil (avocado or refined olive)
• Slice 1 avocado; prepare small bowl of sour cream; cut limes into wedges for service
• Set out resting rack and tent of foil for post-broil rest

Chef Gorman's Enchilada Spice Dry Rub

This house blend fuses the classic New Mexican enchilada sauce spice profile into a bold dry rub designed to form a rich, smoky crust under intense broiler heat.

Broiled Tex-Mex T-Bone with Enchilada Spice Crust

Serves: 2  |  Prep: 45 min  |  Cook: 12 min  |  Rest: 10 min

1. Apply the Rub Combine the full enchilada spice dry rub. Press the blend firmly onto both sides and all edges of each dry T-Bone steak, coating thoroughly. Allow the seasoned steaks to rest at room temperature, uncovered, for 30 minutes so the rub adheres and begins to draw the meat's natural moisture to the surface.
2. Lime-Garlic Baste Whisk together 2 tbsp olive oil, the juice of 1 lime, 2 cloves minced garlic, and ½ tsp kosher salt in a small bowl. Set aside to brush onto steaks during the final minute of broiling.
3. Broil — First Side Place steaks on the preheated, oiled broiler pan. Broil on HIGH, 4–5 inches from the element, for 5–6 minutes. Do not touch or move the steaks. You are building the crust.
4. Turn & Baste Using tongs, flip steaks. Brush the cooked side immediately with the lime-garlic baste. Broil the second side for 4–5 minutes for medium-rare (internal temp 130–135°F) or 5–6 minutes for medium (140–145°F). Brush second side with remaining baste in the final 60 seconds.
5. Rest the Steak Remove steaks to a wire rack. Tent loosely with foil and rest for a full 10 minutes. This step is non-negotiable — it allows the juices to redistribute and the internal temperature to carry over to perfection.
6. Plate & Garnish Slice the tenderloin and strip sections away from the bone and serve fanned on a warmed plate alongside the carved bone. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, a squeeze of lime, sliced avocado, and a small ramekin of sour cream. Finish with flaky sea salt and a light drizzle of chili-infused oil.

Complete Shopping List — Categorized

Print this list and bring it to the Westport Farmers Market or your preferred local vendor. Quantities are for 2 servings.