Elevate Your Texas Roadhouse Steak With These 4 Ordering Tips

If you want delicious food, a surprisingly affordable steak dinner, and a fun atmosphere (loud, bumpin' country music and line-dancing employees, anyone?), Texas Roadhouse is the place to be. If you know, you know. The chain is noisy, tasty, and high-energy. It isn't everybody's vibe. But clearly, a lot of people love it.

From the brand's hand-cut steaks to its buttery, complimentary dinner rolls, which are baked fresh every five minutes, Texas Roadhouse is definitely a darling among diners. Amid the mouthwatering appetizers, robust menu of side dishes, plentiful meal plates, and rich desserts, it's unquestionably those fresh, never-frozen steaks that are the stars of the show. If you're among the many fans of the meaty plate-fillers, you can make those impressive slabs of beef even better with some insider tips and ordering hacks to amp up the flavor and enhance the overall eating experience. Why settle for great when you can have amazing, right?

A Texas Roadhouse insider, self-identified as a longtime former employee, took to Reddit to share some tips on elevating your dining experience at the steakhouse chain. The tipster revealed the secret to getting a fresh cut of beef when you order your steak: Go up a size. "If you want to ensure your steak is cut to order ... you can always request a specific size, as long as it is bigger than the largest size on the menu," the poster explained.

For instance, the largest Ft. Worth Ribeye size is 16 ounces, so opting for a 17- or 18-ounce steak will prompt the kitchen to cut one fresh for you, as those larger sizes aren't precut options the restaurant keeps on hand. You'll receive an upcharge for the extra ounces, the poster added, but ordering the custom size will ensure that your steak "will be cut the moment that server puts in the order." Not only will you get the freshest possible cut of meat, but you'll have even more steak to enjoy — win-win.

Texas Roadhouse is by no means skimpy in the tasty toppings and dipping options department, serving up various delicious sauces ranging from the Peppercorn Sauce, offered for dishes like the Grilled Pork Chops, to the marinara sauce that comes with the Twisted Mozzarella appetizer. Certain sauces will also greatly upgrade a steak, though they don't come as standard toppers — you have to ask for them. One we highly recommend trying slathered over a steak is the chain's Cajun Horseradish Sauce, ranked by Food Republic as Texas Roadhouse's No. 1 dipping sauce.

Horseradish is already a classic pairing for beef. However, in addition to horseradish's light profile and bright, sinus-clearing bite — which accentuates and balances meat rather than covering up its flavor — the Cajun seasonings in TR's sauce bring a mild spice to the table. This is in contrast to the heftier punch of a typical Cajun flavoring. Since horseradish doesn't have a mouth-burning type of heat, the Cajun element offers just enough of it — but not so much that a spice lightweight can't enjoy it just as much as somebody who loves the burn. All told, the combination brings a savory boldness of flavor that excellently elevates a steak dish (and goes beyond what plain horseradish offers).

It's standard practice at Texas Roadhouse restaurants to finish steaks with a brush of butter before serving them to customers. The Reddit tipster who shared the inside scoop on getting a fresh cut of meat also shed light on this practice, explaining that "every steak leaves the expo station [butter-brushed] to finish the steak and the lighting at the tables are set specifically to glisten off of this and the rolls (yes, really)." 

Knowing a butter brushing is in store for your steak, you can amp up the flavor by asking your server to have it brushed with the chain's Garlic Lemon Pepper Butter instead. Or, order a side cup of the melty butter and drizzle it on yourself. Either way, you're about to give your steak a spectacular flavor boost.

This garlicky compound butter is used as a standard topping on menu items like the Grilled Shrimp, and what's good for the sea creature is good for the cow, if you'll pardon the adapted metaphor. Finishing a steak with compound butter infuses it with flavor and helps create an appetizing, evenly browned crust. The butter's flavors also complement the steak rather than overwhelm it. The brightness of the lemon, the savoriness of the garlic, and the bite of the pepper create the perfect balance to elevate your steak.

Further playing on the previous metaphor, what's good for the chicken is good for the cow. If you've ever had Texas Roadhouse's Herb Crusted Chicken, you know the special blend of herbs and spices, flame-grilled to perfection, is what makes the dish special. If you want a steak with similar over-the-top flavor, you just need to utter four words to your Texas Roadhouse server: "Herb Crusted Chicken seasoning."

Having your steak swathed in this signature blend of spices is a game-changer in the world of Texas Roadhouse dining. When it comes to the ingredients in its menu items, Texas Roadhouse is a bit of a tease — the company's nutrition guide doesn't give up much, revealing only that this dish contains fresh parsley. But copycat versions of the recipe attribute seasonings like dill, basil, oregano, and garlic powder to the dish's distinct flavor. Whatever elements the spice blend contains, it does amazing things for both chicken and steak.