Bistecca alla Fiorentina

Bistecca alla Fiorentina

The iconic Tuscan T-bone steak, traditionally grilled over chestnut wood and served rare with just olive oil, salt, and pepper. A single steak is meant to be shared.

Prep

15 min

Cook

12 min

Total

27 min

Serves

2 to 3

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1000 g (2¼ lb) T-bone or porterhouse steak, bone-in, 5 cm / 2 in thick; Chianina if possible, otherwise well-marbled Black Angus
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) extra-virgin Tuscan olive oil, for finishing; plus more for the grill
• •10 g (2 tsp) coarse sea salt (or kosher salt)
• •5 g (1 tsp) coarsely cracked black pepper
• •2 sprigs fresh rosemary, optional; traditionalists omit it on the meat, but it is sometimes tossed on the coals
• •1 whole lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Steps

1. 1 Remove the steak from the refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before cooking so it comes to room temperature; pat it very dry with paper towels. Do not oil or season it yet. Keep it on a plate in the coolest part of the kitchen, never in direct sun, and if the kitchen is warm put it back in the fridge after 30 minutes. Raw beef must not sit out for hours.
2. 2 Prepare a very hot fire using hardwood charcoal or, ideally, chestnut or oak embers. You want a thick bed of glowing coals with no active flames. If using rosemary, toss a few sprigs on the coals for smoke.
3. 3 Just before grilling, rub the steak very lightly with a thin film of olive oil and season the meat (not the bone) generously with the coarse salt and cracked pepper, pressing them in so they adhere. Use clean tongs and a clean board from here on, and wash anything that touched the raw meat.
4. 4 Lay the steak flat on the hottest part of the grill. Sear hard without moving it for 4 to 5 minutes, until a deep brown crust forms. Resist the urge to flip early; the char is essential. The high heat of the sear is what makes this steak safe to serve rare: bacteria live on the surface of whole-muscle beef, and a hard sear on every side takes the surface well above a safe temperature.
5. 5 Flip the steak using two long spatulas or tongs (support the bone) and sear the second side for another 4 to 5 minutes. Stand the steak on its fatty edge to render the rim for about 1 minute if needed. Every outer surface must get the same hard sear, with no pale or raw patches, because any spot that misses the sear has not been cooked.
6. 6 Check doneness: traditional bistecca is served al sangue, meaning the center should be deep red and barely warm, with an internal temperature of about 50 to 52 C / 122 to 125 F measured at the thickest part of the eye, well away from the bone. Do not chase a lower number, and do not serve a steak whose center is cold to the touch. Whole-muscle beef is judged this way, and the hard sear on all sides is what makes it safe. For anyone pregnant, elderly, a young child or immunocompromised, there is a fully safe option: cook to 63 C / 145 F in the center and rest it for 3 minutes before carving, which is still pink but properly cooked. Anything above 60 C / 140 F tastes overcooked by Florentine standards, so offer that option knowingly.
7. 7 Transfer the steak to a warmed wooden board or platter, bone pointing up, and let it rest for 5 to 8 minutes, loosely tented with foil. Do not carve yet.
8. 8 Carve by running a long sharp knife along both sides of the bone to release the two muscles (the strip and the tenderloin). Slice each muscle across the grain into thick slices.
9. 9 Arrange the slices on a warm platter or board, drizzle generously with the Tuscan olive oil, finish with another pinch of coarse salt, and serve immediately with lemon wedges. Cannellini beans and a simple green salad are the classic accompaniments. Refrigerate any leftovers within 2 hours and reheat them to steaming hot before eating.