Italian · Main · Medium
Bistecca alla Fiorentina
The legendary Tuscan porterhouse: thick-cut, seared over wood fire, served rare with just salt, pepper, and lemon.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Bistecca alla Fiorentina, in 5 ideas
- Florentines insist on rare; the thick cut stays juicy while the outside chars.
- Room temperature meat sears instead of steaming, giving a better crust.
- Resting is mandatory: the juices redistribute instead of flooding the cutting board.
- Traditionally served with cannellini beans and a simple green salad.
- A wood or charcoal fire adds the smoky note that defines the dish.
What you need
Ingredients
- 1 porterhouse steak, 2 to 2 1/2 inches thick (about 3 lbs)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- Fresh rosemary sprigs (optional)
How to make it
Directions
- Bring the steak to room temperature 1 hour before cooking. Pat very dry.
- Rub with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Sear over the hottest grill or in a ripping-hot cast iron skillet, 5 to 6 minutes per side for rare.
- Stand the steak on its bone edge for 2 minutes to render the fat cap.
- Rest 10 minutes, then slice against the grain. Serve with lemon wedges.
Money saver. Ask the butcher for a true porterhouse cut 2 inches thick. Supermarket 'T-bones' are often cut too thin for this treatment.