Bistecca alla Fiorentina

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Charcoal grill or gas grill
• •Chimney starter for charcoal
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Sharp carving knife
• •Warm serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Source your steak

   Find a butcher who knows where the beef comes from. Ask for a bone-in ribeye or porterbone cut at least two inches thick. In Tuscany they use Chianina cattle, but any well-raised, dry-aged beef with good marbling will honor this dish. The steak should smell clean and faintly sweet, the fat creamy white, the meat deep red. This is the entire recipe. Everything else is just getting out of the way.

   Dry-aged beef between 21 and 35 days develops the nutty, concentrated flavor this preparation deserves. Ask your butcher what they have.
2. 2

   Temper the meat

   Remove the steak from the refrigerator at least ninety minutes before cooking. Set it on a rack over a plate and leave it uncovered at room temperature. A cold steak will seize when it hits heat. The outside chars before the inside warms. You want the meat to cook evenly from edge to center. When you press your finger to the surface, it should feel like the temperature of the room, not the icebox.

3. 3

   Prepare your fire

   Build a hot fire with hardwood charcoal or wood if you have it. Oak, olive wood, or grape vines are traditional in Tuscany. You want intense, direct heat with the grill grate positioned four to five inches from the coals. The fire is ready when you can hold your hand at grate level for only two seconds before pulling away. A gas grill set to its highest setting will work, though you will miss the smoke.

   Scrape the grill grate clean and rub it with an oil-soaked towel held in tongs. A clean grate prevents sticking and produces better char marks.
4. 4

   Season simply

   Just before grilling, season the steak generously with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper on both sides. Press the seasoning into the meat with your palm. That is all. No marinades, no rubs, no garlic butter. The Florentines have been doing this for centuries. They understand that perfect beef needs nothing else.

5. 5

   Grill over high heat

   Lay the steak on the hottest part of the grill. Do not move it. The meat will release from the grate when it is ready, about four to five minutes. You will hear aggressive sizzling and see fat beginning to render. Flip once. Cook another four to five minutes on the second side. For a two-inch steak, this produces a deeply charred crust and a rare center, which is the only way to serve this dish.

   Stand the steak on its bone edge for the final minute to render the strip of fat along the spine. This often-neglected fat is delicious when properly crisped.
6. 6

   Rest completely

   Transfer the steak to a warm platter and let it rest for ten minutes. Do not skip this. The muscle fibers need time to relax and reabsorb their juices. A steak cut immediately loses those juices to the cutting board. While it rests, the internal temperature will rise another five degrees and even out from edge to center.

7. 7

   Slice and finish

   Cut the meat away from the bone in two pieces, the strip loin on one side and the tenderloin on the other. Slice each portion against the grain into thick strips, about half an inch wide. Arrange on a warmed platter with the bone alongside. Drizzle generously with your best olive oil. Scatter leaves from the rosemary sprigs. Serve with lemon halves for those who want brightness, and pass the salt.

Chef Tips

• •Seek out a local rancher who raises beef on pasture and ask about dry-aging. The connection to the source makes the meal more meaningful, and the meat will taste better for it.
• •This steak is served rare. If that troubles you, this is not your dish. A well-done bistecca alla fiorentina is a contradiction, the heat destroys the very qualities you paid for.
• •The olive oil matters as much as the beef. Use the best you have, something grassy and peppery that you would happily drink from a spoon. Tuscan oil is traditional, but any quality oil pressed from good fruit will do.
• •Save the bone for your next pot of beans. Nothing should go to waste when you have started with something this good.

Advance Preparation

• •The steak can be dry-brined by salting it uncovered in the refrigerator for up to two days before cooking. The salt penetrates deeper and the surface dries for better charring.
• •Remove the steak from refrigeration ninety minutes before grilling. This step cannot be shortened.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)