Ingredients
- 2 pound steak
- 2 pound salt
- 2 pound black pepper
- 2 pound live oil
- 2 pound balsamic vinegar
- 1 pound lemon
- 1 pound roasted-garlic balsamic steak sauce
Preparation
Baking Directions:
The classic Bistecca alla Fiorentina is a large Porterhouse steak that usually weighs around one kilo (2.2 pounds).
In Tuscan restaurants the steak is offered by the “etto” or in 100-gram (4 oz.)
increments.
This great steak includes both the strip loin and the filet.
I also use a rib-eye steak with this method.
Always use the best meat, gray salt, coarse ground black pepper and balsamic vinegar that you can find.
The marriage of all these ingredients will reveal a noble meal of authentic Italian flavor.
For my Tuscan BBQ on “Weekend Today,” I paired the bistecca with two unique condimenti, or finishes, to the steak: grilled lemon halves or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
An option to using expensive and rare balsamic is to use a Tuscan-flavored steak sauce.
I make one with roasted-garlic, sweetened with raisins, and, to give it a nice bite, black pepper.
As you’ll see throughout this menu, Italians love a mix of tart and sweet, called agrodolce.
Let the steak rest outside of the refrigerator for one hour before cooking.
Liberally season the steak with gray salt and pepper and press the seasoning into the meat.
About gray salt: If you change just one thing about your cooking, make it the salt.
The gray salt I use, from Brittany’s coast, retains all the minerals found in the sea, echoing your body’s mineral content exactly.
Because of its taste, I use gray salt exclusively, and cherish the natural flavors it highlights in all foods.
To grill:Use a hot, clean and oiled grill.
Grill the steak for about 5-6 minutes on each side for medium rare.
The filet will cook a little faster than the strip loin.
Move the steak every two minutes or so for even cooking and a crispy exterior.
For pan roasting: If pan-roasting, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Heat a cast-iron skillet with a little olive oil until smoking hot.
Turn on the fan, open the window and stand back to avoid getting spattered! Using tongs, place the steak in the center of the pan.
Cook until the first side is seared brown, about 4 minutes.
Turn the steak and place the pan in the oven until the steak is done, about 6 minutes for medium rare.
Remove the steak to a carving board and let rest for at least 5 minutes before carving.
Serve with grilled lemon halves or drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Grilled lemon halves:Cut the lemon in half and brush the cut side with olive oil.
For pan roasting: Place cut side down alongside the steak.
When marked, turn the lemons over and cook in the oven alongside the steak.
To grill:Place the lemons cut side down on the grill to mark.
Turn the lemon over and move to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking.
Serve all bistecca with some extra gray salt on the table.
