The coveted Chianina breed of cow from the area, known for its flavor and tenderness, is used to produce this signature Tuscan steak. Simple ingredients like olive oil, rosemary, and salt are all that are required to accent the flavorful grilled meat in true Italian fashion. Freshness and quality are the key priorities when cooking Italian food, thus I always use prime porterhouse.
| Prep Time: | 5 mins |
| Cook Time: | 10 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 25 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 (2 1/2 pound) choice or prime porterhouse steak
- 3 tablespoons Tuscan olive oil
- Moist, grey sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
- 6 lemon wedges
Instructions
- Press chopped rosemary onto both sides of porterhouse steak; set onto a plate and allow to marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Start an outdoor grill using hardwood charcoal, such as hickory. When coals are white and glowing, arrange for high heat.
- Gently brush or rub olive oil onto steak, then season to taste with sea salt and pepper.
- Place steak onto grill, and cook until a dark, golden brown (not burnt) crust forms, 5 to 10 minutes depending on thickness of meat. Turn over, and continue cooking until golden on the other side, 5 to 10 minutes more. When finished, place steak onto a platter, and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- To serve, remove the two pieces of meat from the bone, and replace the bone onto the serving platter. Trim any unwanted fat from the round (tenderloin) steak, slice into 6 equal pieces at an angle to the grain, and fan out on one side of the bone. Slice the rectangular (loin) steak into 1/4-inch slices at an angle to the grain. Fan out on the other side of the bone. Finish by garnishing the platter with lemon wedges and a sprinkle of additional sea salt.
- Bistecca Fiorentina is normally served rare or medium-rare. If you prefer your steak more well done, cook as stated to form the crust, then place onto a cooler part of the grill, and continue cooking to desired doneness.
- If you do not wish to fire up the grill, this steak may also be cooked under the broiler, otherwise following the directions and times in the recipe.
Reviews
What is not mentioned is that this steak needs to be thick. 1 to 1.5 inches thick is best and it works best to take small sprigs of rosemary and to push them into ice pick sized holes in multiple areas and to olive oil the steak and let sit overnight in refrigerator. Definitely let the meet come to room temp prior to cooking (about 90 minutes). Go to a real butcher and get the best piece of meat you can afford. leave the rosemary in the meat as you grill.
YUMMMMMMMMMMY is all I need to say!!!!!!
I always make this Tuscan steak in a cast iron skillet. I get the pan good and hot until the olive oil starts to smoke. Sprinkle in some sea salt and toss in the steak ( open your windows, turn off the smoke alarms and stand back). Sear about 4 minutes on one side. Flip the steak over and slide the pan into a 450 degree oven for a bit. The rosemary is a great touch to a fine steak…
I made this on a gas grill so I can imagine it would have been much better on charcoal, but it was delicious. It’s tough to go wrong with porterhouse in my book though 🙂
I’m pretty fixed and rigid when it comes to how I like my steak prepared, but this is a deviation I don’t mind repeating. The wonderful Italian flavors of rosemary, sea salt, pepper and olive oil are subtle, and actually enhance the flavor of the meat.
My advice is to season with salt only AFTER you have cooked the steak; otherwise, the meat could be hardened. Also, you should not add oil or lemon juice.
This steak was fabulous! I love fresh rosemary and when paried with a good cut of steak the result is out of this world. I highly recommend cooking this on charcoal if you can. We served this with roasted red potatoes, a garden salad with a light vinaigrette dressing and a good glass of wine- this meal definitely rivaled any restaurant.
I used sirloin because that’s what I had, and I forgot the lemon. And my steak was a little tough even rare. I’ll try it again. The marinade was delicious.
I used to eat at a little Italian steakhouse that served bistecca…I always loved it. They sadly went out of business (due to family health issues) and I’ve missed this so much. This recipe tasted exactly like their’s!!! So wonderful!! Thank you for the fantastic recipe!!
Most important to great bistecca is not so much the seasoning, which is minimal, but a good piece of meat and someone who knows how to cook it properly. Hubs managed both. I’ve had steak prepared this way all my life, but always in a skillet, not on the grill. Hubs resisted, since he has his tried and true seasoning for grilled steaks, but he admitted he liked this. Seasoning is typically just olive oil, a good grey sea salt and pepper. Rosemary, lemon and sometimes garlic are options I skipped. A simple garnish of arugula and some grilled potatoes with thyme finished the steak perfectly. I loved this, but then again, as an Italian gal who is quite familiar with this, I may just be a little biased!
I loved this Italian-style steak! I did vary from the recipe slightly in using a combination of finely chopped fresh rosemary and basil. I also coated the steak with spray butter after pressing in the herbs while it sat at room temperature. I still brushed the steak with a little olive oil before grilling, however, I used adobo seasoning (salt and seasoning blend) since I didn’t have any grey sea salt on hand. It turned out to be one of the best I have ever had. The perfect grill marks made it visually appealling as well. I will definitely be making this one again…over and over….
Fantastic steak We did not have lemon and therefore did not use it, but we loved it anyway.
This was the recipe that turned me. 34 years as a vegan, and when a neighbor threw this Flinstone steak on the grill, I just lost control. Now, I try to make this every Sunday, my only change is that I omit the rosemary, and use ground hemp and flax seeds to coat the steak. The smell of this steak on the grill raises eyebrows sometimes, but it’s a good way to make friends.
Magnifique!