Bistecca alla Fiorentina (Florentine Porterhouse)

A thick-cut porterhouse grilled hot and fast over charcoal until charred outside and rare within, sliced off the bone and finished with olive oil, salt and lemon. Serves 4.

Florentine porterhouse sliced off the bone on a board, rare in the center, with olive oil, lemon and rosemary
  • Prep 10 min
  • Cook 20 min
  • Rest 10 min
  • Total 40 min
  • Yield 4 servings

Jump to: Ingredients | Instructions | Tips | Questions | Print recipe

In Florence, bistecca alla Fiorentina is the steak: a porterhouse at least two inches thick, grilled over a blazing wood or charcoal fire and served rare. Nothing is added before it hits the grill, not even salt; the seasoning comes at the table with good olive oil and coarse salt.

Cooking it is simple but bold. Sear both sides hard, then stand the steak upright on its bone so the heat travels up through it, and slice it off the bone to share.

Ingredients

  • 1 porterhouse steak, 2 1/2 to 3 inches thick (about 3 pounds)
  • Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges
  • A few sprigs fresh rosemary (optional)

Instructions

  1. Temper the steak. Take the steak out of the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking so it cooks evenly.
  2. Build a hot fire. Light a full chimney of charcoal and spread the coals in an even layer, or heat a gas grill on high. The grate should be too hot to hold your hand over for more than 2 seconds.
  3. Sear. Grill the steak for 5 to 6 minutes per side without moving it, until deeply charred.
  4. Cook on the bone. Stand the steak upright on its T-bone over the hottest part of the fire for 5 to 7 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer reads 120°F in the thickest part for rare or 125°F for medium-rare.
  5. Rest and slice. Rest for 10 minutes. Cut the strip and tenderloin off the bone, slice each across the grain and arrange around the bone on a platter.
  6. Season. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper and serve with lemon wedges.

Tips

  • Ask the butcher for a Florentine or porterhouse cut at least 2 1/2 inches thick; thinner steaks overcook before they char.
  • The tenderloin side cooks faster; keep it toward the cooler edge of the fire.

Questions about this recipe

What cut is bistecca alla Fiorentina?
A thick porterhouse, which includes both the strip and the tenderloin on either side of the T-bone.
How is it traditionally cooked?
Rare, over wood or charcoal, seasoned only after grilling with olive oil and salt.

More Italian recipes

All Italian recipes | All recipes | Cooking guide and safe temperatures