Florentine Steak – Porterhouse Chargrilled

A chargrilled porterhouse steak A.K.A Florentine steak (Bistecca alla Fiorentina). The most good steak you'll ever have! Cooked rare (always) seasoned with only salt and a little olive oil this steak is so simple yet insanely good, authentic and god damn solid!

Florentine steak is one of our absolute favourite things to eat in Italy. Before moving here we used to buy fillet steak for a special occasion such as a birthday or date night.

Now our absolute go-to, whenever we get that steak craving, is this beast right here, Bistecca Alla Fiorentina A.K.A Florentine steak.

If you find yourself in Italy, Florence, in particular, you HAVE to order one of these. Beware though, it's not for the well-done steak type people. You'll not even get a choice on how it is cooked, oh no, don't even try. It's rare or find another restaurant. No joke, the Florentines take their precious steak seriously!

If you're not one to normally order a rare steak because you hate the blood swimming about your plate (yuk) We hate this too. Who wants blood running into their creamy polenta or roasted veggies? Not Me, and this should never happen.

How To Stop Blood Juices Running From our Steak?

It's so simple, let it rest! No meat should be cut into straight away without resting. The juices will flood out and the meat will dry up. This is the number one rule when cooking a steak. Let it rest for at least 5 minutes before transferring it to the serving plate.

You'll end up with the most good, juicy and flavourful steak and no blood swimming about your plate…so good!

Top Tips When Making A Florentine Steak

• It has to be thick cut. At least 1-2inches/2.5-5cm but even better if you can get it 3 finger width
• Get the best, highest quality meat possible. The traditional beef used to make a Florentine steak is Chianina Beef.
• Use olive oil sparingly and use a mild one to avoid flavoring the meat with the oil
• Season your steak only with salt (no pepper gets involved)
• Bring your steak out of the fridge in advance, it should be room temperature before cooking
• Make sure your griddle pan is smoking hot before placing the steak on top. Traditionally this steak is made on a wood-fired grill so it should be as hot as possible!

How To Make A Florentine Steak (Bistecca alla Fiorentina) – Step By Step

Heat up a griddle pan until smoking hot. Sprinkle over some sea salt flakes (this is optional).

Season the steak with a pinch of salt on each side and lightly rub over some olive oil. Place the steak on the hot griddle and sear on one side for 3 minutes. It should be charred and have a nice crust on the outside.

Turn it around and fry it again for another 3 minutes. These cooking times are for a 1 inch sized steak. See notes below for more suggested cooking times.

Tip: For thicker steaks, you will need to sit the steak upright on the bone for a few minutes to fry that too, hold it using a pair of kitchen tongs.

Swaps

Ok, so we gave you the traditional way to make a Florentine steak but may want to mix it up a little from time to time (nothing too crazy).

Create a herb brush with some thyme and rosemary sprigs and brush the steak as you turn it on the griddle pan. This will give a subtle but good herby flavour to the steak.

Porterhouse Vs T-Bone

Porterhouse and T-bone steaks are the same steak although a porterhouse steak is larger and known as the “king” of T-bones. Although a porterhouse is preferred, either one would work well.

Ways To Serve Your Florentine Steak

• We like to serve the steak whole on a large chopping board, cut it up in slices to let people help themselves.
• Serve with creamy polenta
• White bean mash is always a great side to steak
• Green beans in tomato sauce another Florentine dish and great side
• A salad is always a good choice
• Griddled ciabatta bread rubbed with garlic and beans
• Good old fashioned potato wedges can never go wrong

Florentine Steak Cooking Times (for a rare steak)

• 1 inch (2.5cm) steak – around 3 mins each side for rare
• 1.5 inch (3.5-4cm) steak – around 4 mins each side
• 2 inch steak (5cm) – around 5 mins each side

Ingredients

Makes 2 -3 people

• 1 Porterhouse or T-bone steak ((1-2inches/2.5-5cm thick))
• 1 pinch sea salt flakes
• 1/2 tbsp mild olive oil

Method

1. Heat up a griddle pan until smoking hot. Sprinkle over some sea salt flakes (this is optional).

2. Season the steak with a pinch of salt on each side and very lightly rub over some olive oil. Place the steak on the hot grill and sear on one side for 3 minutes. It should be charred and have a nice crust on the outside.

3. Turn it around and fry it again for another 3 minutes. These cooking times are for a 1 inch sized steak. See notes below for more suggested cooking times.

4. Tip:

   For thicker steaks, you will need to sit the steak upright on the bone for a few minutes to fry that too, hold it using a pair of kitchen tongs.

Kitchen notes

How To Stop Blood Juices Running From our Steak?

• It's so simple, let it rest! No meat should be cut into straight away without resting. The juices will flood out and the meat will dry up. This is the number one rule when cooking a steak. Let it rest for at least 3-4 minutes before transferring it to the serving plate.
• You'll end up with the most good, juicy and flavorful steak and no blood swimming about your plate...so good!

Top Tips When Making A Florentine Steak

• It has to be thick cut. At least 1-2inches/2.5-5cm but even better if you can it get 3 finger width
• Get the best, highest quality meat possible. The traditional beef used to make a Florentine steak is Chianina Beef.
• Use olive oil sparingly and use a mild one to avoid flavoring the meat with the oil
• Season your steak only with salt (no pepper gets involved).
• Bring your steak out of the fridge in advance, it should be near room temperature before cooking
• Make sure your griddle pan is smoking hot before placing the steak on top. Traditionally this steak is made on a wood-fired grill so it should be as hot as possible!

Swaps

• Ok, so we gave you the traditional way to make a Florentine steak but may want to mix it up a little from time to time (nothing too crazy).
• Create a herb brush with some thyme and rosemary sprigs and brush the steak as you turn it on the griddle pan. This will give a subtle but good herby flavor to the steak.

Florentine Steak Cooking Times (for a rare steak)

• 1 inch (2.5cm) steak - around 3 mins each side for rare
• 1.5 inch (3.5-4cm) steak - around 4 mins each side
• 2 inch steak (5cm) - around 5 mins each side

Ways To Serve Your Florentine Steak

• We like to serve the steak whole on a large chopping board, cut it up in slices to let people help themselves.
• Serve with creamy polenta
• White bean mash is always a great side to steak
• Green beans in tomato sauce another Florentine dish and great side
• A salad is always a good choice
• Griddled ciabatta bread rubbed with garlic and bean
• Good old fashioned potato wedges can never go wrong