The Florentine T-Bone steak thanks to its color and its intense flavor is the undisputed protagonist of the culinary tradition of Tuscany and Florence. But you must be very careful it could not be the original one or cooked the wrong way! What should you keep in mind about the Florentine T-Bone steak ? First of all its history: The tradition of grilled meat is one of the oldest in Tuscany, infact the first evidence of it date back to the time of the Medici, on the occasion on the celebration of San Lorenzo on 10th august, when huge bonefire were lit in the city. The lords of the noblest Florentine families bought large quantities of veal that were offered to the population.
What is the origin of the name? They say that the English travelers and merchants, lovers of this meat, after tasting this famous meat pronounced the word “beef steak,” that the Florentine citizens translated as “bistecca.”
And now the original recipe: we must start from the assumption that it doesn’t exist a T-Bone steak without T-Bone! The real steak has the T-Bone in the middle with the fillet and the sirloin on both sides
(tenderloin), with the exception of the steak in the rib, that the fillet hasn’t got. To cook a real Florentine T-Bone steak according to tradition, it is important to hang it until its “mature” for at least ten days. By “mature” we mean the aging process of the meat, aimed at making it tender and more palatable, in fact in this way the meat loses the water in excess and the flavor is concentrated inside the fibers. A good steak must also show veins of fat that melt during cooking and flavor it. Regarding the cooking , it is important to know that the steak must be taken out of the fridge at least three hours before cooking, this way the temperature will rise and at the moment of contact with the hot grill (but withoutlive flame) will form the characteristic and so tasty crust (the boiled meat effect is forbidden)!
Under done will be perfect! The Florentine T-Bone steak should cook five minutes for each side (depenfding on the thikness of the steak) and in order to warm the heart of it, it should also be positioned on side of the bone for a few minutes. During the cooking we must salt each side of the meat with kitchen salt. The heat will melt the salt which will penetrate into the fibers, just enough to give flavor while table salt penetrating directly into the fibers and would ruin the meat making it excessively tasty. Once cooked the steak should be left to rest on a wooden cutting board for a few minutes and there you are! The steak is ready to recive a few drops of extra virgin olive oil according to taste, accompanied by a good Tuscan wine. The last important thing is where to eat the real Florentine T-Bone steak . There are many restaurants that offer Florentine T-Bone steak in Florence, a few are those where quality meat is served!
One of these restaurant is Braciere Malatesta run by Baglioni family from generation to generation since q1954. We offer exclusively high quality meats, only Scottone ( a famale bovine of 15 – 16 months of age that has never calved and so more tender and tasty) of the best Italian breeds, but also the “unmissable” certified Chianina IGP: a savoury meat with a persistent taste, bright red color and with a firm and elastic texture. Now that you have the right notions you only have to choose between Florentine T-Bone steak or Chianina? Enjoy your meal!
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