8 rules for cooking Fiorentina

The perfect Fiorentina with just a few steps

The iconic T-bone steak is a cut of meat loved and enjoyed throughout Italy - and around the world. Not only is it delicious, but it also has a great deal of marbling and fat running through it (which makes it even more delicious).

This particular cut comes from the animal's tenderloin and is sometimes called Porterhouse or Strip Steak, depending on where you live. For us they are both "Florentine steak", that is, that cut of adult bovine meat that comes from the rear muscle, i.e. the loin.

Fiorentina or Porterhouse?

But are the T-Bone Florentine steak and the Porterhouse the same? The answer lies in a very small difference: the size of the fillet! The further you go towards the front of the animal, the finer the fillet becomes. The Florentine T-Bone is the steak with the smallest fillet and the largest sirloin: the "leaner" version of its Porterhouse cousin.

The long maturation and marbling make it a perfect steak to be enjoyed in every season of the year. Obviously, the two cuts of meat can be cooked in the same way, but each of the two carnivorous wonders has its own peculiarities.

Full grid: let's discover the perfect Fiorentina

T-bone steak is one of the best cuts of beef. It is known for its tenderness and flavor, but takes a little longer to cook than other types of steaks. A good Fiorentina takes time and effort to cook well, but the reward is worth it. You can't just throw any piece of meat on the grill and expect it to be cooked properly – a T-bone steak is no exception!

To achieve this tenderness and flavor, you need to follow some rules for cooking T-bone steak. Let's discover some of them!

Grill that passes you by!

Obviously, to cook the perfect Fiorentina, a grill with a nice hot brazier is a must. If you use classic grilling, try to place the meat at the right height from the fire, not too much in contact with the embers but not too far away. 10-13 cm will be fine, the important thing is that the high heat is turned off.

If cooking a steak without a grill, we can use the oven, but it is better to use a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. This is because the high heat sears the meat and produces those "streaks" of fat and juice that are so appreciated by lovers of grilled meat.

The cast iron pan is perfect because it retains heat better than other types of pans and helps create a good crust on both sides of the meat, which cooks in its own juices and is flavored with seasonings, such as salt and pepper, before to slice it into thin slices along the top layer (rib) with a very sharp knife, so that some of the marbling remains visible under the remaining slices.

Grilled, pan-fried or baked, we can say that our meat is ready when it has a light brown color. This means that the outside of the meat has started to form a nice crust and that all the juicy flavors will be retained during cooking.

Pay attention to the size of the cut

In addition to carefully choosing the weight, generally from 700 g upwards. The trick with T-bone steaks is how you cut them before cooking them. You need to make sure that there are no bones left on either side of the meat, otherwise they could ruin the cooking of the meat!

The T-bone - in general - is a large piece of meat, so it is best to cut it into small pieces and put each piece in its own bag. This will make the steak juicy and nice on the outside. Don't worry if there isn't enough room in the freezer for all the bags: you can store them in another room until you're ready to cook them.

Just the right fat

Remember to carefully remove excess fat from the surface of each steak. The thickness must not exceed 3 mm. Otherwise, you will get an overly fatty steak and this is absolutely not the case! Only lean fat so as not to ruin the flavor of the meat!

When to season Fiorentina?

A debate that has always been open: should Fiorentina be salted before or after cooking? The two currents of thought accept both answers: there are those who prefer to salt before and those after cooking.

The important thing is to salt and pepper each steak evenly on both sides and exaggerate with other spices: they would dry the meat too much. Another note, if you don't want it to season the Fiorentina we advise you to sprinkle it with some good olive oil before cooking so as not to dry out the meat too much.

Do not season the Fiorentina after cooking

One of the main reasons why they say not to season the meat before putting it on the grill is that all the herbs sprinkled on it will burn on the grill and alter the taste. You could instead use a spice seasoning and then sprinkle it with other herbs when using other cooking methods, for example if you take it out of the oven.

Season the Fiorentina before cooking

The other school of thought says that the meat should be placed on the grill after it has been seasoned and not before. This is because if you season your meat with salt or pepper before grilling, the meat will lose flavor during cooking due to moisture loss from evaporation at high temperatures.

BBQ time: the grill and Fiorentina

Grid temperature for Fiorentina

Remember that the grill must be very hot when you put the meat on it. Let the steak cook for about three minutes, then turn it over and repeat the operation. It's important to keep an eye on the steak as it cooks: if the outside looks like it's starting to burn before it's done, lower the heat and turn it no more than once every minute or so.

Pat the Florentine steak dry

Oh yes, a little trick is to lightly pat the meat with absorbent paper to remove any moisture that may be on the surface. This way we won't lower the grill temperature too much upon first impact with the meat. Another reason is that the meat will taste better because of the way the heat will penetrate the meat and create great flavor.

Grill the Fiorentina at room temperature

Another thing you'll want to make sure is that the meat is at room temperature before putting it on the grill, because when it cools it can cook too easily. Try to take it out of the refrigerator about 1.5 minutes before cooking.

Cooking Fiorentina

To cook the Florentine steak, some precautions are needed regarding the cooking duration. If we take a 1 kg Fiorentina we should cook it for about 7-8 minutes per side, depending on how cooked you want it to be. A good idea is to then cook the bone side for about 3-4 minutes, so that the heat also spreads to the innermost part.

To all of Fiorentina!

Here - almost - all the secrets for a perfect Florentine steak. If you follow these simple rules and tips, you can prepare an excellent tasting T-bone steak.