America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Grilled Steak with Olive Oil and Lemon

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on April 7, 2020

Time

1 hour, plus 1 hour salting

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Italian Name:

Bistecca alla fiorentina

Grilled Steak with Olive Oil and Lemon

Ingredients

2 (2½- to 3-pound) porterhouse or T-bone steaks, 2 inches thick, fat trimmed to ¼ inchKosher salt and pepper 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (if using gas), plus extra for drizzlingLemon wedges

Before You Begin

Flare-ups may occur when grilling over charcoal. If the flames become constant, slide the steaks to the cooler side of the grill until the flames die down.

Instructions

  1. Pat steaks dry with paper towels and sprinkle each side of each steak with 1 teaspoon salt. Transfer steaks to large plate and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

    2. for a charcoal grill

  2. Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

    3. for a gas grill

  3. Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s). (Adjust primary burner or, if using three-burner grill, primary burner and second burner as needed to maintain grill temperature of 450 degrees.)
  4. Pat steaks dry with paper towels. If using gas, brush each side of each steak with 1 teaspoon oil. Sprinkle each side of each steak with ½ teaspoon pepper.
  5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place steaks on hotter side of grill, with tenderloins facing cooler side. Cook (covered if using gas) until evenly charred on first side, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip steaks and position so tenderloins are still facing cooler side of grill. Continue to cook (covered if using gas) until evenly charred on second side, 6 to 8 minutes.
  6. Flip steaks and transfer to cooler side of grill, with bone side facing hotter side. Cover and cook until thermometer inserted 3 inches from tip of strip side of steak registers 115 to 120 degrees (for medium-rare), 8 to 12 minutes, flipping steaks halfway through cooking. Transfer steaks to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
  7. Transfer steaks to carving board. Carve strips and tenderloins from bones. Place bones on serving dish. Slice steaks thin against grain, then reassemble sliced steaks around bones. Drizzle with extra olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with lemon wedges.
Grilled Steak with Olive Oil and Lemon
Photography by Carl Tremblay. Styling by Sally Staub.

Grilled Steak with Olive Oil and Lemon

Headshot of America's Test Kitchen
By America's Test Kitchen
4(9)
5Comments
Save
Saved

Time

1 hour, plus 1 hour salting

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Italian Name:

Bistecca alla fiorentina

Ingredients

2 (2½- to 3-pound) porterhouse or T-bone steaks, 2 inches thick, fat trimmed to ¼ inch
Kosher salt and pepper
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (if using gas), plus extra for drizzling
Lemon wedges

Ingredients

2 (2½- to 3-pound) porterhouse or T-bone steaks, 2 inches thick, fat trimmed to ¼ inch
Kosher salt and pepper
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (if using gas), plus extra for drizzling
Lemon wedges

Ingredients

2 (2½- to 3-pound) porterhouse or T-bone steaks, 2 inches thick, fat trimmed to ¼ inch
Kosher salt and pepper
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil (if using gas), plus extra for drizzling
Lemon wedges

Why This Recipe Works

For Tuscany's famous steak, the star ingredient, a ruby-red thick-cut porterhouse steak, is always sourced from the Chianina cows of Valdichiana, whose meat is of impeccable quality. Rather than slather the rare steak with rich sauces or compound butters, the Tuscans simply (of course) and lavishly drizzle the meat with their regional olive oil and serve it with lemon. We take the intimidation out of grilling thick-cut porterhouse steaks (and T-bone steaks, which you can also use) with a dependable method that makes our steak taste just as good as Chianina beef. Salting the steaks and letting them rest before cooking enabled the salt to penetrate the meat, boosting flavor from crust to bone. Setting up a half-grill fire with a cooler side and a hotter side allowed us to control the amount of crusty exterior and achieve rosy interiors for our steaks. We grilled the steaks directly over the coals to char them before moving them to the cooler side of the grill to finish cooking. To protect the leaner, quicker-cooking tenderloin portion of the porterhouse, we positioned the steaks with the tenderloins facing the cooler side of the grill. The T-shaped bone in the middle of the steaks acts as a heat shield, further protecting the tenderloins from the heat. We drizzled on the oil after slicing—just before serving—to preserve its delicate flavors and aromas.

Before You Begin

Flare-ups may occur when grilling over charcoal. If the flames become constant, slide the steaks to the cooler side of the grill until the flames die down.

Instructions

  1. Pat steaks dry with paper towels and sprinkle each side of each steak with 1 teaspoon salt. Transfer steaks to large plate and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

    2. for a charcoal grill

  2. Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

    3. for a gas grill

  3. Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s). (Adjust primary burner or, if using three-burner grill, primary burner and second burner as needed to maintain grill temperature of 450 degrees.)
  4. Pat steaks dry with paper towels. If using gas, brush each side of each steak with 1 teaspoon oil. Sprinkle each side of each steak with ½ teaspoon pepper.
  5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place steaks on hotter side of grill, with tenderloins facing cooler side. Cook (covered if using gas) until evenly charred on first side, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip steaks and position so tenderloins are still facing cooler side of grill. Continue to cook (covered if using gas) until evenly charred on second side, 6 to 8 minutes.
  6. Flip steaks and transfer to cooler side of grill, with bone side facing hotter side. Cover and cook until thermometer inserted 3 inches from tip of strip side of steak registers 115 to 120 degrees (for medium-rare), 8 to 12 minutes, flipping steaks halfway through cooking. Transfer steaks to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
  7. Transfer steaks to carving board. Carve strips and tenderloins from bones. Place bones on serving dish. Slice steaks thin against grain, then reassemble sliced steaks around bones. Drizzle with extra olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with lemon wedges.

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

Keep Exploring

ItalianEuropeMeatMain CoursesBeef
This is a members' feature.