Perfect Grilled T-Bone Steak

This juicy grilled T-bone steak is a Florentine T-bone steak recipe, with quick cooking time, minimal ingredients, and simple flavors.

I recently was lucky enough to travel to Florence, Italy where one of the main dishes that they are known for is this grilled T-bone steak, which they call Bistecca alla Florentina. It is a simple grilled steak that is cooked on a very hot grill and when taken off to rest, it is drizzled with good olive oil and salt.

That is it! This is the easiest grilled steak you can make but it is so amazing. The natural flavors of the T-bone steak are able to come through without any additional seasoning to mask them.

The steak has a nice salty bite and the olive oil added to the steak doesn't compete with the flavor of the steak, it just compliments it beautifully! I love recipes that are simplistic and delicious and if you have made my homemade hamburgers you know what I mean.

What is a T-bone steak?

If you are not familiar with a T-bone steak, it is actually 2 cuts of meat in one steak. One side of the T-bone steak (the large side) is a strip steak and the smaller side of the T-bone is a tenderloin.

T-bone steaks have a bone that separates the two sides of the steaks and the bone looks a bit like the letter "T". That is why it is called a t-bone steak.

Lately, I have been seeing boneless T-bone steaks in the store which I find kind of funny because, well, there is no bone 🙂 For this grilled T-bone steak recipe, you want to make sure to use a bone-in T-bone steak.

Difference between a T-bone steak and Porterhouse Steak

If you have wondered what the difference is between a t-bone steak and a porterhouse, you are not alone! It is very confusing since both of these steaks have two cuts of meat on each side of the bone. Both are the same cuts too.

In addition to that, these two steaks have that same distinctive t-bone in the middle and are both cut from the short loin. Confusing right?

According to the Chicago steak company, the main differences between a t-bone steak and a porterhouse steak is that they are cut from opposite ends of that short loin and the porterhouse ends up being a little bigger since it is cut from the back (which is the larger part of the loin).

You can get both the t-bone steak and porterhouse steaks cut thick to about 1 ½- 2 inches thick. It is the width of the porterhouse steak that is larger. That extra meat in the porterhouse is the tenderloin side.

Ingredients needed

This T-bone steak recipe is as simple as a recipe can get. This grilled T-bone steak has just 3 ingredients.

Here is what you need:

• T-bone steak (bone-in). A nice thick T-bone about 1 ½ inches thick. More on how to order a t-bone steak from your butcher is below.
• Olive Oil. A nice quality olive oil.
• Salt. I like to use flake salt or kosher salt.

How to grill t-bone steaks

Making these grilled T-Bone steaks could not be any easier. Here is what you need to do:

1. Preheat your grill: When grilling t-bone steaks, you want to make sure you pre-heat your BBQ grill to about 450-500 degrees. Let it heat at this temperature for at least 10 minutes before adding the steaks. You can use a gas grill or a charcoal grill for this recipe.
2. Grill steaks: Once the grill is pre-heated, add the t-bone steaks to the grill and cook for about 7- 8 minutes per side (a total of 14-16 minutes) for a good solid Medium rare steak.
3. Let rest: Once the steaks have been on the grill for a set amount of time, remove them and place them onto a plate, drizzle with olive oil and salt, and let them rest for 10 minutes covered with aluminum foil.

Pro-Tip

Making sure the t-bone steak rests is very important and it allows the juices to redistribute back into the steak. Do not skip this step!

Now you may have noticed that the salt is added after the steaks cook and not before. This is correct and the traditional way these Florentine steaks are made. Trust me it works!

Tips

• How to cook t-bone steak in cast iron: Now, my first choice in cooking t-bone steaks is to cook them on the grill. This is not always feasible though if the weather is bad. So my backup option is cooking the t-bone steak in cast iron. I have added that to the recipe. If you have tried my juicy boneless pork chops, cast iron chicken, or oven-baked salmon then you know how amazing cooking in cast iron can be.
• Bringing steaks to room temperature before grilling. You should always allow steaks, especially thick-cut steaks like this t-bone to come to room temperature before grilling or cooking. This is a simple rule for cooking steak and there is a good reason for it. This will ensure even cooking in the steak.
• How to choose the best t-bone steak. T-bones steaks come in all different shapes and sizes and your local grocery store or butcher will likely put out the size of t-bone steak that they think will sell. This could look like boneless t-bone steaks, thin-cut t-bone steaks, etc. Don't be afraid to talk to your butcher or the person in the meat department. You can ask them for a specific cut of meat at any size and they will most likely accommodate you. Here are the things to look for when choosing the best t-bone steak for this recipe:

1. Size: Look for a t-bone steak that is between 1 ½- 2 inches thick.
2. Color: You want a t-bone steak to be bright red to pink in color with no grey. This means the meat is fresh and has not been sitting out too long.
3. Make sure it is a bone-in steak: Sometimes, butchers try selling boneless t-bone steaks. They will remove the bone and then slice a thick t-bone into 2-3 pieces. You do not want that.

Steak Grilling Times

This grilled T-bone steak recipe yields a perfectly pink medium-rare steak. Here are some easy cooking times to follow if you prefer your steak at a different temperature:

When cooking steaks on a grill at high heat (450-500 degrees)

• For rare steaks – 120-130°F internal temperature or (12 -14 minutes)
• For medium rare steaks – 130-140°F internal temperature or (14-18 minutes)
• For medium steaks – 140-150°F internal temperature or (20 -25 minutes)

And, that is it. I cannot advise that you cook any steak beyond medium or it will be ruined.

How many servings in a thick t-bone steak?

You may be shocked when you see the price of a thick-cut t-bone steak in the store but remember that a t-bone steak that is about 1 ½ inches thick can easily feed 2-3 people depending on how much you eat.

We all love steak in our family and one t-bones steak easily feeds 3 of us.

Sides for grilled t-bone steaks

For some easy big on flavor steak house side dishes, here are some of our favorites:

Wine pairings

This grilled t-bone steak goes perfectly with a nice glass of red wine that is bold and full-bodied. Some of our favorite red wines to serve with t-bone steaks are:

• Pinot noir, Malbec
• Super Tuscans- this is a wine from the Tuscany region that is allowed to be produced in the Tuscany region without having to follow strict historical wine-producing traditions. They can be really delicious, sometimes more delicious than the traditional wines of that region.
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Or Any bold red wine that is your favorite.

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