Bistecca alla fiorentina is the defining dish of Florentine cuisine and one of the most iconic meat preparations in the world—a massive T-bone steak from Chianina cattle, cut at least 5cm thick, grilled over blazing-hot wood coals, and served rare to medium-rare with nothing but salt, pepper, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. The dish is a monument to the principle that the best cooking requires the least intervention when the raw material is exceptional. The meat must be from Chianina cattle (or the closely related Maremmana or Marchigiana breeds)—the world's largest cattle breed, native to the Val di Chiana in central Tuscany, whose beef is lean, richly flavoured, and finely textured, with a deep ruby colour and minimal marbling. The steak encompasses both the fillet (filetto) and the strip (controfiletto) separated by the T-shaped bone, and must be cut to a minimum thickness of 5cm (some versions go to 7-8cm), weighing 1-1.5kg. The cooking is primitive in the best sense: over a very hot wood or charcoal fire (preferably oak or olive wood), the steak is placed directly over the flames and seared for 5-7 minutes per side, depending on thickness, then stood on its bone edge to cook for another 5-7 minutes. The interior should be 'al sangue' (rare)—warm and red throughout, with a charred, salt-crusted exterior. Tuscan purists insist the steak should never be seasoned before cooking—salt is applied only after cutting, as pre-salting draws moisture that prevents proper charring. A finishing drizzle of Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil is the only adornment. No sauce, no marinade, no herbs, no garlic. The steak rests for a few minutes before being sliced away from the bone and served on a warm platter. The experience is deliberately primal: the char of the fire, the iron-rich flavour of rare beef, the fruity bite of Tuscan olive oil.
Chianina beef, T-bone cut, minimum 5cm thick. Grill over blazing wood/charcoal. Salt only after cooking. Rare (al sangue) interior. Finish with olive oil only. Rest before slicing. No sauce, no marinade.
Remove the steak from the refrigerator 2 hours before grilling—it must be at room temperature. The fire should be hot enough that you cannot hold your hand 10cm above it for more than 2 seconds. Standing the steak on its bone edge cooks the meat closest to the bone. Use the best Tuscan olive oil you can find for the finishing drizzle—it's a primary flavour.
Using non-Chianina beef (different flavour profile). Cutting too thin. Cooking beyond medium-rare. Salting before grilling. Adding garlic, herbs, or sauce. Not resting before cutting. Using gas grill (misses the wood-smoke character).
Pellegrino Artusi, La Scienza in Cucina; Giuliano Bugialli, The Fine Art of Italian Cooking