Skip to main content

Joe's Big Green Fiorentina



I love a bistecca a la Fiorentina (Florentine T-bone steak) and I thought that it was the perfect challenge with which to test out the Big Green Egg's direct grilling ability.
Joe was back for Sunday evening dinner and so, as you can see, instead of getting two small steaks we got quite simply the biggest steak you've ever seen for the four of us. To be fair we just ordered exactly, and I mean exactly,  what the River cafe recipe says which is a t-bone that is three inches wide
I rubbed the steak with some garlic smashed together with some rosemary and olive oil and just before cooking gave it a generous sprinkling of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
I got the Egg heated to about 300 degrees the put the steak on for about 7 minutes and left it alone. The amazing thing about the way the egg works is that you can do this without fear of a flame up despite the fat in the meat. I then turned it and cooked on the other side for the same amount of time. Then I flipped it again for 2 or 3 minutes and back again for the same length of time. By this time it was looking pretty damn good.


Relying on time alone for a piece of meat like this is a big mistake, particularly if you like your meat medium rare, I think you pretty much have to find out the core temperature. I was aiming for it to be about 50-55c but my meat probe told me that it was still only at about 30c so I shut the bottom vent and put the cap on the Egg to shut the flames off and left the meat in there for another 5-10 minutes to keep cooking but not grilling. I then took it out and rested it for a further 5 to let the juices settle.

Then we carved it into generous slices.

Even though I say so myself it was pretty bloody fantastic and consequentially, despite the dinosaur like size of the steak, virtually all of it disappeared.




The Egg definitely done well ... now to try the slow roast pork again!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crack potatoes courtesy of Ottolenghi. Harissa and confit garlic roast potatoes

Another recipe from Ottolenghi's Simple, another recommendation from Will Saunders.   I know its the middle of summer but who doesn't love a roastie? These little tinkers are so good that they are like crack, class A calories. The clever bit is the addition of semolina and caraway seeds which adds a new level of crunchiness to add to the delicious warm heat of Harissa. Heres the recipe These make a lovely, spicy change from the traditional Sunday roasties. They’re especially good with spiced roast meat. Serves six to eight. 2 large heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled 130g goose or duck fat 4 sprigs fresh rosemary  6 sprigs fresh thyme  2kg maris piper potatoes, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks 40g ground semolina 2 tsp caraway seeds, toasted and lightly crushed 2 tbsp rose harissa Flaky sea salt Heat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Put the garlic, fat and herbs in a small ovenproof pan or saucepan for which you have a lid. Cover and roast for 40 minut
1 comment
Read more

Nigel Slaters deceptively brilliant monkfish

Lisa discovered this recipe in her favourite Nigel book. It is one of those fish, 'but not as we know it Jim' recipes. Not just because Monkfish is the fish that can best impersonate meat but also because of the marinade ingredients that are more often featured with lamb. It's not difficult to do but the flavour is a revelation, which makes it a perfect recipe in my book. This can be cooked on a grill pan or a barbecue. Ingredients 3 bushy sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped 4 anchovy fillets 2 large cloves garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large lemon, juice only 3 tbsp olive oil 800g/1½lb monkfish fillet Method Pull the leaves from the rosemary stalks and chop them finely, then tip them into a bowl large enough to take the fish. Rinse the anchovy fillets and smash them to a rough pulp with the flat edge of your chopping knife. Peel the garlic, crush it flat, then smash it to a purée in the same way. Stir together the herb, anchovy and garlic, adding a grind
1 comment
Read more

Sea Bass on mushroom potatoes with salsa Verde

I felt the overwhelming need to cook something new on Saturday night. I didn't want the tired and tested I wanted to explore new culinary waters. However combined with this desire was an equal and opposing force, driven by being absolutely knackered, that meant it had to be simple too. I returned to one of Jamie's early books, to a recipe that IO had meant to do on countless occasions but never quite got round to. I have done several versions of Sea Bass on a bed of potatoes, some that I have written about on this blog. The one question I would have is about the thickness of the potatoes and the length of time they need to be cooked through ... in my oven I reckon they need about 10 minutes more than the recipe suggests. I would suggest a bit of a trial run if you are going to do it for a dinner party ... however once you have given it a whirl I think this makes for a very easy recipe for a crowd. Here's the recipe. Roasted slashed fillet of sea bass stuffed with herbs, bak
1 comment
Read more