Searing Battle Between Cast-Iron Skillet and Blackstone using Porterhouse Steak

Chef Ali's Bistecca alla Fiorentina–style porterhouse: seared hard (we tested the Blackstone vs. the cast iron — the cast iron won the crust), sliced off the bone, reassembled like a puzzle, and finished under the broiler with rosemary-garlic butter. One porterhouse comfortably serves 2–3.

Ingredients

• 1 porterhouse steak
• Coarse salt
• About 4 oz Amish butter
• Fresh rosemary, chopped
• Garlic, chopped
• Couscous, cooked in beef stock (to serve)
• Blackstone-sautéed vegetables (to serve)

Instructions

1. Set the steak out about an hour before cooking to come to room temperature, and cover it generously with coarse salt.
2. Heat a cast-iron skillet (and a Blackstone or griddle, if comparing) to approximately 450°F. Sear the steak on one side for 4 minutes, pressing down for good contact, then sear the other side for 4 minutes the same way. (In our test, the cast iron produced the better crust.)
3. Transfer the steak to a cutting board. Cut the filet and strip steak off the bone, then slice each about 1/2 inch thick against the grain.
4. Put the bone back in the cast-iron pan and arrange the sliced steak back around it like a puzzle.
5. Microwave the butter (about 4 oz) until melted and stir in the chopped rosemary and garlic. Pour all the butter over the steak.
6. Place under a preheated broiler until the steak reaches 120°F for medium-rare, about 4 minutes. Let it rest.
7. Serve with Blackstone-sautéed vegetables and couscous cooked in beef stock instead of water.