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What is T-Bone?
T-bone and porterhouse are two cuts of meat obtained from the back of the hind quarter of the beef (adult bovine, Family Bovidae, Genus Bos and species taurus ). Cattle breeds widely used to obtain t-bone are: Chianina, Angus, Kobe and Wagyu.
Note : T-bone and porterhouse are NOT synonyms of Florentine steak - much thicker.
T-bone and porterhouse differ from each other by the precise point from which they are separated; the porterhouse should contain more fillet than t-bone, but this is a detail that does not agree with all the kitchen experts.
T-bone and porterhouse belong to the first fundamental group of foods. They are rich in high biological value proteins, minerals and specific proteins. They have a significant caloric intake, also due to the high concentration of lipids - many of which are saturated. Cholesterol is significant, as are purines and the amino acid phenylalanine. They do not lend themselves to all types of diet and may have contraindications, even when referred to the cooking method. For more information read the paragraphs below.
Due to their large size and the fact that they contain two of the finest beef cuts, t-bone and porterhouse are generally considered the best quality steaks and the prices are high. The most indicated cooking is fast and very intense on the grill, both of wood or charcoal, and of gas possibly with lava stone.
Although known as the American steak with the bone par excellence, t-bone has Anglo-Saxon origins. It was in the territory of the present-day United Kingdom that, several centuries ago, this cut became the most coveted of meat-based dishes. There are also several historical evidences to support the hypothesis that it was precisely the English who imported what, in Italy and especially in Tuscany, evolved into the Florentine steak.
Did you know that ...
The origin of the term "porterhouse" is controversial; in fact there are several cities that claim to have coined it first. The Oxford English Dictionary brings etymology back to Martin Morrison, who served large steaks with "T" shaped bones in his "Porter House", at Pearl Street (Manhattan) around 1814, while admitting the lack of contemporary evidence to support of this story. This story began to spread only towards the end of the nineteenth century.
Nutritional Properties
Nutritional properties of t-bone
Classifiable in the first fundamental group, t-bone is a food rich in high biological value proteins, specific vitamins and minerals. It has a medium or high energy intake, depending on the breed, the state of nutrition of the animal and the level of cleansing - removal of separable fat.
Calories are supplied mainly by proteins and lipids; carbohydrates are absent. Peptides have a high biological value, that is they contain all the essential amino acids in the right quantities and proportions with respect to the human model. The fatty acids are mainly unsaturated, especially monounsaturated, followed almost equally by the saturated; the polyunsaturates constitute the least relevant portion. Cholesterol is present in significant but acceptable amounts.
T-bone does not contain dietary fiber, gluten and lactose; if matured, it can mature small concentrations of histamine. Instead it has significant amounts of purines and phenylalanine amino acid.
From the vitamin point of view, t-bone is a food that does not stand out from the average of products belonging to the same category - meats. It contains above all water-soluble vitamins of group B, in particular niacin (vit PP), pyridoxine (vit B6) and cobalamin (vit B12); thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), pantothenic acid (vit B5), biotin (vit H) and folates are less relevant. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and all the fat-soluble (vit A, vit D, vit E, vit K) appear to be absent or irrelevant.
Also with regard to mineral salts, t-bone does not differ too much from its group. The content of phosphorus, iron and zinc is appreciable; also brings potassium.
Diet
T-bone in the diet
T-bone is a food that can not be inserted in all diets, or at least not frequently and systematically. This is true in an absolute sense for very fat and caloric steaks, or very large ones. If obtained from a lean animal, the cut is properly trimmed and without the addition of condiments, it could also be used occasionally in the diet of certain clinical conditions, such as severe overweight and hypercholesterolemia. On the contrary, in this case it would be better to prefer lean meats like chicken breast, turkey breast, horse muscle, pork fillet, lean fish, etc.
Excessive portions of t-bone are considered inadequate for the diet of subjects with digestive complications such as dyspepsia, gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastric and / or duodenal ulcer, etc.
T-bone, rich in proteins with high biological value, is very useful in the diet of those who find themselves in conditions of increased need for all essential amino acids; for example: pregnancy and lactation, growth, extremely intense and / or prolonged sports, old age - due to an eating disorder and a tendency to geriatric malabsorption - pathological malabsorption, recovery from specific or generalized malnutrition, debasement etc. For the reasonable content of cholesterol and the acceptable percentage of saturated fats, it can be used in the diet against hypercholesterolemia, as long as the portion and frequency of consumption are acceptable. Note : in food therapy against dyslipidemia it is however less appropriate than fish - pinnutes properly called - rich in omega 3 (EPA and DHA). It is a neutral food for diets aimed at subjects suffering from hyperglycemia or type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertriglyceridemia and hypertension, provided they are not associated with severe overweight.
T-bone is one of the products to be avoided, or to be consumed with extreme moderation, in case of severe hyperuricemia - a tendency to gout - and calculosis or renal lithiasis with uric acid crystals. It should be completely removed from the phenylketonuria diet. It does not show contraindications for lactose intolerance and for celiac disease; it should also be harmless for histamine intolerance.
T-bone is an appreciable source of bio-available iron and participates in the coverage of metabolic needs, which is higher in fertile, pregnant women, marathon runners and vegetarians - especially in vegans. Note : iron deficiency can lead to iron deficiency anemia. It contributes to satisfying the phosphorus requirement, a very abundant mineral in the body - in particular in the bones in the form of hydroxyapatite, in the phospholipids of the cell membranes and in the nervous tissue etc. The zinc content - essential for hormone production and antioxidant enzymes - is more than appreciable. It is not to be considered an essential source of potassium, but still participates in satisfying the organism's request - greater in case of increased sweating, for example in sports, increased diuresis and diarrhea; the lack of this alkalizing ion - necessary for the membrane potential and very useful in the fight against primary arterial hypertension - induces, especially related to lack of magnesium and dehydration, the onset of muscle cramps and general weakness.
T-bone is very rich in B vitamins, all coenzymatic factors of great importance in cellular processes. It can therefore be considered an excellent support for the functioning of the various body tissues. It is not allowed in the vegetarian and vegan diet. It is inadequate for Hindu and Buddhist food, while it has no contraindications in Muslim and Jewish. After total cooking, it is also allowed in the diet during pregnancy. The average portion of t-bone - never respected as a steak with bone weighs about 500 g - is 100-150 g.
Kitchen
Prepare and cook the t-bone
To offer good t-bone and porterhouse, the beef carcass must be subjected to maturation. The longer this process expands, the lower the yield of the meat - which dries, or rather "mummifies", becoming more tender and tasty - and the higher the price. Moreover, by maturing unpleasant compounds on the surface, the loin of well-matured beef requires some trimming and trimming, which determines an increase in waste and a further decrease in yield.
To obtain a t-bone from the half - or rather from the hind quarter - of an adult bovine it is necessary to cut fillet and sirloin with a long and sharp knife and then saw a lumbar vertebra in half crossing the vertebral column; the vertical bar of the "T" is a spinous process of the vertebra. The small semicircle in the upper part of the "T" consists of half of the vertebral foramen.
In the United States, t-bone and porterhouse are among the most popular barbecue cuts. This cooking specialty is a real branch in its own right. There are in fact many different marinades and condiments, but also alternative preparation techniques such as "reverse searing" and indirect cooking.
The t-bone and porterhouse steaks are suitable for rapid and dry heat cooking methods - better for irradiation and / or intense convection and / or metal conduction - such as grilling or, possibly, grilling. Containing only a small amount of collagen compared to other cuts, they do not require long cooking times to soften the meat. The bone does not favor the conduction of heat inside the meat - it slows down cooking - but prevents it from drying out and contracting during the process.
For a medium-sized t-bone or porterhouse, 3 minutes of cooking per side is generally sufficient. The same time is used for the cooking "to the blood" of the Florentine steak, which however is generally about twice as thick. The oenological combination is the same.
Description
Description of t-bone and differences with the porterhouse
T-bone and porterhouse are recognizable thanks to a central bone with the characteristic "T" shape, which separates two different types of meat: the loin or sirloin - consisting mainly of the short loin or "short loin" - and the actual fillet - "tenderloin".
deepening
In Ireland and in the countries of the "Commonwealth of Nations", t-bone is better known as "sirloin". This tends to create some confusion, since that of the "sirloin" - placed further back - although constituted mainly by what we define as rump, it is not the typical segment from which t-bone and porterhouse are generally obtained - more front or proximal, the "short loin" associated with the "tenderloin".
T-bone and porterhouse differ in the position from which they are obtained with respect to the specific dorsal block. The porterhouse is obtained from the back and therefore contains more fillet. T-bone instead, is cut more anteriorly and contains less fillet. The front end of the fillet, separated from the t-bone, when sold alone takes the name of "filet mignon".
According to the US Department of Agriculture's "Institutional Meat Purchase" the fillet of the porterhouse must be at least 32 mm wide, while that of the t-bone 13 mm. However, it still happens that in restaurants and steakhouses steaks with a large fillet are called t-bone, although they are technically porterhouses. In the British language, and later in that of the Commonwealth countries, porterhouse means a steak with a loin but without a fillet.
In the United States, t-bone is classified as IMPS 1174 meat cut; the porterhouse instead, like IMPS 1173.
