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A Steak Fit For The Dark Knight

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By TONY "FATSO" SICILIANO

Tribune correspondent

Published: July 23, 2008

So this past weekend I saw the new Batman movie. I have been a Batman fan since I was watching reruns of Adam West in my Underoos.

The first showings of the movie had been sold out for a week and a half before the movie opened. Even though there was a line of people wrapped through the lobby, I called my friends Bob and Howard, the owners of Channelside Cinemas. I was the first one in the Imax theater to commandeer the best seats in the place to see the movie. It was awesome.

After the movie, I thought about the film and I noticed that Batman never eats. I am not 100 percent positive, but I am pretty sure that Batman never puts any food into his mouth. I asked my wife what she thought Batman would like to eat. She answered, "A protein bar, something healthy like that."

I corrected her and told her Batman struck me as more of a meat-and-potatoes kind of superhero. I told her I'd bet that Batman would be a steak man. I announce to her that I even know how he'd order it. "Let me guess, rare!" she said. My bride was only half right.

A rare steak would appeal to a man who fashions himself as a bat. But look behind the mask - Bruce Wayne is a classy guy; he doesn't want a plain old rare steak. When Batman walks into a steakhouse, he orders his steak Pittsburgh Rare.

A Pittsburgh Rare steak is also referred to as a "black-and-blue steak." The outside of the steak is charred black and the middle is closer to raw than rare, at about 100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The term "Pittsburgh Rare" is thought to date back to the city's steel-making days, when steelworkers would bring big slabs of steak to work and slap the meat on a furnace or other piece of hot metal to sear the outside black.

Fortunately, you don't need a steel furnace to make this great steak. It all starts with the meat. My favorite cut to use is a strip steak at least an inch-and-a-half thick. I cook it over a charcoal fire. I use a cast-iron pan over the coals for best results.

Let the steak sit in your freezer, then transfer it to your refrigerator about an hour before you're ready to take it to your grill. This will let the outer section of the steak thaw, and it will keep the middle mostly frozen.

The secret is to start your coal fire and place your cast-iron frying pan directly on top of the coals. Cast iron gets very hot and is excellent at holding the heat, giving you a flat, even surface to grill your steak on.

This recipe is not for the faint of heart. However, if you are daring enough to enjoy the most rare steak you've ever had in your life while cooking over what will likely be the hottest surface you've used, then an adventure in grilling a Pittsburgh Rare steak may be perfect for you.

If you have access to a large spotlight, cut out a bat symbol and shine it into the night sky; and maybe you will have some company for this great steak.

TONY FATSO'S PITTSBURGH RARE STEAK
A New York strip steak (at least an inch-and-a-half thick)

1 cup of your favorite marinade

1 teaspoon of olive oil

Salt and pepper

Trim excess fat from the steak. For added flavor, use your favorite marinade on the steak for a couple of hours in a resealable plastic bag in your refrigerator. After marinating, put the steak in your freezer for about 4 hours. Before grilling, let the steak sit in your refrigerator for an hour. Prepare a charcoal fire and take out your trusty cast-iron pan. Once the coals have turned gray and ashy, place the cast-iron pan directly on the coals and let it heat up for about 5 minutes. Pour the teaspoon of olive oil on the cast-iron pan and immediately put the semi-thawed steak in the pan. Cook the outside of the steak for about 3 minutes and flip. Take an internal temperature of your meat. Once the middle of the steak reaches 100 degrees, start thinking about yanking it off the heat. The outside should be very well browned and slightly charred around the edges. Let the steak rest for about 10 minutes and season with salt and pepper.

Tony "Fatso" Siciliano is the host of "On the Grill Radio" from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturdays on WFLA, 970 AM, or www.onthegrillradio.com.

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