Luca Menoni tells us the secrets of his barbecue

He is one of the butchers to know in Florence, his kingdom is the market of Sant'Ambrogio, for us his secrets for the perfect grill

Open since 1921, Macelleria Menoni is the symbol of a Florence that has a truly unparalleled tradition of "cicciai" (butchers).

In his kingdom in the heart of the Sant'Ambrogio Market, he offers a wide variety of meats that are the result of professional experience handed down for three generations and a careful selection of breeds and races.

But that's not all, on the second floor of his butcher shop is the Terrazza Menoni: 40 seats to enjoy meat dishes cooked express directly in the kitchen of the butcher shop and then the delicious dishes of the "Fast Food Gourmet" la Botteghina di Luca and the burgers to remember of I Desi...Rè, all within the Market of Sant'Ambrogio.

And if Luca is a true authority in Florence when it comes to steak and quality meat, we went to him to get his secrets on outdoor grilling!

His golden rules for the perfect barbecue.

First of all I would like to make a premise: the grill is a fun and enjoyable act, so it must be celebrated with the best tools. First of all the wood, strictly from Tuscan olive trees, not to use charcoal if possible: in our region we have so much excellent wood that it would really be a shame. Finally, after cooking, which we will talk about in a moment, all you have to do is close your eyes and taste the meat: a pleasure that does not need many words.

Let's move on to the meats and cuts for his barbecue signed by Luca Menoni.

How can we not start with the queen of grilled meats, the Lady Steak. Whether or not there is a tenderloin is not important, the important thing is that our animal has lived well, bred well, has 3 to 5 cm of fat in the waist, an age of 16/18 months for females and 18/24 months males. The Frolling? It must vary from two to four weeks.
With regard to the breed we must clarify: what we care about is selecting the breeders, the man who takes care of the animals with passion and professionalism. We prefer "non-native" breeds such as Limousine, Romagnola or Charolais born and bred in our land, because they have the greatest adaptability to all climates and possess the best qualities for grilling.
But let's get down to brass tacks: the meat needs to be removed from the fridge 2/3 hours in advance and covered before cooking. Once placed on the grill it must not be too far from the fire otherwise the risk is that of drying out. When we see the meat sweating and bleeding on one side it is time to turn it over and when the same miracle happens on the other side, it is time to remove it from the heat (approximately 6 minutes of cooking time on each side).
Let it rest for 10 minutes and try to eat it like this: you will see that by the third bite you will have forgotten about the salt.

Other meats besides Mrs. Steak?

Here we come to the pig, the one raised in the area of Casentino, Arezzo, Siena and Maremma. A white pig, raised in the wild, with truly remarkable characteristics, especially for its fat, digestible and crispy.

Among the cuts not to be missed for grilling, I recommend the Scamerita, the part of the pig's neck that must be cut into slices of one and a half cm. Season it before cooking with a mixture of rosemary, garlic and black pepper, let it "tan" well and then proceed to cooking.

And then again the rosticciana: my advice is to marinate it like the previous scamerita, cook it in long strips so as to turn it often with a fork and cook it at the edge of the cooking grill where the fire will be less intense, covering it with a little ash that creates a sort of coat that mitigates the heat, absorbs the fat and does not create those flames that char the meat.
After a slow 40 minute cook time, the bone will come off the meat.

After the pork, we move on to the lamb and kid, as is the tradition for this time of year. On the grill are excellent their steaks made from the loin, to be enjoyed while cooking the other meats, to be seasoned with mint and lemon zest and salt with a good Tuscan white wine.

Home service of meat and cooked dishes by calling 335 5348359 or 055 248778