Gran Pezzo steak and Gran Selezione

The best pairing to the quality of our Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is what we call the "Gran Pezzo", here in the Chianti region: that is the steak, at its best.
This is no everyday dish, certainly not a cheap meat cut, but if we want to treat ourselves and receive some enthusiastic comments from our guests, then the Gran Pezzo will certainly do the trick, especially if paired with a bottle of our Gran Selezione wine.

But, in the end, what is this Gran Pezzo? It is a part of the rib-eye, the part without the fillet, which instead of being divided into succulent steaks, is cooked in the oven as a whole... a Gran Pezzo!
It should be prepared with a piece of meat weighing about 4 kg, including the bone; remember: a smaller quantity could compromise the success of the cooking if you don't adjust the timing.

About Gran Selezione characterics

Ingredients for 12 portions

4 kg of steak with the bone in one piece
1 sprig of rosemary
sage
5 cloves of garlic
1+½ glass of wine
1 glass of oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Have the butcher prepare the end of the rib, the part without the fillet, with the bone stripped and separated from the meat but repositioned on the piece and tie it tightly.
Remove the meat from the fridge at least 6 hours before cooking.

On a chopping board, chop up the peeled cloves of garlic and remove the soul, pour a tablespoon of fine salt over the chopped garlic and, using the flat base of a glaat its ss, crush the chopped garlic to a paste. Prepare a mixture of chopped rosemary and sage leaves and mix with the crushed garlic, adding a little oil to make the mixture more fluid.

Take this mixture and spread it well with your fingers (we are from the countryside) all over the meat, then place it on a baking tray, pour first the wine and then the oil over the piece, trying not to take away the spread product, then salt and pepper and possibly leave it to rest for a while before baking (even a couple of hours). Wrap the protruding parts of the bone with foil to avoid burning them during cooking.

Heat the oven and cook the "Gran Pezzo" for 20 minutes at 250°, turning it to form a crust all over the meat. Then reduce the temperature to 200° and cook for another hour, turning it every so often and sprinkling it with the cooking sauce. If the sauce reduces too much, dilute with a little water or wine.

At the end of the cooking time, let the meat rest for a while to allow the juices inside to settle and filter the sauce with a strainer to remove impurities, pouring it into a special container.

Bring the "Gran Pezzo" hot and whole to the table on a tray and slice it about 1.5-2 cm thick; pour the cooking sauce over it.
If it is left over, it is also good eaten cold (not from the fridge!) the next day, as long as the sauce is well heated.