Steak on a volcanic stone: where it comes from and how to eat it

The oldest way to cook a steak

Cooking meat on hot stones is one of the oldest cooking techniques. A stone heated in the fire was a frying pan long before metal pans existed. Today the method is back in restaurants as a way of serving: the steak arrives on a hot stone and finishes cooking in front of the guest.

The style is popular in Germany, Switzerland and Belgium, where the “heißer Stein” or “pierrade” is a grill-restaurant classic. At Amarone, this is how we serve our fillet.

Why volcanic rock

Steak stones are usually basalt, which is solidified lava. It has several advantages:

• it handles very high temperatures without cracking;
• it holds heat for a long time and releases it evenly;
• it is dense, so it does not absorb fat or smells.

The stone is heated in the kitchen and reaches the table so hot that the meat sizzles at first touch.

How to eat steak on the stone

1. Cut thin slices, one or two at a time, rather than the whole steak at once.
2. Lay a slice on the stone and sear both sides. A few seconds is rare, a little longer is medium.
3. Salt and sauce on your plate, not on the stone. Salt burns on the stone.
4. Keep the stone clear: vegetables and fries stay on the plate beside it.

This way every slice has exactly the doneness you like. Temperatures and the difference between rare and medium are in our article on steak doneness.

The best cuts for the stone

Fillet works best: lean, tender and easy to slice thinly. Well-marbled steaks such as ribeye or tomahawk are better straight from the fire, because their fat needs longer, even cooking. All our dry-aged steaks are on the page Steaks in Zielona Góra.

Try it with us

Fillet on a volcanic stone is on our regular menu. Book a table online via Tableo or call +48 68 327 01 67. We post from the kitchen every day on Instagram.