Pittsburgh Rare

A culinary term unique to the region, "Pittsburgh rare" is my favorite way to eat steak (and I didn't even grow up here!). Often referred to as "black and blue," meat that is ordered Pittsburgh rare comes charred on the outside and blood red rare on the inside. The term is believed to date back to the region's steelmaking days, when steelworkers would bring big slabs of steak to work and, when it was time for lunch, would slap their meat on a furnace or other piece of hot metal to sear the outside black. Even without a hot furnace, you can still cook your own authentic Pittsburgh steak at home.