Pittsburgh rare

A Pittsburgh rare steak (or as the locals call it, "Pittsburgh black") is one that has been heated to a very high temperature very quickly, so it is charred on the outside but still rare or raw on the inside. The degree of rareness and the amount of charring on the outside may vary according to taste. The term "Pittsburgh rare" is used in some parts of the American midwest and eastern seaboard, but similar methods of sear cooking are known by different terms elsewhere, including Chicago-style rare and, in Pittsburgh itself, black and blue. One story says that a local slaughterhouse during the depression was looking to make extra money and opened a restaurant in the front. Wealthy socialites could chose their cut of meat off of a live cow and wait while it was slaughtered. The steak would then be seared to kill bacteria and served at the cows body temperature, thus creating "Pittsburgh Rare".