The T-bone is a cut of beef from cattle. It is in fact a lumbar vertebra sawed in half through through the vertebral column. The downward stroke on the 'T' is a transverse process of the vertebra, and the flesh surrounding it was the spinal muscles. The small semi-circle at the top of the 'T' is half the vertebral foramen.
Although the spinal cord is removed by packers during processing, there is still concern (in the European Union) that it could be a source of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. This is because spinal tissue contains nerve cells, and these can experimentally transmit the prion that causes this disease. (Cooking will not destroy prions.)
The European concern about steak is less relevant everywhere else in the world, as BSE (mad cow disease) occurs infrequently outside Europe and the United Kingdom.
A T-bone steak needs about 7 minutes grilling to be cooked rare, about 10 minutes for medium, and 12-15 minutes grilling to be well done.
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