Coat both sides of the steak, and its sides, with salt and freshly ground black pepper, so a visible layer of seasoning exists on every surface. The salt shouldn't pile up, but it should coat the meat.
We recommend salting your steak approximately one hour before cooking it per inch of thickness. For example, if you were working with a steak that was 2-inches thick, then you would salt your steak 2 hours before cooking it. This will allow the excess moisture on the steak to seep out while it is sitting.
The ideal time to salt your meat is 24 hours before cooking, though dry brining can start as close as two hours before placing your meat on the heat. Simply apply ½ to ¾ teaspoon of salt per pound of meat, spreading evenly over the entire surface. Place your meat in the fridge right after applying the salt.
Place the meat on the bed and completely cover it with kosher or coarse sea salt. You can rub it in or just let it sit for approximately **15 minutes (or up to 45 minutes for thicker cuts). The salt breaks down the muscle fibers and connective tissue to maximize the tenderness and texture of the steak.
If you grill the steak immediately after salting, you may get a nice, crisp sear, but the juices in the meat are unseasoned. If you let the salt sit on the steak for a while, it seeps deep into the meat while drawing the extra juices out.
Adding salt to the exterior of a piece of steak draws out the moisture in the steak. The salt then dissolves in this moisture, creating a brine that is then re-absorbed back into the steak. In this process, the lean muscle proteins in the meat are broken down, made juicier and more tender. All thanks to salt!
Salting meat and leaving it overnight in the refrigerator allows time for the salt to travel deep into the meat, thoroughly seasoning it and changing the protein structure so that it can hold on to more juices during cooking.
Meat. If you've over-salted a steak or chicken you've popped into a pan or placed on a grill, you can pull it back off the heat and give it a salt-cleansing bath, so to speak, says Raymond Southern, chef-owner of Kingfish at West Sound on Washington'a Orcas Island.
Most fine restaurants age their beef to intensify the flavor and improve the tenderness of the cut. Wet aging is done by vacuum packing the meat and letting it age in its own juices. Wet aging is done by more than 90% of fine steakhouses.
Salt draws moisture out of the meat, and it will be dry if you salt it too early. As early as possible; at least a day in advance. Salt draws moisture out of the meat, but then the moisture is re-absorbed with the salt due to osmosis.
After the steak is dry, brush with a bit of olive oil and pat down with a generous sprinkling of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Season your steak generously with salt just before putting it on the grill. The salt stays on the surface of the meat without dissolving and the meat juices stay within the muscle fibers for a juicy steak.
Our rule of thumb for seasoning steaks and chops is 5 grams of kosher salt per pound; using our favorite kosher salt, Diamond Crystal, that's about 1½ teaspoons.
According to Kitchn, you should use one teaspoon of salt per pound of steak to really season it well from the outside. For those who prefer to eyeball it, Bon Appétit suggests using enough to coat the steak well without allowing multiple layers of salt to build up on the meat.
It shouldn't need soaking before cooking but it's always worth checking the broth after 30 minutes and if it's noticeably salty throw it away and start again. Don't worry about overcooking, just don't let it boil.
Adding butter to steak adds extra richness and can also soften the charred exterior, making a steak more tender.
On The Grill
Season the steak one hour before cooking, using extra virgin olive oil, fresh ground black pepper, and kosher or sea salt. Leave it at room temperature until cooking. Brush each side with 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil.
Most chefs regard beef cooked to medium-rare — with an internal temperature of 130-135F (55-57C) — as the best way to bring out flavour and retain moisture in tender cuts such as rib eye and top loin. Unlike rare, medium-rare allows time for the outside to caramelise and develop a sear.
Salt will draw the water out of the meat. The water dissolves the salt and then some gets reabsorbed back into the meat, ala osmosis. What is this? When the salt is absorbed into the meat, it breaks down the protein cells and helps tenderize the meat.
In this process, the food to be cooked, for example a steak, is generously salted and stored in the refrigerator for several hours or even days. The meat can be stored uncovered for up to approx. 12 hours; if it is in the refrigerator for longer, it should be wrapped in cling film.
Immediately after salting the salt rests on the surface of the meat, undissolved. All the steak's juices are still inside the muscle fibers. Searing at this stage results in a clean, hard sear. Within three or four minutes the salt, through the process of osmosis, will begin to draw out liquid from the beef.
Use the following timing recommendations to learn how long to rest steak so that the flavorful juices have time to distribute through your meat: Rest meat for 5 minutes per inch of thickness. Rest meat for 10 minutes per pound. Rest meat for 1 minute for every 100 grams.
Gordon sprinkles sea salt and freshly ground black pepper onto a dinner plate and presses the steaks into the seasoning just before cooking them.
Kosher salt is our top choice for seasoning meat because the large grains distribute more easily than fine table salt and cling better to the meat's surfaces.