More than just a seasoning, salt gives our food its vital flavor. It can enhance flavors, harmonize other flavors, increase the tenderness and juiciness of meat, and preserve food for months or even years. The protein-rich juice that congeals on the surface of beef or lamb during cooking can be drawn out by seasoning it with salt or a salty spice rub, resulting in a crisp, flavorful crust. However, a dish can easily be ruined by adding salt too soon or too heavily.
If You’re Salting Immediately Before Grilling
Still, you should take the steaks out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before salting. By bringing the steak to room temperature, you can make sure it is cooked to the desired level of doneness.
Sprinkle the steak with a lot of salt and pepper after 30 minutes, and gently press the seasonings into the meat.
If You’re Salting in Advance
Pre-salting your steaks is sometimes referred to as the “dry-brining method.”
To remove excess moisture buildup, pat the steaks dry with paper towels. After that, liberally salt the steak on both sides. Ensure that the sides of the steaks are also salted. Gently pat the salt into the meat.
Place your steaks on cooling racks after that, wrap them in plastic wrap, and put them in the refrigerator. You can leave them in the refrigerator for between 40 minutes and 24 hours. The flavor will be more concentrated the longer you let them sit.
To allow the steaks to rest at room temperature before grilling, remove them at least 30 minutes beforehand. To remove salt juices and moisture, you’ll need to pat them dry once more with a paper towel. The surface of the steaks may appear a little dry, but that is only temporary After grilling, the dry surface will develop a crisp, brown crust.
Then, just before grilling, you can add some black pepper to the steaks.
Which Salt to Use
Try not to use table or iodized salt to season your steak. Always use coarse kosher salt. Why? Kosher salt has a larger crystal-like shape that allows for optimum absorption and doesn’t come with additives like iodine. It has a lower density, which allows it to gently season the steak. It may look like you’re adding a lot because of the granule size, but it’s not as intense as table salt.
Although kosher salt appears to be finer on the surface, table salt is denser and will dissolve into the meat too quickly, producing an overly salty steak. Fine salt should not be used to season a dish before cooking; rather, it should be added as a final touch.
You might have considered experimenting with flavored salts or seasoning salts like garlic salt that you’ve seen in supermarkets. These salts function similarly to table salts in that they are meant to be used as a finishing salt. You don’t have a lot of control over the finished product when using seasoning salts. It’s too salty and overpowering if you use too much, and there is no way to fix that. For dishes like stews, potatoes, pasta, and others that you can taste as they cook, seasoning salts are preferable.
Salting a Steak: Final Thoughts
The countless articles and videos arguing when and how much salt to salt a steak are just that: a debate. There isn’t one best way to salt a steak, so neither professional chefs nor home cooks can agree on it.
It’s up to you and how you want the steak to taste whether you decide to salt it right before cooking or 24 hours beforehand. While some may prefer a brown crust on their steaks, others may prefer a milder beef flavor. Try both methods and see which you prefer.
How to Season Steak Experiment – When to Salt Your Steaks, INCREDIBLE!
FAQ
Should you salt beef before cooking?
We have discovered over time that adding salt enhances the texture and flavor of almost all meats. For meats that are already reasonably juicy and/or well-marbled, salting helps proteins retain their own natural juices.
Can you salt beef too early?
Wait to salt until just before cooking if you don’t have time to let the meat sit for at least 40 minutes. Otherwise, you’ll lose some juices and find it harder to get your meat to brown. Don’t salt more than 3 days in advance. It could begin to leatherize as it dries out.
Does salting meat before cooking make it tough?
A representative for the delivery service claimed that “salting raw meat draws out the moisture and dehydrates it, making it tough when cooked.” They advise seasoning the meat after it has been cooked and oiling it beforehand.
What happens if you salt steak too early?
If you salt the meat too soon, it will be dry because salt draws moisture out of the meat. As early as possible; at least a day in advance. Salt dehydrates the meat, but osmosis causes the moisture to be reabsorbed with the salt.