Immediately after salting, the salt rests on the surface of
the meat, undissolved. All the steak’s juices are still inside
the muscle fibers. So searing at this stage results in a
clean, hard sear.
- Within 3 or 4 minutes, the salt, through the process of
osmosis, will begin to draw out liquid from the beef, and
this liquid beads up on the surface of the meat. Try to sear
at this point, and you waste valuable heat energy simply
evaporating this pooled liquid. The pan temperature drops,
your sear is not as hard, and crust development and
flavor-building Maillard browning reactions are inhibited. - At around 10 to 15 minutes, the brine formed by the salt
dissolving in the meat’s juices will begin to break down
the muscle structure of the beef, causing it to become
much more absorptive. Then the brine begins to slowly
work its way back into the meat. - After 40 minutes, most of the liquid has been reabsorbed
into the meat. A small degree of evaporation has also
occurred, causing the meat to be ever-so-slightly more
concentrated in flavor.
Not only that, but I found that even once the liquid has
been reabsorbed, it doesn’t stop there. As the meat
continues to rest past 40 minutes, the salt will slowly work
its way deeper and deeper into its muscle structure, giving
you built-in seasoning beyond just the outer surface you get
if cooking right after salting.
The absolute best steak I had was one that I salted on both
sides and allowed to rest, uncovered, on a rack in the
refrigerator overnight. It appeared to dry out slightly, but