Tips For Salting Your Steak

Before diving into this blog, let’s do a quick thought exercise. Think about the best steak you’ve ever had. It was probably a piece of grass fed and finished beef, crispy and crunchy on the outside and nice and red and juicy on the inside. You’ve probably wondered how steakhouse chefs get this perfect cook every time in between bites and assumed it was a result of years of training and culinary know-how that’s a secret to you. Well, not necessarily! It’s actually much simpler than you think, and that “secret” is actually salt.

Knowing how to salt your grass fed and finished beef properly is the first and most important step in knowing how to properly cook up a steakhouse quality piece of meat yourself. Salt has been used for thousands of years to tenderize meat and boost its natural flavor, and, when done right, salting your steaks will take them to the next level. Here, we’ll be going over how salt tenderizes, how it adds flavor, and the proper way to salt your grass fed and finished beef so you can cook yourself a great meal and impress friends and family!

How Salt Tenderizes

Adding salt to the outside of a piece of steak draws out the moisture within it. The salt then dissolves into the moisture, creating a sort of brine that is then reabsorbed back into the piece of meat. This process breaks down the lean muscle proteins in the steak, making it much more tender and juicier.

How Does Salt Add Flavor?

The increased juiciness will increase the flavor of your grass fed and finished beef or any piece of beef for that matter, but that’s not the only way salt adds flavor. Salt has an interesting complementary relationship with our taste buds because saltiness is one of the five most basic flavors we taste, alongside bitterness, sweetness, sourness, and savoriness (also called umami). Salt is different from these other flavors because it can “open up” our taste buds and improve the taste of foods by making them less one-dimensional. This is why so many recipes call for salt and why it was once traded for gold in some parts of the world back in ancient times.

How and When to Salt a Steak

Salting a steak is a very simple process. Simply sprinkle a tablespoon of salt onto both sides of your grass fed and finished beef, and then leave it uncovered in the refrigerator on a wire rack to allow time for the salt to draw out the moisture, dissolve, and then reabsorb. Be sure to do this 24 hours before you plan on cooking your beef so there is sufficient time for this culinary magic to happen. However, if you’re short on time for some reason, you should salt your beef at least 40 minutes before cooking. Ideally, you’ll remember to prep your grass fed and finished beef ahead of time, but if not, salting the meat directly before cooking is your best route.

We want to help you enjoy your Pre grass fed and finished beef as best as possible, and even something as simple as a little salt will go a long way. We have a passion for all the little things that go into making food taste amazing, and we want to share that passion with you. Order a box of steaks from us today and use your newfound culinary expertise to cook up an amazing dish for your friends and family!