When should steak be salted?
There's no simple, universal answer to when the perfect time is to salt a steak, as various factors play an important role. Whether it's about crust, flavors, or perfect seasoning – a steak should still be juicy and tender. That's why we have a short article and even a video on this topic here.
Salting Steak - The Right Salt
To understand which salt is best for a steak, one must first understand that neither fine nor coarse salt is ideal for meat. It doesn't matter whether it's sea salt, evaporated salt, or rock salt. When salting, the salt structure is primarily important. We often recommend Fleur de Sel or other salt flakes, as this seasoning variant particularly enhances the steak's flavor. Because: salt flakes are important.
Flakes penetrate the meat best and emphasize the steak's texture. Salt flakes are also easier to dose and provide a significantly more pleasant mouthfeel. But if classic salt is too boring, you can also use salt with flavor variations. Smoked salt is often recommended here. For more information, we recommend this video.
Salt before or after?
Salting steaks always depends on personal preparation. Nevertheless, there are different approaches to the perfect timing for adding minerals. It is often read that salt should be applied to the meat 40 minutes before grilling. However, this is not entirely correct. There are three possibilities: long before grilling, shortly before grilling, or directly after grilling.
The salt can penetrate the meat via a marinade long before it goes on the grill. Salting while grilling is also possible if you want a salt crust. In this case, the steak is salted shortly beforehand, placed on the grill, and re-salted if necessary.
However, we recommend always salting the steak after grilling. This not only creates a show effect for your guests but also allows for better control of the salt dosage. The reason is: with marinade, it can happen that too much salt is in the oil mixture, and the error is only noticed after preparation, during tasting.
But by then it's too late. If you apply the salt shortly before grilling, a lot of the salt ends up in the grill. The same applies to preparation in a pan. For this reason, our clear recommendation is: salting the steak should only be done after searing, so you have a perfect steak on your plate. We have a detailed video on this here.
Preparing a good steak - Quick Guide
To prepare a good steak, you need either a grill with an indirect and a direct zone or a pan and an oven. This is crucial because you cook the meat both forwards and backward.
This means that the steak is either first seared on all sides and then slowly brought to the desired core temperature, or it is first cooked slowly and then finished with high heat. However, a marinade can be omitted.
If a marinade is still preferred, it must be ensured that the marinade is completely removed from the meat before it goes on the grill or in the pan. It is always important that the meat is dry. Patting it dry beforehand with a kitchen towel is essential. This stifles the risk of a grease fire in the bud. We have a comprehensive video guide on this topic here.
