Why You Shouldn't Cook A Steak Right Out Of The Package

Achieving the perfect steak involves more than just an expensive cut or a high-end pan — it's all about the prep work. We spoke with Jennifer Borchardt, culinary director at Pre Brands, to discuss why drying your meat is the most important step you're probably skipping.

"Patting the steaks dry helps to remove moisture from the meat," Borchardt explained. "This is important to do before adding to a high-heat oil as it ensures a better, more even sear on a grill or in a cast iron pan." Failing to dry a steak sabotages your crust and causes seasoning to fall off the meat. While you want to conserve the moisture inside your steak, exterior water, juices, and myoglobin do nothing but undermine its texture and flavor, creating a scenario where you steam the steak rather than sear it.

"It only takes a couple seconds to blot your steak and it really does make a significant difference when it comes to cooking — don't skip this step," Borchardt continued. She recommends patting the meat dry as it comes to room temperature for the best results. Once the surface is moisture-free, you can further upgrade the steak with focused seasoning, allowing salt to penetrate deeply for maximum flavor.

When you cook any meat, you want the interior to be juicy but the exterior to be just dry enough to develop a perfect crust, crispiness, or golden-brown coloring. This can be a tricky balancing act, but if you do it right, you end up with something incredibly delicious.

A seasoning mistake you're probably making with steak is only applying your ingredients right before you cook it. While this flavors the exterior, it doesn't give salt, herbs, and spices the chance to penetrate very deeply. Instead of seasoning it right before it hits the pan, apply your seasonings 30 to 45 minutes beforehand. Not only does this improve your steak's flavor, but it also gives salt the chance to absorb moisture close to your steak's surface, drying it out more thoroughly than a quick pat with paper towels.

If you want some serious extra credit, try dry brining your steaks for an extra-crispy crust. Use a teaspoon of salt per pound of meat and let the steaks sit on a wire rack to ensure proper air flow. Since you can let them dry brine for anywhere between one hour and two days, depending on their thickness, be sure to let them hang out in the fridge. This not only removes any trace of moisture from the exterior, but also introduces plenty of salt to even the very center of your meat, infusing it with incredibly satisfying flavor.