Adding salt to the exterior of a piece of steak draws out the moisture in the steak. The salt then dissolves in this moisture, creating a brine that is then re-absorbed back into the steak.
“Salt will begin to cook the steak’s surface and release moisture from the muscle if salted too far in advance. Ideally, we want to keep the juices in the steak by salting right before we cook,” Balistreri says. Olivieri concurs. “It’s always good to salt a steak prior to cooking to dry the outside,” says Olivieri.
Salt tenderizes a hunk of meat, or the stalk of fibrous vegetables, in the same way it preserves them. Adding salt to the exterior of a piece of steak draws out the moisture in the steak.
Pre-salting is a good idea for larger cuts of meat, giving the salt more time to penetrate. Be generous, and use a good quality salt. If you’re cooking a smaller steak, don’t salt it too early – otherwise your steak will lose moisture and the meat will actually start to cure, preventing you from getting that beautiful crust on the outside.
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