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Why YSK: When you cook meat, any water on the surface must first evaporate before much browning can occur. You want to get as much of a Maillard reaction as possible in the limited cooking time you have before the meat reaches the correct internal temperature. Removing the moisture first means that the heat of the cooking surface isn't wasted on evaporation and can instead interact with the meat to form the complex sugars and proteins of the Maillard reaction.

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[-] RCKLSSBNDN@lemmy.world 73 points 1 year ago

Alternately, if you dry your meat with a duck it will promote the Mallard Reaction.

[-] RotaryKeyboard@lemmy.ninja 12 points 1 year ago

We call that the dryducken method

[-] iNeedScissors67@kbin.social 48 points 1 year ago

And if it's steak especially, leave it out for a half hour to get closer to room temp before cooking.

[-] CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago

Ever since I learned this tip I've been cooking perfect steaks. Makes a huge difference.

[-] flipht@kbin.social 14 points 1 year ago

And you can leave it uncovered in the fridge (use a rack and a drip pan) and the airflow will dry the outside. This gives a better sear overall.

[-] Dabundis@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago

If you don't have the time (or the foresight) to salt it hours ahead, the next best alternative is to salt RIGHT before cooking. If you salt 10-30 minutes before, osmosis will draw moisture out of the meat, which will then either be wiped away or evaporated. Salting hours ahead of time gives the moisture time to diffuse back into the meat with the salt it dissolved.

[-] AngusOReily@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

This is the right tip. If you can't dry brine with salt overnight, then salt right before you hit heat.

That being said, give me a 24 dry brine plus reverse sear any day.

[-] Dabundis@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Absolutely. Long dry brine is the preferred method, but if you just remember an hour before it's rime to cook, it's better to wait until just before it goes in the pan.

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[-] Okwowverygood@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago

This has virtually no impact. Salt is more important.

[-] chaorace@lemmy.sdf.org 9 points 1 year ago

Depends on how you're cooking. It's all about that heat gradient!

Out on an open grill on medium heat for 20 minutes? Yeah, literally zero difference.

Pan fried on a cast-iron skillet that you've cranked up to ludicrous mode? That shit better be room temp if you want the inside to reach a safe temperature!

... and to those of you who cook steak but have never panfried: what are you doing? Get yourself some peanut oil, crank the heat to 11, and get cooking ASAP. Look up a guide because nailing the doneness will be hard, but I guarantee you that you'll become a better cook after a few attempts. It's a rite of passage, my fellow meatheads.

[-] GunnarStahlGloveSide@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago

In the case of your own fried/ludicrous mode example, leaving the steak out at room temperature for even a few hours has basically no effect. It takes a long time for the bulk of the steak to warm any appreciable amount.

https://www.seriouseats.com/old-wives-tales-about-cooking-steak#toc-myth-1-you-should-let-a-thick-steak-rest-at-room-temperature-before-you-cook-it

“After the first 20 minutes—the time that many chefs and books will recommend you let a steak rest at room temperature—the center of the steak had risen…not even a full two degrees…After 1 hour and 50 minutes, the steak was up to 49.6°F in the center”

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[-] Lyon@lemm.ee 43 points 1 year ago

I'm not sure if it is covered in the article but you can achieve extra maillard reaction with a more deeply seasoned, juicer, tender steak with a dry brine.

It's super simple, it just takes time. Salt your steak all over and stick it in the fridge on a wire rack overnight.

If you check the steak within about 3 minutes you'll see the salt drawing out moisture into little beads on the surface. This would be a bad time to cook, you'd lose that moisture and waste energy boiling the surface liquid off your meat, resulting in a grey bland steak. Over the next hour the juices dissolve the salt, making the brine. Leave it for several hours and the salt will diffuse into the meat and... Do science to the protein (read the dry brine article on serious eats, it explains all!). This will make the interior of the steak extra juicy and the exterior extra dry for a great crust. If you put the steak on the rack the circulating air also dries out the surface.

If you're buying a decent steak it's well worth the near zero effort that this takes.

[-] kill_dash_nine@lemm.ee 19 points 1 year ago

For the ultra lazy, typically me but I do love cooking some good steaks so it’s worth the effort, I’m assuming this is it: https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-dry-brine

[-] Lyon@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

That's the one, thanks for linking. I typed that up on my phone and couldn't be bothered finding it, but Lemmy deserves better!

It's a good read, they have some great technique articles.

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[-] Caketaco@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago

Understood: I will freeze dry all meat before cooking it to remove all moisture.

[-] tookmyname@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 year ago

You only want the surface dry.

[-] Caketaco@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago

Gotcha. I’ll carve off the edges of my steak, freeze dry those, and use meat glue to reattach them to the main, non-dried steak after.

[-] Skanky@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago

Why don't you just cover the steak in those silica gel desiccant beads like a normal person? Weirdo.

[-] tookmyname@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

Well that just makes good sense.

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[-] GustavoM@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Finally, an actual and legit YSK. Thank you very much my good sir.

[-] nnrx@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
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[-] Alexmitter@kbin.social 12 points 1 year ago

There are people who cook wet meat? I mean there are people who do not know that baking soda is a wonderful tenderizer.

[-] Dragonmind@lemm.ee 26 points 1 year ago

Hello, I am people

[-] vacuumpizzas@t.bobamilktea.xyz 6 points 1 year ago

Every day, that list of people grows: https://xkcd.com/1053

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[-] Botia@sopuli.xyz 11 points 1 year ago

That is true. I like using a propane torch. The water will evaporate quickly and you get that extra crunch very easily without cooking the inside too much. Especially with with first slow cooked meat and then finish with the torch. Water will evaporate from surface quickly.

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[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Does this apply to ground beef? Cuz I'm curious how I would effectively dry that without just making a mess. Is it just the same as a steak and patting it with a paper towel would be enough?

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[-] Nothing_911@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

thats interesting, now im curious if it would help for mine, i usually put a lite coating of oil on my steaks then cook at 700 degrees, i found the oil helps with the charring but still gets good marks on the meat.

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[-] nednobbins@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Adding some detail. Evaporating water takes way more energy than just heating it up.
When you put energy (heat) into water that's below 100c it gets hotter. When you add 4,184 to a liter of water the temperature goes up by 1c. If the water is already at 100c it takes 2,260,000 to turn that into 100c steam. The energy that goes into turning water into steam isn't going into the steak.
So if you put a wet steak on the grill it will create an insulating layer of steam that keeps the steak at around 100c (even if the pan is above 100c).
That's also why you only salt your steak right before or after heating it. If you let salt sit on the steak it will draw out moisture, reducing the Maillard reaction and drying out the steak.

For a great practical way to grill the steak perfectly, check out videos on "cold searing".

[-] Coffeemonkepants@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

You can and should actually salt your steak several hours before cooking, leaving them uncovered in the fridge. Water will be drawn out, and then reabsorbed along with the salt. Dry the surface and salt again if desired right before cooking.

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[-] auhu@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago

How do I know if the beef is dry?
How do I dry beef?

I tried googling, but I only get results about aged steak. Is that the same thing? I hope not

[-] pazuzu@kbin.social 13 points 1 year ago

To dry the beef you just use a paper towel to pat dry the beef.

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The glass of water should be saved for last, and poured over the steak just before devouring.

Mmmm... Sloppy steaks. The waiters hate em!

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[-] MargotRobbie@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Leave your steak/chops in the fridge either uncovered or loosely with paper towel, and the meat surface should be dried enough to get a good browning.

[-] OsakaWilson@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Does this apply to hamburger too?

[-] SeatBeeSate@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

A good amount of liquid is going to come out of beef regardless. That's why it's good to have a smoking hot pan or grate to start with.

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this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2023
752 points (94.5% liked)

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