Salting meat tip from Jamie Purviance


 

Joan

TVWBB Hall of Fame
I thought this deserved repeating. Originally posted by Jamie 4-20-17 in reply to a question about salting meat. Also a good basting recipe from him.

Ha! Scott, I think a lot of us are looking for one perfectly clear, final answer. I do believe that salting meat before grilling improves the flavor. Typically I season steaks and chops and things like that about 30 minutes before grilling. That's the first thing I do. Then I go light my grill and pop open a beverage. The grill gets hot, I get happy, and some juices in the meat do get drawn toward the salt. They create a salty solution on the surface that does get (at least partially) absorbed into the meat. Now you have some salt down inside the meat and that's awesome. Don't worry about drying out the meat. That would take several hours, if not days, depending on the type of meat and size of it. Now we are getting into all kinds of variables and my perfectly clear answer become a muddy digression, so I'll leave it here. Salt your meat about 30 minutes before grilling. It's good that way.

Oh, and here's another tip. It's one of my Top Five Tips for Grilling Like an Expert, which you can read in full in "Weber's Greatest Hits."

Baste with Love Potion #10
One of the surest ways of making food taste as though you are a five-star chef is to baste it with something outrageously good, like gloriously seasoned fat. Start by browning whole garlic cloves in butter or extra-virgin olive oil, and then simmer the mixture for a few minutes with fresh herbs sprigs, half a lemon, and some spices. A little pot of this potion beside the grill could be your little secret for adding glistening layers of out-of-this-world flavors.

Thanks,
Jamie
 
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I do salt the meat before grilling. I do like the love potion baste idea. Will try it once we’re home from vacation.
 
I use different rubs even when grilling meats... I always apply the rub beforehand. and they all contain salt !
 
I use different rubs even when grilling meats... I always apply the rub beforehand. and they all contain salt !

Kenji and Meathead are big proponents of pre-salting (i.e. dry brining).

I always omit the salt when I make my own batches of rub. So I have a jar of POG (not SPOG) on the shelf.

There's no advantage to adding non-salt spices in advance. So I salt first, then add spice rub later.
 

 

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