Dry brining steak is a great way to make sure your steak is super flavorful. Use this method on anything from ribeye to flank to filet cuts – in fact, this will work well on any beef cut! A good dry brine takes anywhere from 24-48 hours but you can short cut it if you need to.
Dry brining may sound time consuming and unnecessary, but it’s a simple step that takes just a bit of forethought for some of the tastiest steak you’ve ever had.
So, what is dry brining? It’s pretty simple: simply liberally seasoning meat with salt or a salt blend.
So what does dry brining achieve? The longer raw meat is exposed to salt, the deeper it can penetrate. Here’s the thing: cooked meat can’t soak up all that salty goodness as well as raw meat does, so it’s important to give it as much time as possible while it’s raw.
How long should I dry brine?
As much time as you can allow for this process is what’s important, but in order to really take advantage and for it to be considered a “dry brine”, you should aim for at least 3 hours, up to 2 days. Yes, that does mean planning ahead!
4.80 stars from 5 reviews
Featured Review
I make a lot of steaks that are only 3/4 inch thick and by the time I get a good sear they are dry and tough to eat. But with the dry brine method I get a very effective sear on both sides right away and can leave it to sear even longer for a great crust and have the steak very juicy on the inside and very tender to eat. I dry brine 3 steaks at a time and fry them at 24, 48 and 72 hours after the initial start of brining after applying the salt. This is the only thing I care to remember so far as to a culinary tip that can be done with steak. Really amazing.
Rod
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How to Dry Brine a Steak
Dry brining is crazy easy. All you need is salt or a seasoned salt in addition to your steak. When it comes to salt, you want the grains to be bigger than table salt. Kosher salt or bigger. I typically use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.
Start by patting the steak dry before seasoning it. This will let the salt better adhere to the meat. I usually use paper towels or a clean dish towel will work, too.
Then generously season your steak with the kosher salt. You don’t need to go crazy, but you should season it well.
Then pop the steak in the fridge, uncovered, for 3-48 hours. The longer you can wait, the more the salt will be able to penetrate into the meat. Ideally, when you remove the meat from the fridge to cook it, you should see few salt granules on the meat and the meat should be darker.
Now, it’s time to cook! I, of course, recommend you sous vide these steaks you’ve taken such care to prepare. I’ve also got sous vide instructions for several different cuts of beef to help you out:
- Sous Vide Flank Steak
- Sous Vide Picanha
- Sous Vide Tri-Tip
- Sous Vide Filet Mignon
- Sous Vide Chuck Roast
- Sous Vide Strip Steak
Common Questions
How long do I need to dry brine?
Dry brine anywhere from 3 hours to 48 hours. I like a 24 hour dry brined steak.
Can I dry brine frozen steak?
You’ll want to defrost the steak at least a bit first so the salt can adhere to the steak, but it doesn’t need to be entirely defrosted.
Do I need to rinse the steak before cooking?
Nope! If there’s still quite a bit of grains of salt visible on the steak and you dry brined for 12 hours or longer, you can wipe these off, but you do not need to (and shouldn’t) rinse the steak.
You can also view this recipe as a step-by-step web story here.
4.80 stars from 5 reviews
Get the Recipe:How to Dry Brine Steak
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Brining Time: 3 hours hrs
Total Time: 3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Print RecipePin RecipeLeave a Review
Dry brining steak is a great way to make sure your steak is super flavorful. Use this method on anything from ribeye to flank to filet cuts – in fact, this will work well on any beef cut! A good dry brine takes anywhere from 24-48 hours but you can short cut it if you need to.
Ingredients
- Paper towels or clean dish towel
- Steak of choice
- Kosher salt or seasoned salt
Equipment
Plate
Refrigerator
Instructions
Pat the steak completely dry with paper towels or a clean dish towel.
Season the steak well with kosher salt or seasoned salt. The steak should be completely coated.
Place on a plate and in the fridge, uncovered. Let sit in the fridge for 3-48 hours.
Cook the steak using your favorite cooking method. I recommend sous vide.
Notes
Salt granules should be bigger than table salt. I recommend kosher salt.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dinner
Author: Chelsea Cole
Did you make this recipe?Mention @aducksoven on Instagram or tag #aducksoven.
Main DishesBeef
originally published on Oct 26, 2022 (last updated Mar 27, 2024)
10 comments Leave a comment »
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10 comments on “How to Dry Brine Steak”
Leave a comment »
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Nannette Tate — Reply
Do I salt both sides of the steak to dry brine
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Chelsea Cole — Reply
Yes – all over! The sides, too.
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Jerry — Reply
Does one remove the salt (rinse off the salt?) before cooking the steak?
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Chelsea Cole — Reply
Nope! If there’s still quite a bit of grains of salt visible on the steak and you dry brined for 12 hours or longer, you can wipe these off, but you do not need to (and shouldn’t) rinse the steak.
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Rod — Reply
Perfect.
Tried 12 times now.
Just perfect.-
Chelsea Cole — Reply
I’m so glad to hear this!!!
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Rod — Reply
Actually, I think I should clarify why my comment was “perfect”.
I make a lot of steaks that are only 3/4 inch thick and by the time I get a good sear they are dry and tough to eat. But with the dry brine method I get a very effective sear on both sides right away and can leave it to sear even longer for a great crust and have the steak very juicy on the inside and very tender to eat. I dry brine 3 steaks at a time and fry them at 24, 48 and 72 hours after the initial start of brining after applying the salt.
This is the only thing I care to remember so far as to a culinary tip that can be done with steak.
Really amazing. -
Matt W — Reply
I’m a big fan of using black and red Hawaiian salt to dry brine. It may be my imagination but I feel like it has more flavor.
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Joe Siemienczuk — Reply
I’ve always used Morton’s Kosher, but just purchased my first box of Diamond. I actually measure the salt, to make sure I get enough on the meat. I’ve found that a slightly rounded teaspoon of Morton’s per pound of protein is about right. I will have to use a little more of Diamond.
I never set the water temp higher than 127F, a little lower for filets mignon. And I usually do a double sear; before and after the bath. I think this adds to food safety, as it kills most of the bacteria on the surface before the bath. I also find that this yields a better sear.
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David Dowling — Reply
Could you provide a more precise measurement of kosher salt. Eg. 2% of weight of protein.
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