What is the Key to a Juicy Steak?

What is the key to a juicy steak? That picture above makes you think it’s cross hatch grill marks (or possibly tomatoes), but I’m afraid that searing is not the key to a juicy steak. Neither are the tomatoes. I hear all the time that searing seals in the juices. Gotta sear/seal in those juices! But that’s a myth. Alton Brown showed that searing actually takes more juices out of the steak than simply broiling it.

So after a Hard Day’s Night, why not broil the steak? Because not enough juices are removed from searing to make a difference in the finished product and the benefits of searing far outweigh a little liquid loss. Namely the Maillard Reaction, which is to say the browning of the meat that caramelizes the proteins and makes them oh so delicious. Those beautiful cross hatch grill marks make for great presentation AND better flavor:

So far we’ve learned that searing does not seal in the juices, but does make the steak taste better.  So what is the key to a juicy steak? It doesn’t start with the prep, doesn’t really involve the grilling process at all. The key to a juicy steak is patience after the meat comes off the grill. In the immortal words of the Beatles, when the steak comes off the grill, Let It Be! It’s called resting:

Resting is the key to a juicy steak. See, when the steak comes off that wicked hot grill, the juices inside are in an excited state. In fact they are practically frantic in there. They are looking for any chance to get out of that steak. Cut into the steak right away and the juices will have their exit. They will run all over the plate or cutting board. Letting the steak rest, allows those juices to calm down. Some might say, Come Together. They relax and redistribute throughout the meat. Once they redistribute, each bite will be juicy.

So next time you want to grill the perfect steak, Don’t Let Me Down and Let It Be, I mean rest. You’ll be happier for it and the steak will be juicier. This applies to a steak grilled a beautiful rare such as the ones pictured here, as well as one grilled to well done. Even a well done steak has juices, albeit not as much as a rare steak, that want to get out.

For a more detailed explanation on how to make the perfect steak, click here for a primer on the perfect steak.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them below or shoot me an email. Also, please share this knowledge on whichever social media platforms you subscribe to. We would really appreciate it.

The End to this post and my little Beatles tribute. I’ll Be On My Way…

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Scott Thomas

Scott Thomas, the Original Grillin’ Fool, was sent off to college with a suitcase and a grill where he overcooked, undercooked and burned every piece of meat he could find. After thousands of failures, and quite a few successes, nearly two decades later he started a website to show step by step, picture by picture, foolproof instructions on how to make great things out of doors so that others don’t have to repeat the mistakes he’s made on the grill.

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BBQ Grilling

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This article was initially published on: February 1, 2014