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Started resting my cast iron pork chops for 10 minutes before searing and the crust finally stayed on instead of peeling off
I was getting so frustrated with my chops releasing all their juice and turning into steamed meat in the pan until a butcher at the HEB in Austin told me to just let them sit on the counter for 10 minutes after salting, has anyone else found a weird timing trick that fixed a recurring problem?
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gavin_reed2d ago
Wait, who told you that? I read this whole thing on Serious Eats where they tested letting meat sit after salting, and the 10 minute rest actually lets the salt draw moisture out and then get reabsorbed so it seasons deeper. If you skip that window and just throw it in the pan, the salt pulls moisture straight to the surface during cooking and you get that wet, peeling crust every time. I started doing exactly what you described with all my steaks too, not just pork chops. Just salt them, leave them alone for exactly 10 minutes, pat them dry with paper towels, then sear. Never had a crust peel again. The trick is timing it right so the surface is dry before hitting the heat.
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