The Ribeye Steak Cooking Mistake Almost Everyone Makes

Ribeye is one of the absolute best cuts of steak out there (it's certainly my favorite), so if you're going to cook it at home, you definitely don't want to screw it up. You'll want to sear it properly to achieve a flavorful outer crust. The Takeout spoke to Executive Chef Jeffrey Williams of the Washington, D.C. restaurant Willowsong about what to steer clear of when trying to achieve that glorious caramelized exterior, and it all comes down to a few basics when prepping your meat.

Williams says that you really want to avoid any kind of excess moisture when you sear your ribeye. That means a wet marinade is only going to hurt your end result. Thankfully, all it takes to keep your beef dry is just a little common sense. In a restaurant environment, Williams says, "To add flavor and a nice crust we ... open air dry our steaks before service, meaning we have them on racks with just the fans from the coolers blowing. It gives the steak a natural crust that is only accentuated while cooking."

Since most of us don't have walk-in coolers at home, he explains that all you need to do is rest your steak on a wire rack in a small tray in your fridge. The wire rack allows any excess liquid to drip off. Williams suggests leaving the steak that way for at least a few hours, as the dry surface prior to cooking will make a big difference.

The fact that you should never marinate ribeye doesn't mean that you can't get maximum flavor out of it, however. If you have enough time, all you need to do is dry brine your steak, aka salting it generously beforehand and then leaving it to dry out in your refrigerator as Jeffrey Williams recommends. The salt will draw out moisture from the beef, which will in turn dissolve the salt grains. That new liquid will then be soaked back into the beef, seasoning it from the inside out. Just be sure to let it sit for at least 45 minutes, because if you try and cook it too early, the surface of the meat will still be wet as the salt draws moisture out of the steak during that beginning stage.

Then, the extra time in the refrigerator will allow the surface to dry. That'll make all the difference before you sear it. If you want to add a final layer of flavor, you can fat flash the steak using some aromatics like garlic and fresh green herbs such as thyme or rosemary.