Salt
Salt
Salt is a critical component of your food experience, and should not be taken for granted. There are a myriad of ways in which salt interacts with the food you make, and understanding how it functions will allow you to improve the output in the kitchen or on the grill.
Beef on its own has incredible flavor just waiting to be unlocked, however like all meat it is very low in naturally occurring sodium. Salt interacts with the protein in beef to release aroma compounds, meaning that without a good amount of salt, you will taste less of your beef.
In this post, we are going to dive in to some of the critical aspects of salting - what kinds of salt you would want to use (and critically, which ones to avoid), how much to use and when.
What kinds of salt should I use?
At first glance, salt seems pretty straight forward. Salt is salt, right? Not so fast.
Sodium chloride, the primary compound we know as salt primarily functions as a flavor enhancer and moisture regulator in beef. While it can help to break down proteins and release amino acids, its effects are generally more pronounced when used in combination with other minerals and compounds, which will be found in much greater quantities in harvested sea salt. These minerals can help to enhance the flavor and texture of beef by facilitating the breakdown of proteins and the release of amino acids which are then converted into flavorful compounds that our taste buds can detect, a process known as proteolysis.
However, there can be hidden dangers lurking in some of these salts, primary in the form of heavy metals and microplastics. While these certainly pose systemic risks to our health, it should be noted that our salt intake is going to usually remain low as a relative amount of total consumption each day. Even so, finding salts that can strike a balance between higher minerality with low heavy metals and microplastics is the optimal approach.
There’s also table, salt manufactured with consistency and “purity” in mind. Sadly these will often include all sorts of unwarranted additives:
anti-caking agents like calcium silicate, sodium aluminosilicate to prevent clumping
fluoride added to purportedly prevent tooth decay (the research on this appears far from conclusive, and recent research points at it lowering IQ)
Not only do salts have different compositions, they also take on a myriad of shapes. There’s fine grain and coarse grain which most people are already familiar with. Then there is kosher salt, which has a more irregular shape making it easier to pinch with your fingers and sprinkle more evenly on your food. Finally there is flake salt that can add incredible texture when sprinkled on just before serving.
For every day use, Diamond Crystal salt works great, however it’s owned by Cargill which is one of the more evil food conglomerates so there’s a tradeoff there. For unrefined mineral sea salt, I have been testing out Baja Gold which has amazing flavor. There are other mineral sea salts from further down the mexican coast near Colima that also seem promising. For flake salt Maldon is a mainstay, and although they have had some questionable lab tests that may indicate higher lead content, when used sparingly this issue is diminuitive.
How much salt should I use and when?
When it comes to the amount of salt, a general rule of thumb is to use 4-5 grams of per pound (10 grams per kilo) for beef. This can vary a bit depending on the type of cook you intend to do. A roast seemingly requires more salt, but that’s in part because there’s a good deal of braising liquid that will need to also be sufficiently salted.
The question on when to salt is dependent on what kind of cut you're salting. For larger roast cuts, a dry brine overnight will allow for greater penetration of the salt into the meat. For steak cuts you can either dry brine or just wait to salt before serving. The main difference here is that a roast will often be a thicker cut and needs more time for the salt to penetrate into the cut of meat. (In all honesty, you can often get away with only salting a steak after it has been cooked, this also allows you to use more flaky salt which adds a nice textural element).
If you have opted to dry brine, you should have at least 3-4 hours of time to let it absorb, and preferably 12-18 hours. Going longer than 24 can lead to a ham-like texture and flavor that may not be as desirable.
The Purpose of the Primal Cut Sheet
This is part of an ongoing series that aims to provide you with all of the information you will need to start buying high-quality beef in bulk directly from a local producer.
If you’re looking to buy in bulk right away and would like some personalized assistance, I also offer 1:1 consultations to help you navigate cut sheets or answer any other questions you might have:
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