# Salting Meat Before Grilling
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [June 24, 2011, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677 "2011-06-24T06:00:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/1 "2011-06-24T06:00:08Z")
OK, so I understand the desire to lightly salt a decent steak before grilling.
[http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/don-t-grill-cold-meat-and-10-other-surprising-tips-to-perfect-steak-2499535/#photoViewer=4](http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/don-t-grill-cold-meat-and-10-other-surprising-tips-to-perfect-steak-2499535/#photoViewer=4) (see slide 4).
But we don’t use salt when we cook. Period. Any recipes we follow we ignore the part about using salt. Since we stopped using salt we find the actual food flavors are much more pronounced.
I’m willing to give this a try but I’m concerned is I will taste the salt and that will kill my enjoyment.
Thoughts?
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/2 "2011-06-24T06:26:06Z")
It will be saltier. It changes the flavor of the meat on the surface by starting to cure it. The outer layer of the meat will absorb some of the salt, which will give it a higher moisture content. The flavor will be somewhat different as it cooks and browns. Would it hurt you to try something a little salty? In this case, it’s really the flavor difference.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/3 "2011-06-24T07:01:59Z")
It’ll be fine. You don’t _need_ salt to cook an edible steak. I do think it helps tremendously in terms of flavor and somewhat in terms of texture, but I’ve done it without to no problem. If any trace of salt bothers you then, yes, you’re going to notice it if you salt a steak. Personally, I find salt amplifies the taste of the food I’m eating, but people on low-sodium diets do apparently become very sensitive to it. So just do without. Buy yourself a nice piece of meat and enjoy it.
The only place it becomes a problem may be with salty marinades and definitely with brines (although you don’t generally brine steak.) With marinades, you have the acid breaking down proteins, but you also have some osmotic action with the salt, which draws moisture and flavor into the meat. Without the salt, as far as I understand it, you’ll have difficulty achieving the same sort of marinade penetration and some of the moisture-retaining effects. If you like your steak well-done, this may be an issue; if you like it medium-rare or rarer, it should not affect your enjoyment. (I do not like my steaks marinated, personally, unless they’re not particularly good cuts of beef.)
As I’m sure you know, a lot of commercial chicken, turkey, and pork is already injected with a salt-water solution precisely to help the meat retain moisture when it’s cooked to the well-done stage. I don’t think this is as common with beef, but you should always read the packaging to make sure it doesn’t say something like “enhanced with up to x% of flavor-enhancing solution” or something to that effect.
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### Author:  [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/4 "2011-06-24T07:33:42Z")
I don’t agree with their recommendation to salt the meat twice. I find a light salting about an hour before cooking, or a heavier salting immediately before cooking, is good, but doing both would make it too salty in my opinion, and I like salt.
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### Author:  [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/5 "2011-06-24T11:29:49Z")
Eating food without salt? Is life worth it?
I don’t know whether doing it in advance is going to make a significant difference, but I think meat without salt is a waste of meat.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/6 "2011-06-24T15:16:24Z")
> [@chaoticbear](#):
>
> Eating food without salt? Is life worth it?
>
> I don’t know whether doing it in advance is going to make a significant difference, but I think meat without salt is a waste of meat.
Ditto. Salt makes food _food_.
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### Author:  [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/7 "2011-06-24T15:21:17Z")
> [@chaoticbear](#):
>
> Eating food without salt? Is life worth it?
>
> I don’t know whether doing it in advance is going to make a significant difference, but I think meat without salt is a waste of meat.
No, life isn’t worth it. This fear of salt is ridiculous; second one I’ve read this week on the dope. It is one of the most basic taste receptors on our tongue. It is necessary for the body (even for those with high blood pressure - no salt is bad). Worried about too much? Eat less processed foods and control the application. But don’t skip it.
Like the article says, salting the meat (any meat) from 30 minutes to a few hours (depending on type and size of meat) before cooking does indeed help it to retain moisture. Salt, via the process of osmosis, can also help to bring flavors deeper into the meat, so rub a little garlic (or whatever spices you are fond of) on it when you salt it. An exception to this is hamburger. Only salt hamburger when you are ready to cook. I wish I could find the site, but if you saw what salting burgers and letting them sit does to the meat, you would understand.
That said, I do not salt a second time for a crust. A grill hot enough to melt the One Ring and a generous dusting of coarsely freshly ground (or if you are lazy, bottled coarse ground, but not fine ground) pepper will do the job of creating a crust nicely. I’ll also add a dash of cayenne because I like spicy. I also disagree about not using a foil tent (#11). A vented foil tent (i.e. poke some holes in it) will keep the steak warmer. I personally find that without a tent, the steak cools too much…YMMV. They do show, but don’t mention, keeping the steak from sitting in its juices. That is good, as it helps preserve the crust. I use a wire rack, though I’ve improvised with wood skewers when one wasn’t available.
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### Author:  [@Profound\_Gibberish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profound_Gibberish)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/8 "2011-06-24T15:38:46Z")
Salt once with kosher salt about 30 minutes ahead of time. It will extract the juices and proteins from the surface to help build a nice crust.
As for salt in food, I know several people who do not use salt when cooking. And their food consistently tastes lifeless. Salt helps to pull flavors out of food (osmosis) and helps to marry the disparate flavors together for a pleasing whole. What I get when I taste food cooked without salt is the rather uninteresting flavor of each element, but no harmony.
Reducing salt for health reasons (fluid retention, heart disease) is one thing, but reasonable salt intake in a healthy individual with no history of heart disease is in no way harmful over time and actually very necessary for life. As an RN, I find it very common for people to avoid something they heard was bad for people with certain diseases, thinking that avoiding it will actually prevent that disease. That is not how it works. Salt does not cause disease, it exacerbates a disease you may already have. But you won’t know that until you go to the doctor and get a diagnosis and then make necessary lifestyle changes.
If you do want to use salt, use kosher or large grain salt. It melts on the food slower allowing a melding of the salt and food in the mouth, is not iodized so no metallic flavor, and you actually tend to use less of it because the grains are larger. I am a big believer in “Everything in Moderation.”
End of Sermon 😉
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### Author:  [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/9 "2011-06-24T17:07:26Z")
Salt adds flavor.
For health reasons I try to avoid using salt altogether. But certain meals I prepare like sphaghetti sauces, soups need salt. I’ve tried cooking them without salt but there’s no comparison to these meals when salt is added. It taste that much better IMO.
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### Author:  [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/10 "2011-06-24T17:27:09Z")
A new study recently seemed to show that those persons who consumed the least salt were _more_ likely to die of heart attacks, not less likely. And there is still a debate about whether limiting salt intake helps lower blood pressure at all.
[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/04/health/research/04salt.html](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/04/health/research/04salt.html)
The article is interesting.
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### Author:  [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/11 "2011-06-24T18:50:30Z")
I think there’s a lot of confusion surrounding low salt diets. My father eats a “low salt” diet but in reality that doesn’t mean he does not have any salt. It means he has zero to near-zero processed foods. So many people eat so many processed foods that “low salt” means “no taste” to them.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/12 "2011-06-24T18:57:12Z")
> [@Duckster](#):
>
> OK, so I understand the desire to lightly salt a decent steak before grilling.
>
> [Yahoo Health: Advice and Reviews on Nutrition, Fitness, Sleep, Aging, Well Being and More](http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/don-t-grill-cold-meat-and-10-other-surprising-tips-to-perfect-steak-2499535/#photoViewer=4) (see slide 4).
>
> But we don’t use salt when we cook. Period. Any recipes we follow we ignore the part about using salt. Since we stopped using salt we find the actual food flavors are much more pronounced.
>
> I’m willing to give this a try but I’m concerned is I will taste the salt and that will kill my enjoyment.
>
> Thoughts?
It’s obvious: pepper makes things taste like pepper. Cinnamon makes things taste like cinnamon. Sugar makes things taste like sugar (sweet). Mustard makes things taste like mustard. So salt makes things taste like salt.
Now, you may like the taste of salt. That’s fine. But no one should pretend that it adds anything other that saltiness to food.
I’m like you – I never add salt\* to my food. It tastes delicious without it. With steak, you get to taste the steak, not the salt.
(As for the “drawing out juices” – does salt make them magically appear where there were none? No. The juices are already in the meat and you can taste them just fine without the salt.)
\*One exception: potato latkes; I’ll add about a quarter teaspoon to a half dozen potatoes.
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### Author:  [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/13 "2011-06-24T19:25:43Z")
_“…and let the meat rest.”_
Indeed! The meat had a long day.
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### Author:  [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/14 "2011-06-24T19:33:34Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> Now, you may like the taste of salt. That’s fine. But no one should pretend that it adds anything other that saltiness to food.
Actually, there is research to show that salt enhances other flavors by suppressing bitter taste perception and by increasing the aroma for some flavors.
Aha! [The Master speaks.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2718/is-sea-salt-better-for-you-than-regular-salt)
> [@](#):
>
> [A]dding NaCl to some foods can increase the volatility of certain chemical compounds, meaning the molecules are more easily released to the air, and of course aroma is an important part of the taste experience. Finally, studies have shown the sodium in salt can suppress bitter tastes.
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### Author:  [@Profound\_Gibberish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profound_Gibberish)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/15 "2011-06-24T19:33:38Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> It’s obvious: pepper makes things taste like pepper. Cinnamon makes things taste like cinnamon. Sugar makes things taste like sugar (sweet). Mustard makes things taste like mustard. So salt makes things taste like salt.
>
> Now, you may like the taste of salt. That’s fine. But no one should pretend that it adds anything other that saltiness to food.
I have to take exception to that statement. Salt helps to combine flavors that ordinarily would not combine, and does assist in drawing out moisture from meats and (especially) vegetables, when cooked in moisture.
Everyone has sensitivities and proclivities to certain tastes and textures. So when taste is concerned we can certainly agree to disagree, but science backs up that salt chemically interacts with food and makes it taste better to the majority of humans.
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### Author:  [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/16 "2011-06-24T19:35:29Z")
Let me just throw this out.
A friend of mine got on real health kick. All fresh meat, fish, fruits, produce blah blah blah. NO salt added. He just about killed himself.
Its fine if you decide to limit your salt intake. Just please make sure your getting ENOUGH. Getting your electrolytes out of balance is damn good way to end up in the hospital and maybe even the morgue.
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### Author:  [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/17 "2011-06-24T19:45:47Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> It’s obvious: pepper makes things taste like pepper. Cinnamon makes things taste like cinnamon. Sugar makes things taste like sugar (sweet). Mustard makes things taste like mustard. So salt makes things taste like salt.
>
> Now, you may like the taste of salt. That’s fine. But no one should pretend that it adds anything other that saltiness to food.
That is just [wrong (Cook’s Illustrated subscription site)](http://www.cooksillustrated.com/howto/detail.asp?docid=1364):
> [@](#):
>
> _Can I omit the salt in cake and cookie recipes?_
> Salt is a flavor enhancer that is just as important in sweet foods as it is in savory ones, so we assumed that a cake or cookie made without salt wouldn’t taste as good as one that included it. Still, we wanted to understand exactly how the flavor would change. To do so, we tasted two batches of yellow layer cake and sugar cookies: one batch with salt, the other without.
>
> The flavor differences in the cake, which called for 3/4 teaspoon salt, were astounding. The cake prepared without salt tasted blandly sweet “like cotton candy.” Tasters called it “mild,” “flat,” “dull,” and “boring” and could barely detect any vanilla flavor. The cake that included salt was also sweet, but the flavors of butter and vanilla were much more balanced and pronounced…
>
> How does salt work its magic? While many cooks think of salt as simply a flavor enhancer, it can also mask less agreeable tastes like bitterness…
or [this](http://www.cooksillustrated.com/howto/detail.asp?docid=1626):
> [@](#):
>
> _Can salt mask bitterness?_
> Researchers investigating methods for making bitter medications more palatable have discovered that salt can mask bitter flavors. According to one research group, for example, sodium can reduce the perceived bitterness of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, by more than 50 percent. To see if salt might have the same effect on bitter-tasting foods, we performed a blind taste test of several, including coffee and eggplant, to which we added either salt or sugar. With the addition of 1/4 teaspoon salt per pint, the perceived bitterness of the coffee was cut in half. Salt also reduced the perceived bitterness of eggplant.
I’m like you – I never add salt\* to my food. It tastes delicious without it. With steak, you get to taste the steak, not the salt.
> [@](#):
>
> (As for the “drawing out juices” – does salt make them magically appear where there were none? No. The juices are already in the meat and you can taste them just fine without the salt.)
It flavors the meat thoroughly. Salting close to cooking pulls out proteins that help the sear. But using it as a brine (wet or dry), especially on lean cuts of meat like chicken and pork, allows the meat fibers to hold more liquid than they normally could by literally changing their structure (source: Alton Brown I’m Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking). This means that meats (especially chicken) can still be moist while hitting the required temperatures. Lastly, through osmosis, salt can carry a host of flavors into the center of large cuts of meat.
This isn’t opinion. This is science. You may have trained _ **yourself** _ away from the taste of salt on certain items, but that doesn’t change the science.
ETA: **dbx820** beat me to the punch. I guess I type too much 😛
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### Author:  [@Profound\_Gibberish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profound_Gibberish)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/18 "2011-06-24T19:59:44Z")
[QUOTE= ETA: **dbx820** beat me to the punch. I guess I type too much :P[/QUOTE]
I obviously don’t have enough real work to do. . . .😛
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/19 "2011-06-24T20:02:54Z")
We’ve gone over this many times in the past with **RealityChuck** , but he seems to remain unconvinced.
I personally do not feel salt just makes things taste like salt unless you overuse it. HOWEVER, as I said above, people who have weaned themselves off salt seem to have much lower thresholds for where salt stops acting as a “flavor amplifies/enhancer” and where it starts just tasting of itself. What I find unbearably salty, my SO finds just right. However I do find that some salt is absolutely required to make things taste right. For example, I’ve accidentally baked bread without the salt, and it tasted so bland, I had to toss it out. Sprinkling salt on it or using a salted butter didn’t work. The bread didn’t taste right. It wasn’t because it didn’t taste “salty” to me, it just tasted horrifically bland.
I feel the same way about vinegar and sour flavors and even sugar. Judicious amounts of those don’t make food taste like vinegar or sugar, but rather enhance flavors. I (and many chefs) consider acidi to be as important a flavoring component as salt. The object is not to make the food taste obviously sour or obviously salty, but to just stimulate the taste buds and enhance the overall flavor of the dish.
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### Author:  [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salting-meat-before-grilling/586677/20 "2011-06-24T21:33:43Z")
Good point regarding acid in food, as well. A splash of lemon juice or vinegar when I’m cooking green vegetables, especially, doesn’t scream “lemon” to me, just “delicious”.
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