Pay attention. I’ll hold this straightforward, as a result of somebody must say it loud sufficient to echo by way of each yard, kitchen, campsite, and forged iron sear session from coast to coast.

Do. Not. Tent. Your. Steak. With. Foil. (Or with the rest, for that matter.)

Not after you prepare dinner it, not whereas it is “resting,” not as a result of your uncle with the Bluetooth meat thermometer says it “locks within the juices.” It would not. It locks in steam. And steam? Steam is the enemy of crispness. Whether or not you prepped your steak on the grill or in a pan, you didn’t simply prepare dinner it—you cast a crust: darkish and crackly, blistered and buttery, edged with char, and shimmering with rendered fats. You wished that sharp, scorching armor of taste. You wished a steak, not a sauna.

That Crust You Labored So Exhausting For? You are Steaming It to Loss of life.

That superb brown crust—the one you bought from searing in a ripping-hot pan or over blazing coals—is fabricated from magic: browned proteins, caramelized sugars, and Maillard response glory. However that magic is fragile. One whiff of steam and it turns flabby, comfortable, and sadder than a soggy French fry on the backside of the takeout bag.

And let’s not neglect: You most likely dropped good cash on that superbly marbled rib-eye or that thick, glistening strip steak. Why spend $25+ on a reduce of beef simply to smother it underneath a chunk of foil prefer it’s leftovers from a potluck? That crust is your funding return, and foil is the quickest solution to burn it. So, I am imploring you, cease melting that scrumptious crust into mediocrity.

“However My Steak Will Get Chilly!”

Will it? Possibly just a little. However the meat additionally continues to prepare dinner whereas it rests—a course of known as carryover cooking, which occurs as a result of the warmth on the floor strikes inward. If something, you need your steak to chill barely to keep away from overshooting your superb doneness.

Resting uncovered nonetheless permits the steak’s inner temperature to rise, simply not an excessive amount of—cowl it with foil, although, and you have principally constructed a mini Straightforward-Bake Oven. The tented setting retains cooking your steak into the well-done zone, even in case you pulled it off at medium-rare. (RIP.)

“However I Need It to Keep Juicy!”

Nice. So do I. And what helps with that? Letting the steak relaxation, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes. That is it. No house blankets essential.

Juices do not stay within the steak as a result of it is coated like a tragic meat igloo—they keep in as a result of the muscle fibers have time to loosen up and reabsorb them. No foil wanted. Simply give it a minute. Endurance is scrumptious.

Strategies to Hold the Rested Meat Sizzling and Crispy

Okay, so perhaps you cooked a couple of steaks forward for a cocktail party. Possibly you are busy multitasking and the steaks have rested a couple of minutes longer than supposed, and also you’re nervous they will not be piping scorching. Do not panic and do not attain for the foil.

As an alternative, do what the restaurant professionals do: It is known as the fats flash, and we at Severe Eats like it. Simply earlier than serving, reheat just a little beef fats or butter in a pan till it is scorching and shimmery—then pour that luscious liquid gold over your resting steak. It will immediately re-crisp and add richness with out the chance of steam injury.

Alternatively, toss that steak again underneath a scorching broiler or over direct warmth on a grill for 30 seconds per aspect. To not prepare dinner it extra—simply to get up that crust and reheat the steak barely.

The Backside Line

In the event you keep in mind nothing else, keep in mind this: Steam just isn’t your steak’s good friend. Steam is for greens. Steam is for dumplings. Steam just isn’t for steak.

• By no means tent your steak with foil. It kills the crust and overcooks the inside.
• After cooking, let the steak relaxation uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Need to serve it scorching and crispy? Fats flash it or give it a fast blast underneath the broiler or on the grill.

So subsequent time you pull a scorching magnificence off the grill or out of the pan, do the appropriate factor. Put it on a plate (or higher but, a wire rack, which can hold it even crispier by permitting air to flow into across the steak) and stroll away. Pour your self a drink. Let it relaxation, uncovered, and when it is time to eat, you are assured a stunning crust. Your steak deserves higher than a foil tent. And albeit, so do you.

July, 2025