The Major Prep Mistake That's Drying Out Your Steak

While prepping your steak ensures maximum flavor, there is such a thing as over-prepping. There are plenty of mistakes you should avoid while cooking steak, but there's one in particular you should avoid while prepping it. Food Republic spoke with Gabriel Laredo of Meat N' Bone to learn why you should never trim too much fat off a cut.

"Here's the deal — fat is what keeps your steak juicy and packed with flavor," Laredo said. "As it cooks, that fat melts down, essentially basting the meat from the inside, keeping it tender and rich. Plus, a little fat adds that deep, beefy flavor you just can't fake." Even though not everyone enjoys a chunk of steak fat, it's best to cut it away after cooking your cut rather than before. The side of steak you cook first matters, so feel free to lay the fattier side against the cooking surface first to render more into pure flavor.

"You want to trim off any thick, hard fat that won't render down, but leave about ¼ inch around the edges," Laredo told us. "That's the sweet spot — it'll melt just right without making your steak greasy or causing crazy flare-ups on the grill." If you don't enjoy steak fat, ¼ inch is the absolute minimum to ensure great flavor, juiciness, and texture. But when it comes to intramuscular fat, Laredo only had one thing to say: "That's the good stuff. Leave it alone — that's where the magic happens."

Even if you are the most diehard enthusiast of lean red meat who has ever lived, you should never try to remove a steak's marbling. Not only does this remove tons of flavor from a source that will likely just render away on a grill, but you'll also decimate the cut. There's simply no way to remove intramuscular fat while maintaining its shape, so you'll just be left with a slab of steak riddled with holes.

And if you thought trimming too much exterior fat leaves you with a dry steak, it's much worse when you remove marbling. As Gabriel Laredo pointed out, a fat cap bastes your steak as it cooks. However, marbling melts directly into the muscle fibers, infusing it with flavor and moisture. Plus, whatever doesn't melt into the meat renders back into the pan, adding to the flavor and moisture produced by fat caps. This is a major reason why cuts like ribeye are so prized — they're hard to dry out even when cooked well done.

Choosing the perfect steak at the store starts with knowing the type of cut you want. Rather than butchering a pricey, marbled cut, purchase a lean one instead. To avoid compromising on flavor and juiciness, you can always cook it in plenty of additional fat like butter or beef tallow to mimic the flavors of marbled meat. Since lean cuts won't render out much fat, you can take this opportunity to add new tastes with duck fat or flavorful high-heat oils.