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Slicing a juicy grilled steak against the grain on a wooden cutting board

Tender Steak (Dry-Brined, Frequent-Flip Method)

Any steak cooked tender with a 24-hour dry brine or a soy marinade for lean cuts, seared with the 60-second flip method, pulled by temperature, rested and sliced against the grain.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 2
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 steaks 10 to 12 ounces each, 1¼ to 1½ inches thick (ribeye or New York strip)
  • 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt 1½ teaspoons if using Morton's
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper for after searing
  • Flaky sea salt for finishing
Optional Marinade (for flank, top sirloin or flat iron):
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves grated
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Method
 

  1. Choose the cut: marbled ribeye or strip for the dry brine; flank, flat iron or sirloin for the marinade.
  2. Dry brine: salt all sides, set on a rack over a tray, refrigerate uncovered 24 hours (45 minutes minimum, 48 hours maximum). Or marinate lean cuts 2 to 8 hours in the whisked marinade.
  3. Temper the steak at room temperature for 45 minutes, then pat completely dry.
  4. Heat a cast iron skillet until just smoking; add the avocado oil and the steaks.
  5. Flip every 60 seconds until the pull temperature is reached: 115–120°F rare, 125–130°F medium-rare, 135–140°F medium, 145–150°F medium-well. Render the fat cap with tongs for 30 seconds.
  6. Pepper both sides, then rest on a warm rack, loosely tented, for 10 minutes.
  7. Slice ½-inch thick against the grain, fan the slices and finish with flaky sea salt.

Notes

Salt by weight of steak (1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal per pound); Morton kosher is denser, so use less.
Pepper goes on after searing so it blooms instead of burning.
Resting adds 5-10°F of carryover heat — always pull the steak early.
Citrus-based marinades must stay under 2 hours or the surface turns mushy; the soy marinade here is safe for up to 8.
Slicing against the grain is the single biggest tenderness step for flank and strip steaks.