TikTok Is Doing Crust Surgery On Steaks

Steak is the ultimate beefy comfort food that can be prepared in myriad ways. Enjoyed all over the world from the U.S. and France to Japan and Argentina, it's one of the globe's most beloved dishes, which is why many carnivores have such strong opinions about how best to cook the meat. Even if you're one of these aficionados who feels as though they've perfected the art of cooking the perfect steak, there are always new tips for getting that coveted crust-to-chew ratio.  

TikTok is one great place to step up your steak game, as home cooks on the platform have a wealth of knowledge learned by trial and error. One creator showed off her "hand test" that allows her to see if her steak is cooked to her liking, while another recommended using a steel or cast iron pan over a nonstick version to get the best sear. While these tips should be familiar to anyone who cooks steaks regularly at home, another TikTok tip boasting nearly 1 million likes suggests a lesser known, far more unconventional hack for the perfect steak: crust surgery.

Known as @maxthemeatguy on social media, Max Greb is a content creator who uses unique methods for preparing meat, such as dry-aging steak in gochujang or injecting foods like lobster and beef cheek with butter and tallow. In one particular steak tutorial, Greb used two steaks to achieve one final product. Instead of avoiding one of the most common mistakes everyone makes when cooking steak — overcooking it — Greb leaned into it. In order to achieve his goal of building up a thick crust on steak number one, then slice it off with surgical precision, he committed steak sin and cooked it...all the way through. Can you imagine being served a well-done ribeye steak? Eek! 

After trimming off the crust, Greb placed it into a dehydrator to draw out the moisture. By the next morning, he had made "crust beef jerky," which he put into a blender to process into a nice crusty powder. He used said crust powder as a thorough seasoning before searing steak number two, adding "a consistent and insanely flavorful double crust" to the beautifully cooked steak. Still, this beauty comes at a cost — quite literally. One commenter noted, "So you wasted a whole steak to season your steak?" Be prepared to throw out a whole steak if you're looking to perform crust surgery on your next ribeye — unless one of your family members happens to love well done steak with all the seasoning sliced off.