Went to a steakhouse the other night, and the steak was great. I noticed it had an awesome "crust" on it, far better than I have ever made at home. What do they do to get such a great crust on it? My technique has always been to sear it in a skillet, add salt, pepper and some butter when done, then finish in the oven. I read that you don't add the salt/pepper/butter before searing as that will burn it/foul it up.



Anything else I can do to make my steaks have a thicker "crust"?

 

Crust come from a quick blast of extremely high heat, like over 500 degrees. You can also use a glaze with sugar in it, like BBQ sauce or a pineapple glaze. I don't like added flavors on my steak, so I use the blast of heat in my broiler.

 

Dry brining for a couple of days followed by a reverse sear makes for an incredible texture.