Stop Seasoning Your Food: Season Your Cutting Board Instead

You might think you’ve perfected the art of seasoning your favorite cuts of beef, chicken, and pork—or even your homemade hamburgers. But that means you’re probably seasoning your meat well before it hits the fire of your grill or the searing-hot bottom of your favorite pan. And, as I recently discovered, that’s actually the wrong way to season your food.

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Instead of seasoning before you get to cooking, you should actually reserve your seasoning for the end of the process. You’ll get an even better-tasting end result.

It Sounds Crazy, But It’s Automatic Flavor

According to Adam Ragusea, who explains the method in a YouTube video, this cooking or grilling hack is easy: You simply need to “dress” the board rather than your meat to lock in moisture and achieve flawlessly flavorful meat. 

He points out that, because heat pushes out moisture, cooking causes meat to dry out. However, when it cools down and rests, it actually absorbs moisture. 

That’s exactly why seasoning your cutting board is so beneficial. Ragusea discovered that, when meat rests with its seasonings, it’ll not only absorb the flavor of whatever seasoning you’ve whipped together, but also some of the juice (aka moisture) that seeps out thanks to the heat added during cooking.

Seasoning Your Cutting Board Saves Time, Too

There’s also the issue of timing: If you’re going to season your steak or other meat before cooking it, it’s recommended that you do so 40 minutes before you actually put it over a heat source. 

Let’s be honest—how often do you completely forget to wait more than five to 10 minutes before tossing salt- and pepper-sprinkled chicken thighs on the grill or a rosemary-topped steak on the stove? (If you’re anything like me, it’s at least three times a week—I’m just too distracted!) Letting meat sit with seasoning for over half an hour isn’t always feasible when you’re in a hurry.

But if you season your cutting board instead, you don’t have to wait. You can whip up your seasoning blend while your meat cooks, speeding things up considerably.

How To Season Your Cutting Board (The Right Way)

The next time you’re cooking a steak or another type of meat, give Ragusea’s method a try. Put your protein in a heated pan with nothing extra, unless you need a little oil—or you prefer to add salt and pepper, though these are officially seasonings.

While your meat cooks, prep your cutting board by dressing it up with your go-to seasonings. You can add salt, pepper, and garlic. You can add your favorite seasoning blends, too. (Yes, your staples from Trader Joe’s are always a good idea.)  Fresh and dried herbs are fair game, so you can sprinkle those over your cutting board. You can even add flavor enhancers like citrus juices. And you can also add small pieces of butter, if you’re someone who likes to finish a steak with butter.

Then, when your meat is done and ready to leave the pan (and rest), place it on top of the smattering of seasonings you’ve decorated your cutting board with. Let it sit until it’s fully rested and ready to serve.

You can slice or carve your meat, then hand-toss it on your cutting board to mix the seasoning more thoroughly.  Just note that you’ll want to plan to rest it twice: once when it comes off the heat, then once more when you cut it and toss it with the seasoning blend.