When should I salt meat — right before, or way before?

Both work. The trap is the middle. Salt meat and cook it immediately, and the salt sits on the surface seasoning the crust — fine. Salt it 45 minutes or more ahead (up to two days for a big roast, uncovered in the fridge), and the salt first pulls moisture out, then dissolves into it, then the whole brine gets reabsorbed, seasoning the meat deep and drying the surface for a better sear — best.

The dead zone is in between: at 10–30 minutes, the salt has pulled a layer of moisture to the surface but hasn't finished reabsorbing. That wet surface hits the pan, boils instead of browning, and you get a gray steam job where the crust should be.

Kenji tested this at intervals — the same cut salted at 0, 10, 20, 30, 45 minutes and overnight. Immediately-salted and 45-plus were the winners; the middle timings seared worst.

The weeknight rule: decide when you take the meat out. Cooking now? Salt it and get it in the pan. Cooking later? Salt it now, back in the fridge uncovered, and thank yourself at dinner. What you never do is salt it and then stand around for fifteen minutes finding the tongs.