A crust is a moisture problem before it is a heat problem. Water on the surface of the steak has to boil off before the meat can brown, and while that is happening the steak is steaming in its own liquid and turning grey. Dry the surface properly and the browning starts almost immediately.

The pan matters just as much. It needs to be genuinely hot before the steak goes anywhere near it — hot enough that the oil shimmers and moves like water. A lukewarm pan gives you the same grey exterior that a wet steak does, for the same reason.

Once the steak comes out, the Marc De Champagne Vinegar goes in to lift the fond off the bottom. Two minutes of deglazing turns what is stuck to the pan into a sauce, and the steak rests while you make it.