Ultimately, the answer to your question is a time vs heat thing.
Warning: overly pedantic descriptions ahead.
SOP: Have your oven preheated, 400-450º depending on what's going in. Using a well seasoned skillet or steel pan, allow it to heat up well, add oil, when that starts to shimmer and give off the first whip of smoke, add meat... Sear meat all around, fransfer to a roasting pan and finish in the oven.
You don't really want the pan so hot that the oil smokes immediately when added, and you don't want it cold.
When the meat caramelizes in the pan, it will release itself very easily. Until it hits that point, it sticks (usually). Trying to peel it off before it's ready results in crust sticking to the pan or tearing of the meat.
If the pan is too hot when searing, you get an outline sear on the perimeter but the middle isn'tseared well at all. Too cold, and the sear will eventually happen, but heat penetration will ultimately cook the meat, perhaps before you have the sear you want... you lose control doing this.
My favorite technique for red meats and poultry is to pull them from the fridge and salt them, put them on a rack and let them temper for 2-3 hours while the salt draws out juices and air dries, giving a bit of a faux cure to the meat.
This can be done overnight, too... just put the pan back in the fridge uncovered. Allow it to temper before cooking.
Adding a rub: I will do this after the salt has a chance to do its thing as described above. This gives me ultimate control in seasoning, and then applying flavor. Seasoning, waiting an hour and applying the rub is enough to insure the rub takes without getting rid of the salt.
Now, the possible problems... and why I usually just use salt these days.
I used to play with rubs all the time. But I'm lazy. And I really love just simple, well-seasoned food.
Herb crusts, especially fresh herbs, will only really take a light sear. I've done these to good success on skinless duck breast, whole lamb loin (boneless), whole pork tenderloin... leaner meats that you wouldn't sear hard anyway.
Spice crusts have the benefit of being super flavorful, but the trap is... they burn easily. I would usually fall back to grilling when I use a spice crust, and do it on hearty but delicate things... Tuna steak for example.
When searing something with a spice crust, though, you have to balance a slower heat with a moderate sear. You still want to avoid fully pan cooking the protein, if possible.
Also, applying some oil to the crusted protein helps. I used to have a misto can that had olive oil in one, and safflower in the other, depending on the cooking method. But getting some oil on the outside of the crust without rubbing and disturbing that coating can help.
Once in the oven, it won't burn (assuming its not right below the broiler!). Finishing seared meats in the oven is almost automatic, with very little variation on the time needed to bring a rib eye up to temp, time after time. For example, a Hanger steak will always take me 2.5-3 minutes to hit a rare/mid-rare. The standard 1.5" boneless rib eye with cap muscle will take me about 3-3.5 minutes to hit a solid mid-rare. Pork tenderloin medallions will take about 1 minute after searing to hit a rosy and tender medium.
Oh ya... one other major thing most home cooks do that drives me nuts. Don't be afraid to put some oil in the pan!
It's not going to make you fat!!!
Or give you a heart attack. What it will do is be the liaison for heat transfer between the pan and the meat. It doesn't need to be a swimming pool, and not even a pan fry amount, but the bottom of the pan should be coated well with enough oil that it will be fluid and move when you tip the pan.
I even use some oil to start bacon!
Too much? Probably.
But I care. And I'm bored.
