Salt Crust Roasting

Char-Woody · January 2001

There perhaps are many variations to salt crust applications, and Morton Salt has what appears to be a good one. If you think you like it, try it.
The recipe is in its original form courtesy of Kosher Salt Co. recipe files.
Its basic and very adaptable to the BGE cook. I would substitute HD foil for a pan. Put the foil in a pan, prepare according to directions. When ready to insert, gently remove the roast from the pan, place in a V rack over another drip pan, and roll down the edges of the foil to expose as much of the roast as possible in the rack. Or leave it in the pan as prescribed.[p]I personally have a adversion to doing this with a super fine Prime Rib roast. Only a very low grade bottom/top round. :-)

C~W
_____________________________________________________________[p]1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grated onion
1 tsp Morton® Garlic Salt
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp dried marjoram leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp pepper
One 2-1/2 to 3-lb beef eye of round roast
One 3-lb box Morton® Coarse Kosher Salt
1-1/4 cups water
Preparation 10 minutes
Marinate Time 2 hours
Cooking Time Approximately 1 hour 20 min. (for medium doneness)Servings 8-10

Preparations:[p]Combine oil, onion, and seasonings including Morton® Garlic Salt in a heavy plastic bag, mix well.
Add roast; coat well with marinade.
Marinate in refrigerator 2 hours or overnight.
Line roasting pan with aluminum foil.
Combine Morton® Coarse Kosher Salt and water to form a thick paste. Pat 1 cup paste to a 1/2 inch thick rectangle in pan.
Pat roast dry with paper towels; insert meat thermometer.
Place roast on salt layer; pack remaining salt paste around meat to seal well.
Cooking Bake at 350° F, until thermometer registers 140°, approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Steam may cause salt crust to crack slightly during roasting.
Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes.
Remove and discard salt crust.

dhuffjr · January 2001

Char-Woody,
I have seen this done on "Iron Chef" Why? What does it do to the flavor of the meat? Just curious.[p]H

Char-Woody · January 2001

dhuffjr,
The salt crust prevents moisture from escaping from the meats tenderizing it, similar to a pressure cooker. Amazingly, there is very little if any salt penetration into the meats, as the meat cooks in its own juices. When done you can break off the salt in chunks and discard it.
My opinion and others may surely differ. :-)
C~W[p]

Unknown · January 2001

Char-Woody,[p]I love playing around with stuff like this and have long been tempted to try a roast this way. But I'd miss the crispy, highly-seasoned surface of the roast with this technique (I order the end cuts of prime rib in restaurants to get the most seasoning).[p]If you sprinkled rub or other seasoning on before applying the salt paste, it would probably come off when you removed the salt crust, huh? [p]It's a good idea to try this with a cheaper cut - I will. Not eye of the round (yuck) but a top round would be great. Cooked to an internal of 125*-130* for rare.[p]Lee

Dr. Chicken · January 2001

Char-Woody,
Thanks my friend! I will add it to my growing file of recipes and try it soon![p]Dr. Chicken

Unknown · January 2001

QSis, What do you do if the end cuts are gone?
I have asked several times as well and I have been told that they were gone....
So I take it you like your meat well done?......Or are you like me and just like the bark?...
Roger Ramjet..

Unknown · January 2001

Char-Woody, Not too long ago Earl posted some great pics of the salt encrusted prime rib him and his wife did.....
Check the archives for a peek if you like......
Roger Ramjet.

Unknown · January 2001

Roger Ramjet,[p]If the end cuts are gone, I order medium-rare. The seasonings are the reason I get the end cuts, and I'll sacrifice medium-rare to get them! :-)[p]Lee

Salt Crust Roasting

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