Slow cooking Prime Rib in Rock Salt

Cooking Prime Rib in Rock Salt

The key is keeping the meat and everything else DRY This is very, very important. I let the roasts set out for about 2 hours before starting the cooking process. This makes a more tender piece of meat when it is cooked. I rub the prime rib roasts with my favorite mixture of seasonings and set the roasts aside. In the mean time I start 3 Weber charcoal chimneys full of charcoal. Next, I place 1" of rock salt into the bottom of my 22 Maca. Then I put 2 roasts onto the rock salt in the bottom of the oven. I pour in more rock salt to cover the 2 roasts about 1/2". Then I place the next 2 roasts ontop of the first 2 and fill the oven with more rock salt and cover with more rock salt. It takes about 50 to 60 pounds of rock salt and I use water softener salt because its $12.00 per 80 pounds, compared to 1.59 per 5 pound box of ice cream salt. NOTE there is no difference! Cover the Dutch oven and I place 1 chimney of briquettes in a ring around the bottom and 1 1/2 on the lid. 3 hours later I have 95 pounds of delicious prime rib ready to be devoured!

Here is why the meat does not get salty. MOISTURE. Plain and simple. You need moisture to get the saltyness into the meat, thats why the rub flavors get into the meat and not the rest of the salt. I've heard many cooks who spray water over the salt to "harden it" what that moisture does is alow the salt to penetrate the meat and makes it more salty. When you pack the roasts into a dry oven, the rock salt acts much like cast iron and transferrs the heat directly to the meat in a even fashon all around the meat, leaving no hot or cool spots. The rock salt also makes a great moisture bearier, keeping the juices inside the meat. That's how it works in a nutshell.