Roasting With Rock Salt

This is special...you'll want to always prepare roasts this way for special events!!!

My now deceased Uncle Al (Rt. Lt. Col. US Army) taught me this wonderful way to roast prime rib (I've even substituted other cuts of roast beef, even leg of lamb and all have been fabulous!). It's very easy, but there are distinct steps to the process so listen carefully.

This is a recipe for a 6lb prime rib roast (adjust timing accordingly for the weight of your roast; lamb will take even less time...watch the thermometer for this type of meat). Highly suggest cooking to the rare stage. You'll need:

1. A 6lb prime rib roast
2. A large bag of rock salt (I buy the 40lb bags at the grocery store/Home Depot...usually found with the water softner pellets, but don't get the pellets, get the natural rock salt like used for making ice cream). You won't use this whole bag, but it's less expensive to buy it this way and you'll want to do this again once you've tasted the meat...don't buy the little boxes of ice cream rock salt that's found in the salt/pepper section either!!! This is too fine a grain of salt.
3. A roasting container large enough to hold the meat and about 1/2" depth of rock salt on the bottom of the meat + salt to fully encase the roast on the top/sides.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees. This is critical.
2. Start with the meat at room temperature. Rub the meat with fresh garlic. You can insert some cloves into the roast as well.
3. Cover the bottom of your roasting container w/ the rock salt (about 1/2" deep). Drizzel a little water on the rock salt...not much, just to dampen a little.
4. Place the roast directly on top of the rock salt.
5. I like to place a meat thermometer in the roast, at this time, in order to monitor the doneness.
6. Completely cover the roast with rock salt (leaving your thermometer exposed) and dampen this salt with a little water. Do not use any other covers on this composition.

ROASTING DIRECTIONS (for 6lb roast):

1. Place the roast in the pre-heated 500 degree oven.
2. Roast for 30 minutes (equivalent to 5 min/lb for rare; use 6 min/lb for well done), then turn the oven off. Do not open the door (not even to peek) for at least:

1hr-15min (equivalent to 12-13min/lb for rare)
or
1hr-45min (equivalent to 17-18min/lb for well done)

3. Remove from oven. If the meat thermometer hasn't registered the doneness you want, let the roast sit encased in the hot rock salt a little longer (it will continue cooking even when out of the oven). Then immediately crack the rock salt away from the roast. Brush any remaining salt off the roast. Let the roast rest for about 10-15min. before carving.
4. Carve and serve with au jus (keep it easy and simply heat-up a can of beef broth), a baked potato, green beans and popovers. Bon Appetit!