Herbed Roast Beef In Salt Crust

By nancytripp

Serves 10 adults

Ingredients

• 1/3 C Olive Oil
• 1/4 C Onion -- Grated
• 1 Tsp Garlic Salt
• 1 Tsp Basil -- Dried
• 1/2 Tsp Marjoram -- Dried
• 1/2 Tsp Thyme -- Dried
• 1/4 Tsp Pepper
• 6 Lb Roast Beef -- See Note
• 3 Lb Kosher Salt -- See Note
• 1 1/4 C Water

Preparation

Step 1

Combine oil, onion, garlic salt, basil, marjoram, thyme and pepper
in 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 coarse kosher salt
and water to form a thick paste.
Pat 1 cup paste into 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.
Place roast in a 425-degree oven and roast 16 - 18 minutes per
pound for rare (140 degrees), 20 - 22 minutes per pound for medium (160
degrees), or 25 - 30 minutes per pound for well done (170 degrees).
Remove roast when thermometer registers 5 degrees below desired
doneness. Let roast stand 5 - 10 minutes in salt crust before carving.
If using an instant read thermometer (kind that isn't inserted
before roasting) check the estimated cooking time.
Take roast out of the oven 10 - 15 minutes before it should be done. You may have to poke a hole in the salt crust first before inserting Instant thermometer.
Continue roasting, if needed, and test temperature again in 5 minutes.
To remove roast from salt, you may need to use a hammer & maybe a chisel. After removing crust, use a stiff pastry or vegetable brush to whisk away any
remaining salt crystals.

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NOTES : Use prime rib, eye of round, tenderloin - any beef roast that is
at least 4 pounds. Smaller roasts will not be in the oven long enough
for crust to become hard. For roast larger than 6 pounds, cooking will
not take as long as the above time guidelines. (in other words, a 15
pound roast well not need 5 hours to cook to medium.) Bigger roasts are
not necessarily larger around, just longer. A meat thermometer is
absolutely essential to judge perfect cooking times.*

Be sure to use coarse kosher salt, not rock salt, regular table salt, or
pickling and canning salt. Rock salt may have impurities; table salt
and pickling and canning salt are too fine.

* My experience is that a 7 pound roast cooked at 425 degrees will
Take @ 2 hrs 15 minutes. (I don’t adjust anything for this larger roast,
except sometimes more salt is needed. Remember: Use only enough
water with the salt to form a paste; you do not want to dissolve the salt.