Why San Francisco’s House of Prime Rib Covers Its Meat in Rock Salt Before Cooking It (2024)

FAQs

Why San Francisco’s House of Prime Rib Covers Its Meat in Rock Salt Before Cooking It? ›

Once the prime rib has been taken out of the dry-aging room, it gets completely submerged in rock salt; the goal is to not see any of the meat. This process helps retain its moisture. “You want to have the beef nice and moist,” says owner Joe Betz.

Experienced pitmasters recommend starting your prime rib preparation days in advance with a dry brine. That's a BBQ term for salting your meat, then letting it sit in a refrigerator while the salt penetrates the meat.

When a dry brined meat is heated, that salt-infused interior retains more moisture because the salt locks in the water molecules. It takes more heat to break that salt-water 'bond' versus just water alone, so meat holds on to water longer and stays juicier than if it were not brined."

Adding salt to the exterior of a piece of steak draws out the moisture in the steak. The salt then dissolves in this moisture, creating a brine that is then re-absorbed back into the steak. In this process, the lean muscle proteins in the meat are broken down, made juicier and more tender.

Once the salt is in place, the meat is put into the oven for around two and a half hours at a medium temperature. The salt helps trap the heat to better cook the prime rib. “It conducts the heat and seals it,” says Betz.

How do restaurants make prime rib so tender? The secret to restaurant-style prime rib is cooking the meat super slow at low temperatures.

Dry Curing - To dry cure meat with salt, cover it entirely in salt for a full day. To make sure the meat is completely covered, fill a container with salt, place the meat on top, and pour more salt over it until it's buried.

How Long Will Cured Meat Stay Fresh? The amount of salt used in the preparation of cured meat helps it to stay fresh for long periods of time. According to The National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP), most whole cured meats can be sealed and kept fresh for many months.

Salting some meats (especially beef and pork) a few hours before cooking allows the salt to draw out some of the internal moisture, which is then reabsorbed into the meat WITH the salt, thus seasoning from the inside out. That's also basically the same science behind brining. In fact, it's called "dry brining."

Cook Time and Temperature:

Start by cooking your prime rib at 500°F for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 325° F and cook for 10-12 min per pound for rare, or 13-14 min per pound for medium rare, or 14-15 min per pound for medium well. A meat thermometer is essential to ensure you cook it perfectly!

What is the most important thing to do before roasting a prime rib roast? ›

Remove the beef roast from the refrigerator 3 hours before you start to cook it. Sprinkle it with salt all over and let it sit, loosely wrapped in butcher paper. Roasts should be brought close to room temperature before they go into the oven to ensure more even cooking.

Prime rib is at its best cooked rare or medium rare — it should not be cooked past medium (140°F) or all the fat will melt out of the meat, leaving it tough, dry, and chewy. After the prime rib is cooked, make sure to let it rest for 30 minutes for the meat to reabsorb all the delicious juices before carving.

Here's the thing: Cooking a cold steak can be quick to result in uneven cooking, with a well-cooked outside and an undercooked center. Follow this tip: Plan to take the steak out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour before cooking. This simple step helps the steak cook more evenly.

Season it as though it were right about to hit the grill. IF YOU PUT A TON OF SALT ON YOUR STEAK, IT WILL BE SALTY! Just use as much salt as you normally would add to a steak, and do not rinse the steak before cooking.

Baking steak in the oven allows you to cook your meat evenly on all sides and will enable you to control the temperature more efficiently. In comparison, learning how to broil steak produces results like grilling; a flavorful, deeply browned, crisp exterior and a deliciously juicy, tender interior.

Salting meat ahead of time thoroughly flavors it and makes it juicier. The longer salt has to do its magic, the better. Salt most things the day before. Salt bigger cuts and birds at least 2 days in advance.

“When salting meat for cooking, any time is better than none, and more is better than some,” Nosrat writes. This gives the salt time to diffuse through the meat, which improves flavor, moisture retention and browning. “Aim to season meat the day before cooking when possible. …