Can you use rock salt (like for melting ice) to make a crust for cooking prime rib?
The sidewalk ice-melting stuff might have icky-stuff in it that you wouldn’t want to eat. You can look for rock salt for ice-cream (usually sold in 3-5lb bags). That is normally food-grade salt. What I’ve used in the past is a drizzle of balsamic vinegar over the whole piece of meat, moistening it completely… (water works fine, but I prefer other acidic liquids; vinegars like balsamic for a defined flavor, apple cider is good if you’re using a holiday-style seasoning, or rice vinegar for a lighter (or asian-style) flavor). Then, you can use either kosher salt (which is typically larger crystals) or even margarita salt (and since you have the salt, you might as well have a margarita while you’re cooking). Coat the hunk of meat with salt on the exposed parts of beef – no need to crust the fat or bone, although the fat can be seasoned and lightly salted for flavor. The key is to protect the MEAT. Season lightly BEFORE coating with salt if desired – if you season heavily, the crust may f
