Deep in the mountains of Pakistan. Salt is found in the Himalayas. Lots of pink salt. This salt is often used for table salt, in health food, lamps and spa products. But these are also great to sear and serve your meat on. Why? There are some pros and cons, but I’ll go through that now.
Healthy?
It has long been discussed whether Himalayan salt has any health benefits over other salt. I am in no position to mean anything about that, but I do know it tastes good.. So why should you sear the meat on a salt block? As I have written before, I often use a so-called reverse sear method when cooking steaks. This is also perfect to use to time your serving for the rest of your food. Searing the meat on a salt block gives a little extra complexity to the taste of the meat, but if you also serve the meat on the hot stone, guests can decide the desired degree of doneness. If you also cut the meat into slices, all the pieces will absorb a hint of salt as well.
The process
It takes some time to warm up a salt block, because you have to heat it up gradually. If not, you risk cracking it. With a gas grill this is very simple, these usually have 3 main positions. Low heat, medium and high heat. Start on a cold grill and adjust at the lowest possible temperature and leave the stones there for about 15-20 minutes, before turning up the temperatures to medium. Wait 15 minutes before adjusting the final step. A salt stone block can withstand about 450 degrees F, so do not let the grill get much hotter than this. Feel free to place the stones on an extra grate so that they are easier to lift of the grill later. (You can also heat them in an oven of course)
Start with the steak
Season and cook your steak on low heat on another heat source. Remove the steak from the heat before it is done cooking. Preferably at about 110F. (unless you like the steak more on the rear side, then you take it off the heat even earlier. Now you can easily time the serving, Just before serving, put the steak on the salt block and sear it quickly on both sides 1-2 minutes on each side. If the steak has a fat cap, sear this for 30 to 60 seconds first! Place the meat on a cutting board and divide it into suitable serving slices. Then place the salt block on a heat resistant surface on the table, and put the salt block on. Now you can sit down, enjoy a good glass of wine, and tell the guests to serve themselves when they are satisfied with the degree of doneness. The heat will loose some of that searing temperature, but still stays warm enough to keep your steak warm for a long time. Enjoy!
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