Grilling with the Himalayan salt rock

Everyone knows about Himalayan salt for its delicious flavour, but did you know it's also great for grilling? The salt rock when cooking creates a crispier crust on the outside of your grilled food, while still keeping the inside juicy and tender. The Himalayan crystal structure also helps to season your food while it cooks, so you won't need to add much more salt or seasoning once you get it off the grill—if any at all!

What is a Himalayan salt cooking rock?

A Himalayan salt rock is a block of pure, unrefined and natural salt. It's a great alternative to traditional table salts because it contains 84 trace minerals naturally occurring in the earth.

Himalayan salt was formed over 250 million years ago, when the Tethys Sea dried up and left behind an enormous salt deposit—one that's now found in Pakistan, India and Nepal (hence "Himalayan"). The thick layer of crystalised minerals can be mined from this site using simple tools like hammers and chisels; no heavy machinery is required since each block weighs between 45-60 tons!

Caring for your salt rock

Although your salt rock cooking slab is durable, it can still be damaged by the elements or user error. The first step in caring for your new Himalayan salt rock from Landmann is to wipe it off after each use. This will remove any oils that have accumulated from cooking and prevent build-up on the surface of your slab. If you're planning on storing it for an extended period, be sure to wipe down the top and bottom halves with a damp cloth and ensure they're dry for at least 24 hours before putting it away.

Your salt block could develop little cracks and divots, but don't worry. This is completely normal, as is some discolouration depending on what foods you cook - everything's unique because it's natural.

Cooking with a Himalayan salt slab

• Grilling with a salt slab is easy. You can use a salt slab to cook meat, fish, and vegetables on the BBQ or in the oven.
• Cooking with a salt slab means you don't have to worry about oversalting your food (or not salting it enough). It's all in the name!
• Himalayan pink salt slabs can be heated to as high as 230 degrees Celsius and are best used to sear all sorts of delicious foods. 
• When heating with a gas or charcoal burner, place the salt rock over a low flame for 15 minutes. If you desire a higher temperature, heat for an additional 15 minutes.

What to make on your Himalayan salt cooking rock?

So, we’ve established Himalayan salt is already delicious, and how to look after it and what you can do it. Onto the fun bit!

When grilling, searing or presenting chilled food on a Himalayan salt cooking rock - the seasoning is built in! You really allow those flavours to marinate and cook into the meat, creating great dishes and particularly delicious crusts.

You can sear or serve chilled almost anything on your salt rock. The list below includes some of our favourites, but feel free to use it as a starting point and make your own discoveries:

• Steaks
• Sushi
• Fruit
• Pork chops
• Chicken breasts (with skin)
• Fish fillets (with skin)
• Vegetables like eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers and onions
• Eggs

And if you're feeling adventurous or have time to experiment with new flavours:

Why not try some ideas for delicious sides?

Potatoes

Soak the potatoes in cold water for about an hour. Preheat your Himalayan salt slab for 30 minutes at 230 degrees Celsius.

Take the potatoes out of their water and pat dry with a towel. Place them on top of the hot stone, skin side down. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes or until tender when poked with a fork or knife. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.

For sweet potatoes: follow steps 1 through 3 as above but reduce baking time to 10-15 minutes depending on how large your sweet potato is (larger ones will take longer). After removing from heat, brush with melted ghee or coconut oil before serving if desired!

Tomatoes

For tomatoes: cut tomatoes in half lengthwise, then arrange them on top of your heated stone evenly spaced apart so that they don't overlap too much (you want them touching but not overlapping). Bake for 15-20 minutes covered with foil, then remove from heat and let cool slightly before serving; brush lightly with extra virgin olive oil as needed.

A Himalayan salt rock can bring a new dimension to your summer grilling.

Grilling with a Himalayan salt slab is an easy way to enhance your summer grilling. This block of salt can be used in many different ways, but it's most commonly used as a cooking surface for meat and vegetables.

One thing about this method is that there's no turning back once you've put your food on there--so make sure everything is prepped beforehand so nothing gets burned! And if there's any doubt about whether something will salt sear well... hey, that's the fun of a BBQ. Test it, eat it, test it again. It's all delicious, either way.

Buy your very own Himalayan Salt rock, here.