[Sponsor Note: Joe Pichey of GoBlueBBQ makes and writes these. He’ll also be grilling in Dallas tomorrow in Lot 11 and welcomes any MGoBlog readers to come by and sample.

He can do this because we have a sponsor:

It rhymes with “Santana”. It’s amazing. It’s at your local Kroger’s, Meijer’s, Busch’s, and hundreds of other stores. Seriously pick up some Sriracha Carrot and maybe White Bean for tomorrow’s game. Seriously.]

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The wait is over. The season kicks off in a few days and we can officially fire up the tailgate gear. If you are coming down here to the Dallas area, don’t forget your cowboy hats, leather chaps and spurs. We’d like to thank Matt from Lantana Hummus for sponsoring this years recipes and providing some fantastic goodies to munch on during halftime. It’s going to be a fun one, you can bet on that. We’ve added a new toy to the GOBLUEBBQ grilling arsenal for this season and she needs a name. Name the pit and receive VIP coupons for free hummus and a bag of Lump Charcoal from Fogo. Here are a few pics of the new pit. If you are coming down for the game, check us out in LOT 11 as we are doing a little tailgating for the opener.

Now onto the first weeks recipe, or should I say technique. This is a cool little way to fire up some protein more than a recipe. It’s cooking on a himalayan salt block. This can be done on a gas grill, charcoal grill or even on your gas stovetop. The salt block can also be used a serving plate for hot or cold foods. I’ve read where it has some sort of nutritional and spiritual benefits, but I use it because it’s a little different than just tossing meats on a grill. Today, we fired up the gas grill and had some scallops, ribeye and sausages laying around. We also found a hunk of grilling cheese in the back of the MGOFRIDGE.

[hit THE JUMP if you’ve had lunch today. If not…um…you may not want to see this on an empty stomach]

Place your salt block on the grill prior to lighting the burners/coals. You want the salt block to heat up slowly. If you throw a room temp salt block on a super hot surface, it could crack, so heat it up along with the grill. We went HIGH heat on this for about 30 mins. We got the salt block up to about 450 degrees at one point. The hotter, the better for this one.

Once the block is up to temp, you can use it to cook anything. This will add a little salt flavor to your foods, so remember that when you are seasoning the meats. We went all proteins on this one, but could have also added some veggies. They are great on a salt block with asparagus being my favorite.

We tossed on a few scallops to start and seasoned them with a salt-less rub. The sausages didn’t need any rub as they were spicy enough. These went for about 3 mins on the first side and got some nice color and char. We flipped and went to an internal temp of 130 degrees. The scallops can be topped with some melted butter or enjoyed as is.

As these are heating up, grab some pretzel chips and your favorite Lantana Hummus and start dippin’.

The sausages will also get some nice char on them after only a few minutes. You will see the juices start to form under the meat and sizzle as your cooking YUMMMMM. We also tried the grilling cheese that everyone loved last year. You can find this in most grocery stores these days. Whole Foods always has a nice hunk of Halloumi cheese laying around. Buy it and grill it. It’s fantastic.

While you are there, grab a few ribeye and toss them on the hot block.

I will admit, I prefer the reverse sear method for cooking my steaks, but this was pretty cool. We went to 130 degrees internal and let it rest for a perfect medium rare. The flavor was good and tenderness was spot on. You can also use this salt block as your serving tray which gives you that “WOW" Factor when serving to your guests. Just slice and serve.

All of the meats had a little extra salt flavoring from the block, but not too much. I love the presentation on this one. You can also stick the salt block in the freezer and use it to mix your homemade ice cream on or use it as a chilled serving platter. Or even a cold coaster for your barley pop. The options are endless on this one. It’s really just a salty pan that you can cook on. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Mushrooms and shrimp are up next on the salt block.

For those heading down to Dallas for the opener, we will be tailgating in LOT 11. Look for the “Yet to be named” smoker and stop by. We will have plenty of great food and drinks for sure. Look for the Maize and Blue smoke stack. Cant wait to meet you. Also, Submit a name for the new pit in the comments. Winner gets some cool free stuff. GO BLUE!!!!