> I've seen them used on Iron Chef, and I found some recipes for them on the
> net. What I haven't seen is a description of why in the world anyone
would
> encase meat in salt before cooking it! What benefit does it bring that
> can't be realized with something commonplace as a sealed aluminum cover
over
> the pan? Wouldn't it make the meat ubearably salty?

Take a full beef tenderloin, trim it, fold the thin end over to equalise the
size, pack it with a 1/2" layer of moist Kosher salt, wrap it with paper,
tie it off with string every inch or so. Cook it about 1-2" above a bed of
coals, turning 1/3 each of 3 times every 8 minutes for a total of 24
minutes. Jab it with a fork, smack it with anything hard over a bag or a
box, the salt and paper falls away. Slice about 3/8" thick, rinse each
slice in melted butter to get rid of any remaining salt and serve on sliced
white bread. Fresh corn on the cob and sliced tomatoes accompany it well...

It is a meal to die for.

My Dad did this every summer, and I heard one time it is a Portuguese
recipe.