SC - Couple of questions for ya'll...

[Mike C. Baker]

- ---Tara Sersen <ladycharissa at geocities.com> wrote:

(I'll leave the lass's sugar question for those better-versed in
such a sappy subject <gryn>)
 
> The second question goes back to the discussion on wrapping 
> onions in aluminum foil and throwing them in the fire pit.  
> That sounds wonderful, btw, and I can't wait to try it- I 
> love onions :)

With a bit of attention to detail, I've had some success in cooking
the onion in its own skin -- or using onion skin or orange peel as a
container for cooking other foods.

> I've been using the 'wrap it in foil, throw it in the coals 
> and forget about it for a while' method of cooking for ages, 
> and do it very well, if I must say so myself ;)  
> But, I think it's a pretty safe bet that there was no reynolds 
> wrap in the middle ages, so it's probably not a particularly 
> period cooking method.  
> So, lets spur a discussion on open pit cooking in other than
> the ubiquitous Dutch Oven.

The evidence from "modern primitives" / "aboriginal peoples" for the
equivalent to wrapping in foil and tossing into the coals is to coat
with clay / mud / ash paste / other substances and toss into the
coals. Some of the speculation I have seen for the origins of fired
pottery links back in about here, when some fire-using culture
decided it would be cheaper / faster / better to re-use the
fire-hardened clay.

Eggs may be cooked in their own shells in the hot ashes of a wood
fire. Certain forms of seafood might also provide their own
cookpots. A large bone, such as the shoulder blade of a young bull,
might be used to insulate the meat from direct contact with the
coals...

Spits, hangers, grills, and other forms of suspension over the
flames or coals work with varying degrees of success for solid or at
least semi-solid foods. The descriptions I've seen for "spinning
chicken", the diagrams I've studied for twig-basket fish, and most
variations upon skewered bits fall into this category. A twist of
bread dough on a (peeled, green) stick does rather nicely  for
small-quantity cooking. Griddles, heated stones, and other open
shallow pans allow for cooking less-solid things, including batters.

It is also possible to cook meat, particularly beef, directly on the
coals with a little bit of patience and close attention (Boy Scouts
of America literature refers to this as "Tarzan Steak"). "Barded"
poultry (smaller birds or pieces, wrapped in fatty bacon) *might*
work this way -- I haven't tried it myself.

Most of the above doesn't even begin to touch upon other forms of
cookware used for an open fire. Some of the most effective actually
convert that "open" to semi-enclosed, actually: modern campfire
reflector ovens have only adapted an old method to newer materials
and foodways (and I half-remember seeing an equivalent designed for
"American Colonial" open hearth cooking...) 

Having now been involved in at least one large-scale cauldron-cooked
stone soup / stew, I have much more respect for the requirements and
niceities for using a tripod in the field. Cauldron cooking is not
for the weak of back or faint of heart, and requires nearly
*constant* attention. (For all that, Papa, the Three Kings
experience I would not trade -- and I *liked* what came out of the
pot, thankyouverymuch.)

And all of this detail is from the top o' me pate, as it were. 
Of course, I have a few credentials to back up the utilitarian
purposes even if I can't quote chapter and verse of a particular
historical source. (Eagle Scout, '76: comes in handy at times...)
===
Adieu -- Amra / Pax ... Kihe / TTFN -- Mike
(al-Sayyid) Amr ibn Majid al-Bakri al-Amra  /
Kihe Blackeagle (the Dreamsinger Bard) / 
Mike C. Baker: My opinions are my own -- no one else would want them!
Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/8661
Alt. e-mail: KiheBard at aol.com, MikeCBaker at aol.com

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