SC - Re: seeking recipes (Outdoor Feast)

[Par Leijonhufvud]

On Tue, 23 Jun 1998, Robyn Probert wrote:

> If the former then on an open fire you can cook things in frypans, on spits
> and grill racks, in cauldrons and pots, so why not use recipies designed for
> these cooking methods? Add to that some cook-before and heat up options and
> you have a big range.

Yep, and the BG (Brown Goo) is good stuff too. The "Puff pastry in
Pennsic" was (to me at least) an intellectual exercise, a bit like
figuring out your cars mileage not in miles/gallon (or liters/10 km for
Europeans), ut in period measurements. Sure, I can bring all kind of
neat toys, from dutch ovens, by way of box ovens, to reflector ovens,
but they aren't AFAIK period. 

> Grab bag of Stuff we learned - dig a trench, not a round pit - much easier
> to control the fire and more room for more cooks. Set up two tall tripods at
> each end, with a pole between to hang pots from and spits along. Crossbars
> on the tripods hold ladels, forks etc out of the dirt (and a pair of leather
> gloves for hot pots). 

Make the tripod taller than you think is needed: nowadays I seldom make
them less than 5 feet. 

Use pot-hooks or chains with hooks (as seen in Viking age finds) for
suspending pots, then you can adjust the elevation of the pot as needed.
For limited size pots (up to, say, 15-20 lb total mass) I prefer the
home made style: two wooden hooks tied together in an "S" shape, and
some (strong!) cord for adjustment. Unless you know how to do these you
should ask a local woodworker to help you out; the trick is to carve
them so that the the load is on the wood, not the lashings. 
Unfortunately I've never seen any indication that the lever type rigs
for suspending pots are period, since you can make some really nifty
setups with them. 

Quick slow-down of the boil in a pot (if well suspended, a gallon of
boiling stew in your lap is No Fun): make it swing back and forth over
the fire. Works better with longer suspension chains than shorter.

> Cook on coals. 

Differing opinion here, I prefer the flames. As long as you keep the
flames even it is IMHO faster and more efficient (or maybe I just like
to watch the flames). Use small pieces of wood and keep replenishing
them often. Have plenty of firewood handy, and (for larger setups) a
designated fire tender. 

Don't worry about pots getting black from soot: they work better that
way, so why polish them after every use (some people do!)?

> Solid blocks of ice will keep food cool longer than drink type ice (I
> made an icebox by lining a tourney chest and drop in lid with 1" solid
> foam - stays cool for 1 week). Frozen stews and potages help keep
> other things cool. UHT milk and cream don't have

Use evaporation cooling for keeping stuff cool, or bury in the ground.

/UlfR 
(Back*woods*, not backwards.) 

- -- 
Par Leijonhufvud                           parlei(at)algonet.se
http://www.algonet.se/~parlei
"Stop! Think! There must be a harder way to do this"

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