SC - Fire pit cooking

[Siegfried Heydrich]

    Use your hand - literally. Place your spit at about the height where
your hand can't stand the heat. TURN the spit at least every 5 minutes, and
even that's pushing it. Use a meat thermometer; if the outside is charring
and the inside is cold, raise the spit and go longer. DON'T pull the meat
off the spit until it's 160 degrees (varies with the meat, but that's a good
guideline) AT A JOINT.
    The ol' mark I eyeball is a useful tool - when it looks done, let it go
a little longer (unless you're an unrepentant carnivore, in which case you
should show the meat the fire, frighten it badly, and then rip it into
small, chewable pieces), and then check the thickest part of the meat. If
you use a thin knife, run it in, leave it for 3 seconds, and lay the tip on
the inside of your forearm. You can gauge the doneness very accurately that
way.If you're doing fowl, pierce the leg joint, and observe the color of the
juices. If it's clear, it's ready to eat. If it shows red (bloody), leave it
on a bit longer.
    And basic hint #1, don't cook over a fire. Cook over COALS. A fire will
char, but not cook, it'll burn. What you want is a slow, even heat, and
that's what you get from coals.

    Sieggy

> Unto all who read these words does Aengus MacBain bid good greetings.
>
> I have a bit of a delimma I was hoping you good folk could help me with.
> Milady wife and I have taken an interest in cooking over an open fire. We
> recently bought a spit however, we have no real idea how to cook with the
> bloody thing. How does one gauge the height at which the food should be
kept
> from the fire? How do you interpret temperature on something as variable
as
> an open fire? Are there any books available on the subject or is this one
of
> those trial and error things?  Any assistance you could offer to pave our
way
> in the venue would be gratefully accepted.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Aengus MacBain