SC - Fire pit cooking

[Jim Revells]

Hej! Aengus,
	I have done a lot of Pit /Open Fire Cooking.  The best thing to do is let
hardwood (or use Real Hardwood Charcoal not briquets) to burn down to coals
then place the spit at a height that is too hot hold your hand for more
than a few seconds (this is a judgment call & you learn by doing it).  Then
keep a spray bottle of water handy to knock down any major flames that
threaten to burn the meat (very important with pork, agin how high you let
the flames get is a judgment call). The only sure way to judge the temp is
with a Meat Thermometer, especialy with Pork & Fowl (most cook books have
temp guides in them that will work).  
	If you are talking about cooking in pots then you stir & watch them to
make sure they are cooking at a warm, simmer, or boil as required (you also
get good at judging the temp of your pots by feel).  There are some good
books on Cast Iron cookery that can be gotten from merchants like Smoke &
Fire or others that do the Buckskiner events (at thoes events you are not
allowed to use a colemanstove).
	Campfire cooking can be alot of fun & you can get some great flavors.
Hej!
Olaf
who one year had a restaeraunt at Pennsic where I cooked only with
charcoal.      

- ----------
> From: Aengus1 at aol.com
> To: SCA-Cooks at ansteorra.org
> Subject: SC - Fire pit cooking
> Date: Monday, April 17, 2000 2:21 PM
> 
> 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
> Aengus1 at aol.com
>
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