[Sca-cooks] cooking times over an open fire

[Lorenz Wieland]

jenne at fiedlerfamily.net wrote:
> Ok, for a discussion (about 'instant stews' in fantasy) on another
> list, I'm wondering how long it would take to cook 2 rabbits, either
> roasted or cut up and cooked in boiling water, over an open fire.
> Anybody have a good guess? Also, how long would it take from the
> point you start the fire to the point you could start cooking?

There are too many variables to answer your questions definitively, but
here's some guidelines:

A 3lb rabbit sectioned normally will need about 1 hour to fully cook in
simmering liquid.  Figure 20 minutes more to braise a whole rabbit.  I
wouldn't recommend grill-roasting rabbit, as it tends to go dry very easily.
Very low heat spit-roasting or hot smoking might work, but braising is much
easier.

As for fire preparation, time varies by type of fuel used, how it is
arranged and started, and ambient temperature and humidity.  A home grill
quantity of mesquite charcoal lit in a chimney starter takes about 20
minutes to get to a cook cooking temperature.  A full-sized
Santa-Maria-style pit grill with split white oak logs takes 2.5 to 3 hours
to get a good coal bed.  Your mileage *will* vary.

-Lorenz