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Sun May 28 20:04:55 PDT 2006


----- Original Message -----
From: "Diamond Randall" <ringofkings at mindspring.com>
To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2003 12:00 AM
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re:Pit roast pig


> [ Converted text/html to text/plain ]
>
> >We are being given the opportunity to pit roast a whole pig in a month's
> >time. We have the pit (almost dug), we have the pig ready for
slaughtering
> >(by the professional butcher). Now all we need is a period method of
cooking
> >it and some sauces and stuff to go with it. Does anyone have any ideas?
>
> Inadequate info provided.  "Pig" starts at about 20kg live weight up to
> 200+kg.
> or "Hog".  What do you mean?  Your pit will have to be about twice as deep
as
> the carcass on it side.  You will need a heck of a lot of hardwood for
coals,
> preferably oak, ash or hickory species.  No softwoods or eucalyptus.  You
> can throw in fruitwood like apple or pear for a bit of flavor.  You build
> thebig
> fire beside the pit, not in it.  You want lots of live red hot coals, not
> burning
> wood in the pit.  I will have to consult by pit roasting expert for
details of
> putting coals and the pig in the pit where the pig can be recovered whole
> without
> being charred black.  If I recall the pig is covered with some kind of wet
> canvas and wet vegetation and a wet tarp is placed over this until the pig
is
> buried in an insulative layer.  Every several hours, the tarp is lifted
and
> more coals
> added.  This is a round-the-clock procedure for 2 to 3 days depending on
the
> dressed weight of the pig.  This is a rather exhaustive procedure.
Inproperly
> following procedures of keeping coals and cover can result in irregular
heat
> distribution and lots of nasty bacteria problems.  I will try to get more
> detailed
> information if you like later.
> I am rather curious however that you are getting the pig professionally
> butchered.
> Why?  Is your butcher a member of your group?  We shoot the pig or stick
it in
> the caratoids right next to where we will cook it.  It is only necessary
to
> wash the
> carcass off and hang it for essentially field dressing to clean out the
> entrails.  You
> can take a small propane torch with a wide flame head and sing off all the
> bristle.
> If you were to actually be period about this, you would be hanging the pig
and
> collecting all the blood draining from it for pudding.  The organs would
be
> promptly claimed and grilled by the cooks (if they could get away with it)
> otherwise,
> the kidneys, liver, lungs, testicles, etc. would be claimed for the table
of
> the nobles
> as the preferred parts of the animal.   Don't forget the head for the
brains
> either.
> It is our policy at Cumberland Centre that game animals such as deer or
whole
> animals (as you are attempting) be the subject of butchering classes and
that
> those
> who would participate view the entire process if possible, including the
> actual
> killing and gutting process.  If you as a cook are going to "be period",
we
> expect you not to be wimpish about the conversion of a live animal to cuts
of
> meat.  We have had had some good success with this, including several
ladies
> actually claiming the scrotums of bucks being processed to make change
purses.
> Good luck on your endeavor and let me know if you want me to inquire of
> my pitsman for further details.
> Akim






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