[Spit-project] raised fire pits and designs

Charles Netterville ck_netterville at yahoo.com
Sat Apr 14 18:15:27 PDT 2007



    I have the 2-volume set of Cindy's book, third printing (1993), the picture in in volume I, page 128. It has tow large cast iron pots hanging from the top of the spit, and some other game or meat (looks like a leg of lamb and maybe a couple birds) on a spit pole at the very bottom of the rows of spikes (and a young page turning the spit). in the center is another large cauldron on a wonderful thing that I can't think of what to call at this time with a full fire under it, and there are places on the legs of this "thing" for little spit poles with smaller birds on them all the way around... it has what looks like 4 legs, but there must be more... or the artist was really bad . The scene even has a nice sun shade over the entire cook set up (or maybe a rain fly??). Way cool.

The page you are describing is in my second volume, and I would bet you that cauldron you see is leather... as that looks to me like it might even be early Egyptian. (is the recipe above it for Lamprey Salted??)
  Yes, that's the picture I'm seeing. I would never have guessed that the cauldren would have been leather though. The other picture and page number I don't seem to have in my second edition but I still think I've got a decent idea from looking through your website. I did get time to go see Julius and his duct tape laurel wreath. It was priceless...
  The raised bed I saw used two rows tall of 2"x 8" boards that were pegged together... the metal insert (maybe only about 6-8" deep sits on the top set of boards, is filled with dirt, and then the fire built on top of it. It would change some of the angles of the meat, but I bet it could be worked out rather well. 
  I'll bet you're right. Has it been your experience that a differant angle could change the cooking properties? If so, perhaps we'd just need to change the overall height to accomodate the new angle? I know I'm doing most of my thinking out loud but I'm really wanting to understand better what a truly period model might have looked like and I don't want to get too carried away. Anyone who's ever seen my shop knows I've got a bad habit of redesigning the space shuttle every time I go work on something even though simple is usually better...
  Just for the record, I'm already having way too much fun with this. Count Gunthar, Thank you... Elrique, not a blacksmith but (forging) ahead anyway...

       
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