[Spit-Project] Some further conclusions about open fire cooking
Michael Gunter
countgunthar at hotmail.com
Thu Aug 23 10:00:49 PDT 2007
>I looked through a book I purchased from Poison Pen Press on early
>American open-hearth cooking.
I REALLY need to go to their website. I was going to purchase some
books at Pennsic and then the rain closed everything down.
> The book is: "The Open-Hearth Cookbook; Recapturing the Flavor of Early
>America," by Suzanne Goldenson, with Doris Simpson. ISBN: 0-911469-26-5.
>Published in 1982 by Alan C. Hood & Co., Inc., Chambersburg, PA.
>
I'll have to look it up.
> They recommend hanging the meat to be spun with regular kitchen twine
>about 5" or so IN FRONT of the fire (not over it). They also recommend
>turning the meat 90 degrees when it is about 1/2 to 3/4 done, to cook the
>ends. They say it is important to have a drip pan under said meat (which I
>usually do for most meats), and to baste the meat with the drippings from
>time to time "...when you remember to do it." A reflector is mentioned,
>saying it will make the meat cook faster, but is not absolutely essential
>to the cooking process, as a whole.
>
That's some things I've discovered as well. I also agree with hanging the
meat in front and not over the fire. I think that is part of the problem we
had with the meat at the potluck. It was between two fires and a forge
on a third.
The heat will be reflecting from the hearth and onto the meat, a reflector
is simply a metal shield on the other side so there would be more
concentrated
heat coming from two sides instead of one. I can certainly see how that
would
help in hearth cooking.
> The fire, as they they explained it, should be good enough to cook said
>meat with just two healthy armloads of wood (
Some interesting bits about laying a correct hot and slow fire. Nice.
> Anyway, this book appears to be full of all sorts of good things...
>there
>is even a nice recipe section, with a couple spitted meats listed.
I'll have to look it up. There are also a couple of nice websites about
spinning techniques.
> Meisterin Katarina Helene von Schönborn, OL
Gunthar
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