Subject: spits

From: "lindafowens" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 7 Oct 2001 17:14:31 -0400

RE: turning a roast:  When we were active in the SCA, we saw a diagram and then designed a means of cooking by suspending a marinated roast in a macrame bag hanging from a slanted pole, so that the meat hung over a drippings pan, with heat from a reflector  (we used aluminum foil, which was not actually period).  Originally, the meat burned over the fire until we moved it back and used the foil.  Supposedly, a cardboard sail on the rope was going to spin the meat for even cooking.  We ended up spinning the rope by hand every few minutes, and I almost fell into the fire once, overcome by smoke  (scary in a long dress).  The roast  (about 10 pounds of beef)  was delicious  (with lots of help from passersby, who liked to improve things), well-done on the outside and rare in the middle.  Took about five hours to cook.  A piece of the macrame bag was put into the memory compost pile, and we made stew from the remains of the meat.  YUM!