Roasting
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fire
Prepare a fire larger than the joint by 2‑3 inches in width and height.
Place moderate‑sized lumps of coal on top of the fire.
Ensure the fire is free from smoke and ashes in front.
Roast the joint
Spit the joint and place it far from the fire initially.
Baste the joint constantly.
When the joint is two‑thirds done, move it closer to the fire to brown it properly.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Joint of meat
- The main cut, which cooks slowly and gains a browned, savoury surface near the fire.
- Lumps of coal
- Supply the steady heat that cooks the joint and sets its browning.
The step that matters
Moving the joint closer to the fire at two-thirds done. Browning needs high surface heat, which develops colour and flavour. Starting close to the fire would scorch the outside before the centre cooks, so the joint is kept far away first.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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