To Roast Beef
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Prepare the fire with plenty of hot coals at the bottom.
Wash the meat in cold water.
Wipe the meat dry.
Rub the meat with coarse sea salt.
Avoid running the spit through the best parts of the meat.
Roast
Optionally tie blank paper over the fat to prevent it from melting too quickly.
Place the meat evenly in the roaster.
Keep the meat away from the fire to avoid burning.
Add beef dripping or lard to the pan.
Baste the beef as the fat melts.
Baste frequently with the liquid.
Switch to basting with the meat's own fat.
Turn the spit often for even cooking.
Clear away ashes.
Add fresh fuel as needed.
Allow about 20 minutes per pound of meat, adjusting for preference and season.
When nearly done, remove the paper.
Sprinkle with salt.
Baste well.
Serve
Pour off excess fat from the gravy before serving.
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
- Beef
- Forms the main structure and bulk of the dish, setting texture as it cooks through.
- Beef dripping or lard
- Adds fat for basting, promoting browning and moisture on the meat's surface.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the surface and helps draw out moisture for a more flavourful crust.
The step that matters
Keep the meat away from the fire. Direct intense heat scorches the outside before the centre cooks through. Gentle, even heat with regular basting lets the interior cook evenly while the fat browns the surface.
“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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