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Roasting

A joint of meat roasted over a coal fire with constant basting.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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Roasting

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the fire

  1. Prepare a fire larger than the joint by 2–3 inches in all dimensions.

  2. Place moderate-sized lumps of coal on top of the fire.

  3. Ensure the fire is free from smoke and ashes in front.

Roast the joint

  1. Spit the joint and place it far from the fire initially.

  2. Baste the joint constantly while roasting.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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

Meat joint
Is the main item cooked; its size sets how large the fire must be.
Coal
Provides the steady radiant heat that cooks the joint over an open fire.

The step that matters

Start the joint far from the fire. Starting far from the heat lets the centre cook through before the outside browns too much. Constant basting keeps the surface moist so it does not dry out or scorch while the meat roasts.

“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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