What is the best way to do spit-roasting?

[blabberbrat]

I have seen it on one of those cooking channels, Jamie's if I think, where
he'd put whole fishes skewered on slender stick and fill the cavity with basil leaves and dill - if im not mistaken.

what he'd do is put them above the flame, so only the smoke is cooking the fish dry.

I was wondering if that was the right way?
and is it what we call spit-roasting?if not, what is so?
any comment?

thanks a lot for comments,

blabberbrat

 

[Uncle Bob]

blabberbrat

Couple of quick comments...Smoke does not cook food...It's heat!

Did not see the show you mentioned...However man(kind) has been cooking food on a stick over a fire for what..a million or so years...so one might say the cave men(women) invented "spit" cooking. It still works for hot-dogs and marshmallows..what great fun for kids and old folks too.

Today "spit" cooking can be fairly simple to a very complex procedure...

Next time you drop by DC give a shout! Maybe I or others here can give you some tips.

 

[Insty-Grill]

Hi blabberbrat

I too missed seeing the show you reference.
From your description of "spit-roasting", I'd say it is similar to a method I use all the time when doing the cooking over the fire.

I shy away from skewers cuz I don't like being confined to continuously holding on to them.

Instead, I like to remain in my lounge chair and enjoy sipping a beverage whilst tending to this "spit-roasting", as you call it.
Anytime the cooking temperature needs adjustment I remotely reach with a stick to do the minor temperature adjustments.
When finished with the adjustment, I no longer need to hang onto the stick and can put it down.

Only to do major temperature adjustments, do I need to get out of my chair. This is to apply a quick and free lift-before-twist-of-the-wrist-motion to select the newly desired cooking temperature.
The apparatus I use ranks as simple as the traditional skewer, but has this major advantage of being self-supporting throughout the cooking process.

Of course, cooking temperature is but one factor.
The other factors, like seasoning, doneness, browning, ..., all add their own dimensions to the personal experience.

Give another shout and I am sure DC will oblige with whatever dimension you might like to discuss!

 

[blabberbrat]

I shy away from skewers cuz I don't like being confined to continuously holding on to them.

hm, yeah. sorry i forgot to mention: during the show, he'd used extra long flexible wooden skewers and stab them on the ground. so the fishes that he roasted would literally dangling on top of the flame.

btw, thanks UNCLE BOB for your comment. I agree, it is the heat that cooked the food.

however, what is particularly interesting about this technique is the result is almost like you smoked the fish, instead of having them grilled.

 

[Uncle Bob]

blabberrat...

The metohd you descripe, as I stated above, is very old indeed.
And given time...very effective!

You might like to try this idea (for fun)

Cut a green stick say 2 feet long...find another piece that forms a Y.
Place the Y section in the ground...and lay the long piece through the Y so that it is near the fire..(not over it) Do this on the down wind side of the fire so the heat will drift in the direction of your "spit".

Make this:

2 cups A.P. flour
1/3 cup shortning
1 t. salt
1/4 to 1/2 t. baking powder
hot water

Mix the the flour, shortning, salt and baking powder in a bowl..cutting the shortning in to the flour really well....Add hot water a little at a time until you have a stiff dough..Knead it a few times...let is rest for say 10 minutes.
(At this time you could bake the whole thing in a dutch oven)

Next pull off a piece of dough and roll between you palms making a long rope (12 inches) of dough..maybe a little larger than a pencil...take the long green stick...warm it over the fire for a minute or two...wrap the rope of dough around the stick...(kinda like a corkscrew) Place the stick with the dough in to the Y...let the bread bake...you may have to rotate it a time or two so as to cook evenly and not burn. You may force the long stick into the ground, opposite the dough or just lay a rock against it...so it will be secured in place

When done...simply slide the bread off the sitck and enjoy..with your campfire beans..stew...what ever. Or dip in cane syrup for dessert!

This is called Camp bread...Bannock...Cowboy bread....also in Texas I think
Pan de Campo..it goes by many names and there are many recipes..It's a fun thing for kids..scouts...and old folks too!

Note: Don't let the flames of the fire touch the bread...Let the fire burn down so you have a good bed of coals...let the heat cook the bread. "Flame-Kissed" is not a good thing...

Have fun and..

Enjoy

 

[hambone1955]

split roasting

In South Texas and Mexico I have see Cabrito (young goat) roasting over hot mequite coals the carcas is skewed on metal rods . The rods are bent in a angle over the fire pit . the cabrito is roasted over the hot coals . The meat is very tender and tasty.

 

[Maverick2272]

Do you know why the rods are bent at an angle? I was thinking of setting something up on my grill to rotisserie or spit roast something but I would only have a straight metal rod to work with.
Thanks!

 

[buckytom]

it's mechanically easier to turn a rod by exerting force on a perpendicular arm than to try to make a single axle spin, mav.

many spits use a squared end so that a motor can turn a gear or squared bearing around it.

 

[Maverick2272]

so the angle he is talking about is the handle so to speak? OK I get it, thanks!

 

[buckytom]

i think that's what hambone means. or the square bend in the rod might just be to help adjust the distance to the heat.

i can't imagine trying to cook such an uneven chunk of meat as a whole animal by using uncle bob's "y-spit in the downwind smoke" method". i could see bread or smaller fish, but not a whole beast.

 

[hambone1955]

split roasrinf

i think that's what hambone means. or the square bend in the rod might just be to help adjust the distance to the heat.

i can't imagine trying to cook such an uneven chunk of meat as a whole animal by using uncle bob's "y-spit in the downwind smoke" method". i could see bread or smaller fish, but not a whole beast.

yep distance from the heat source.

 

[Insty-Grill]

There are a million ways to go about suspending food over a wood fire, but one thing is for sure --the hardwood fire always makes it, as was said, "very tender and tasty"; and " yep distance from the heat source" is the key.

Yesterday we enjoyed New York Strips, sautéed mushrooms, zucchini all done over a wood fire and complimented with fresh tomato, potato, and cucumber out of the garden. The cucumber was in a cream sauce -an August favorite of mine.

 

[ALICIA21]

blabberbrat

Couple of quick comments...Smoke does not cook food...It's heat!

Did not see the show you mentioned...However man(kind) has been cooking food on a stick over a fire for what..a million or so years...so one might say the cave men(women) invented "spit" cooking. It still works for hot-dogs and marshmallows..what great fun for kids and old folks too.



Next time you drop by DC give a shout! Maybe I or others here can give you some tips.

Today "spit" cooking can be fairly simple to a very complex procedure...