Cooking with Fire
Rosemounde of Mercia (copyright Micaela Burnham 2002, adapted 2018 with Bill McNutt)
ii. Fire Tools: besides long handled cooking tools, you will need tools for tending the fire, similar to what you would use in a fireplace but larger and sturdier. Log tongs, pokers, a good sized shovel, and some type of bellows are necessities.
iii. Cooking Tools: All of your cooking tools should have long handles, and be able to withstand high heat. Stainless steel and iron are great.
iv. Grates and Braziers
1. Grates: Many types of fire grates are widely available, and you can make grates out of any fireproof, study material (that isn't coated with something toxic). Your grate should be sturdy enough to support the weight of whatever you are going to put on it. Test it before there is a fire going to make sure.
2. Braziers are pottery or metal stands that hold a pot or pan with an area beneath it for coals. Brazier cooking was very common throughout SCA periods, especially in small private homes. You make the coals elsewhere, then transport the glowing coals to the brazier. These will have to be replenished as needed throughout the cooking process. Braziers are good for both frying at medium heats and slow cooking.
v. Cooking vessels: I strongly recommend cast iron for cooking directly over a hot fire with flames. For cooking on a brazier or over coals only, thick pottery cooking vessels produce excellent results and distrubut heat more evenly that iron.
ii. Type of wood: Dry hardwood is the preferred cook fire wood. You can use green wood, but it takes a lot more time to get started. You cannot use pine and other soft wood conifers. The resins in these trees create black acrid smoke that will render your food inedible. Turpentine comes from these resins. Starting your fire with a very small amount of pine is OK, but not necessary.
iii. Charcoal: if you want to use charcoal with or without wood, use the lump charcoal made from hardwoods rather than briquettes. It will burn hotter, longer, and more evenly.
ii. Once made, the fire must be tended. They don't stay perfect for cooking by themselves. Your fire person will have to add wood as needed, shift logs, move coals, and maybe even chop more wood.
iii. The size of the fire is important. If it's not big enough, it won't keep burning. But you don't have to be able to see it from space.
iv. The fire tender needs to know in advance--preferably the day before, how many dishes will be cooked on the fire, how long each needs to cook, what kind of flames or coals are needed, how big the pans are, etc. The fire tender needs to know the cook's schedule.
Cooking with Fire Handout
Types of cook fires: There are basically three types of cooking fires
Coals only--used for baking, roasting, and slow cooking. Cooking over coals: This is for slow cooking, such as slow roasting meat on a spit, roasting tubers and root foods, slow cooking a stew, or keeping foods that have already been cooked warm.
Coals with low flames--used for frying and grilling meat. Cooking over a medium fire: The medium fire is a standard fire for grilling meat. If you are grilling, fats will drip into the fire, so have a bottle or jug of water close at hand to control the flames. A medium fire can quickly become a hot fire with enough fat as added fuel. This is also the fire for frying in a skillet or on a griddle. Allow the pan to heat up completely before adding your fat, then allow that to heat and melt completely before adding the food.
Coals with high flames--used for boiling, stir-frying, and sautéing. Cooking over a hot fire: The hot fire is what you want for boiling a pot of water, or stir-frying, or sautéing. You should never use a hot fire for grilling meat or anything else where fat will be dripping into the fire.
RECIPES
Some of the below recipes are mine, and some are adapted from period sources. These are listed where known.
Venison Stew (serves 4) My recipe
1 pound boneless venison, cubed
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 medium onion, chopped roughly
4 carrots, peeled and cut in thirds
2 turnips, peeled and cubed
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon juniper berries
4 whole cloves
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 stalk celery, halved and cut in strips
1/4 cup rye flour
1/2 cup cold water
Combine water, salt, pepper, and venison; boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1 1/4 hours. Add wine, carrots, turnips, onion, celery, juniper berries, and other seasonings and spices. Cover and simmer 45 minutes.
Combine flour and cold water and mix until smooth. Add to stew. Uncover and return heat to medium. Cook and stir until slightly thickened.
Dutch oven: Roasted Onions with Apples (serves 8) from Dining with William Shakespeare by Madge Lorwin
1 1/2 pounds tart cooking apples, peeled, quartered, cored, and sliced 1/2" thick
2 large white onions, minced
3/8 cup butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup currants, parboiled
In a skillet, simmer the onion with 4 Tablespoons of the butter until translucent. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon, and currants.
In a Dutch oven, put a layer of apple slices on the bottom. Spoon some of the onion mixture over them. Continue to alternate layers of apples and onion, finishing with a layer of apples. Dot with remaining butter. Cover and bury in hot coals for 30-60 minutes until apples are soft. (Or bake at 375' F for 45-60 minutes) Serve hot.
Coal Roasting: Roasted Rutabagas (serves 8) My recipe
4 large rutabagas
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 cup butter
aluminum foil
Wash the rutabagas and pierce several time with a fork or small knife. Wrap in foil. Bury in hot coals for 1-1 1/2 hours until soft throughout. Remove from fire and remove foil. Cut each one in half though thickest part. Serve with salt and butter on the side.
Baking: Shrewsbury Cakes (serves 8) from Dining with William Shakespeare by Madge Lorwin
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sifted unbleached flour
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 Tablespoon rosewater
Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the rosewater and blend. Sift in the flour and nutmeg and stir only until blended; do not overwork dough. Chill 10 minutes in airtight bag in cooler.
Sprinkle a work surface with flour and turn the dough out onto it. Pat the dough into a ball, then gently roll out to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut out cakes with 2-3" diameter round cookie cutter. Place on unbuttered baking sheet an inch apart. Bake in moderate oven ( 350' F) until slightly brown around the edged, about 12-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Baking: Meat Pasties (serve 6) My recipe
Pastry
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup lard
6 Tablespoons cold water
Filling
3/4 pound mild bulk sausage, cooked and drained
1/4 pound cooked chicken white meat, shredded
1/4 cup grated hard cheese (such as aged Cheddar or Parmesan)
2 green onions, chopped fine
1 teaspoon poudre forte
1/2 teaspoon ground cubebs
Make pastry by mixing flour and salt. Cut in lard until grainy. Add water until it comes together. Form into ball and wrap in plastic wrap, then place in sealable bag. Chill at least 1 hour.
Mix all filling ingredients thoroughly. When pastry is cold, roll out on floured board to 1/4" thick. Cut out 12 circles of the same size, using as much of the dough as possible. Divide filling among 6 of the circles, then top with another circle. Pinch edges together with a little water to seal.
Bake in a medium oven for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. You may brush them with egg wash or saffron egg wash before baking if desired.
Spit Roasting: Roast Beef (serves 6) My recipe
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 Tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
1/2 Tablespoon fresh savoury (1/4 tsp. dried), chopped
1/2 Tablespoon fresh marjoram (1/4 tsp dried), chopped
1/2 Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 2 lb. boneless beef roast, trimmed of fat
Sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup beef stock
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon poudre forte
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 Tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
Mix all of the herbs and salt with the butter. Cut tiny slits in the roast, and rub the herb butter into them, and well as spreading it all over the rest of the roast. Spit the roast on a sturdy spit and place 18 inches above hot coals. Roast, turning one-quarter turn, and basting with sauce, every 5 minutes until it reaches the desired degree of doneness. When done, remove from spit and allow to sit 10 minutes before carving. Carve roast slices and arrange on platter. Pour remaining sauce over them. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.
Sauce: Mix all the ingredients in a pan and simmer over very low heat for 15 minutes. Strain through fine meshed sieve, pressing on solid to extract juices. Keep warm.
Grilling: Grilled Sausages (serves 16) from The Classical Cookbook
4 pounds sweet Italian sausage
1 jar horseradish style mustard
Grill the sausages over medium coals for 15-20 minutes, turning continuously until uniformly browned and cooked through. Serve hot with mustard on the side.
Rosemounde of Mercia (copyright Micaela Burnham 2002, adapted 2018 with Bill McNutt)
- The Cook fire
- Safety:
- You should always have a fire extinguisher as well as a bucket of water or sand close at hand whenever making and using open flames. The area around your fire pits and/or oven should be free from flammable materials. The grass should be covered with dirt or mud to prevent flare-ups.
- Make sure that all of your cooking equipment and utensils can stand up to heat of a real fire. Temperatures exceeding 800 degrees F. have been achieved with cook fires.
- Have a first aid kit in your cooking area.
- Have good quality hot mitts, such as those used for barbequing.
- Equipment
- Safety:
ii. Fire Tools: besides long handled cooking tools, you will need tools for tending the fire, similar to what you would use in a fireplace but larger and sturdier. Log tongs, pokers, a good sized shovel, and some type of bellows are necessities.
iii. Cooking Tools: All of your cooking tools should have long handles, and be able to withstand high heat. Stainless steel and iron are great.
iv. Grates and Braziers
1. Grates: Many types of fire grates are widely available, and you can make grates out of any fireproof, study material (that isn't coated with something toxic). Your grate should be sturdy enough to support the weight of whatever you are going to put on it. Test it before there is a fire going to make sure.
2. Braziers are pottery or metal stands that hold a pot or pan with an area beneath it for coals. Brazier cooking was very common throughout SCA periods, especially in small private homes. You make the coals elsewhere, then transport the glowing coals to the brazier. These will have to be replenished as needed throughout the cooking process. Braziers are good for both frying at medium heats and slow cooking.
v. Cooking vessels: I strongly recommend cast iron for cooking directly over a hot fire with flames. For cooking on a brazier or over coals only, thick pottery cooking vessels produce excellent results and distrubut heat more evenly that iron.
- Wood vs. charcoal: If all you are doing is grilling meat, then the perfect fire is a combination of wood and charcoal in even proportion. However, for any other type of cooking, the wood fire is preferable. Also, though charcoal was certainly known in SCA periods, it was not used for cooking, as much as it was for metalwork. You can get a very hot fire with just wood, so this is not a concern. Cooking with wood alone takes a little longer, but it is worth it in taste and satisfaction.
ii. Type of wood: Dry hardwood is the preferred cook fire wood. You can use green wood, but it takes a lot more time to get started. You cannot use pine and other soft wood conifers. The resins in these trees create black acrid smoke that will render your food inedible. Turpentine comes from these resins. Starting your fire with a very small amount of pine is OK, but not necessary.
iii. Charcoal: if you want to use charcoal with or without wood, use the lump charcoal made from hardwoods rather than briquettes. It will burn hotter, longer, and more evenly.
- Timing:
ii. Once made, the fire must be tended. They don't stay perfect for cooking by themselves. Your fire person will have to add wood as needed, shift logs, move coals, and maybe even chop more wood.
iii. The size of the fire is important. If it's not big enough, it won't keep burning. But you don't have to be able to see it from space.
iv. The fire tender needs to know in advance--preferably the day before, how many dishes will be cooked on the fire, how long each needs to cook, what kind of flames or coals are needed, how big the pans are, etc. The fire tender needs to know the cook's schedule.
- Starting the fire: Making a cooking fire is only slightly different than making a campfire. You start the same way. Make either a pyramid or overlapping triangle of kindling. Put a couple of fire starters (sawdust permeated with paraffin) in the center with a piece of crumpled newspaper. Squirt a small amount of accelerant, such as lighter fluid, over the wood. Light it and get out of the way. Once the kindling is burning well, add larger pieces of wood. As those catch, add more wood until you have the size fire that you want. Of course, you can use period fire starting methods if preferred. Never use white gas, gasoline, or anything like them to start a fire. Really. Not kidding.
- Types of cook fires: There are basically three types of cooking fires
- Coals only--used for baking, roasting, and slow cooking.
- Coals with low flames--used for frying and grilling meat.
- Coals with high flames--used for boiling, stir-frying, and sautéing.
- Making coals: Allow the wood to burn down completely to glowing coals the same as you would with charcoal in the barbeque. If the coals are needed for more than 20 minutes (that's about how long they burn at even heat before going out), you will have to have a second fire going to produce new coals, which are then shoveled under or over the cooking food. It takes about 30 minutes to get good coals going from the time you light the fire. Once you have coals, it is easy to add wood to get high or low flames.
- High flames (a hot fire) take about 5-10 minutes after you have coals.
- Low flames (a medium fire) take a little longer, 15-20 minutes.
- Cooking methods
- Cooking over a hot fire: The hot fire is what you want for boiling a pot of water, or stir-frying, or sautéing. You should never use a hot fire for grilling meat or anything else where fat will be dripping into the fire.
- Cooking over a medium fire: The medium fire is a standard fire for grilling meat. If you are grilling, and fats will drip into the fire, have a bottle or jug of water close at hand to control the flames. A medium fire can quickly become a hot fire with enough fat as added fuel. This is also the fire for frying in a skillet or on a griddle. Allow the pan to heat up completely before adding your fat, then allow that to heat and melt completely before adding the food.
- Cooking over coals: This is for slow cooking, such as slow roasting meat on a spit, roasting tubers and root vegetables, slow cooking a stew, or keeping foods that have already been cooked warm.
- Spit roasting: This was a very common method of roasting in period, but is much less so today. You spit the meat with a long sturdy skewer, than place it high enough over the coals that dripping fat from the meat will not cause the ensuing flames to singe the meat. The spit is turned at regular intervals to cook the meat evenly all over. This can be used for any type of meat, fowl, or fish. The rule of thumb is the thicker the meat, the longer the roast, and the further from the heat. I recommend the use of a thermometer to ensure that meat is done in the center when using this method. Most modern spits that you buy will have notches on the spit and spit holder so that the spit can be made to stay in place in any position. This is the recommended type, and was also the type most common in large kitchens in period.
- Coal roasting: This involves wrapping a food in a non-flammable material such as foil. In period, wet straw or leaves as well as mud were often used. This is a particularly good method for root vegetables, but can also be used for fish and meats.
- Smoking: This is identical to smoking in a commercial smoker at home. The food, usually meat, is placed above coals that are still smoking and covered with a lid to hold in the heat and smoke. The further the distance from the heat, the longer it will need to smoke. If it is close to the coals it’s called hot smoking, and if it’s far above the coals it’s called cold smoking. Cold smoking can take several hours even for small pieces of meat.
- Slow cooking: This is the same type of cooking you would do on the low setting on your stove at home. Braziers are excellent for slow cooking stews and stewed meats. If you use a rounded pot with a lid, convection currents in the liquid give you a very even cook.
- Warming: move the food to the coolest place above your fire where it will still get heat. Check it every 10 minutes to make sure it isn’t overcooking.
- Baking and roasting
- Dutch oven: A Dutch oven is a large metal pot with legs on the bottom, and a flat bottom and lid. You place the food in the Dutch oven, cover it with the lid, and place it in the coals. Shovel more coals on top of it. Make sure that it is surrounded by glowing coals throughout the cooking period. This is a particularly good method for cooking casserole type dishes, cobblers, and quick breads. You can also bake yeast breads in this fashion, but it is a little trickier and requires some practice.
- Metal roaster/oven: Use of a grill type thermometer is highly recommended. A fire is started in the bottom of the roaster, and wood is added to make a bed of coals. A fire will also have to be made in a fire pit so that coals can be continually added to keep the temperature constant. The fire in the roaster should be started 60 minutes before you want to bake. As soon as the coals are glowing, and there is minimal or no smoke, close the roaster to heat the inside. Shovel more coals from the fire pit into the bottom of the roaster right before you put in the food. If the food needs to roast or bake for more than 30 minutes, more coals will have to be added at about the 30-minute mark.
- Clay "beehive" oven: Use of a grill type thermometer is highly recommended. Remove the door from the oven and shovel glowing coals into it. Put the door back on and allow to heat for about 15 minutes or until it comes to temperature. Remove the door and sweep out all the coals. Immediately put in your food and put the door in place. This was the predominant style of bread and pastry oven in period. Bread should be baked in medium to small round loaves without only a baking sheet or no pan in this style oven. It is great for shortbread and other types of cookies, meat pasties, and tarts of all types. Experienced cooks can also do things as delicate as baked custards in these ovens. There is a yearly class at Pennsic on how to build and use these ovens in camp that is excellent.
Cooking with Fire Handout
Types of cook fires: There are basically three types of cooking fires
Coals only--used for baking, roasting, and slow cooking. Cooking over coals: This is for slow cooking, such as slow roasting meat on a spit, roasting tubers and root foods, slow cooking a stew, or keeping foods that have already been cooked warm.
Coals with low flames--used for frying and grilling meat. Cooking over a medium fire: The medium fire is a standard fire for grilling meat. If you are grilling, fats will drip into the fire, so have a bottle or jug of water close at hand to control the flames. A medium fire can quickly become a hot fire with enough fat as added fuel. This is also the fire for frying in a skillet or on a griddle. Allow the pan to heat up completely before adding your fat, then allow that to heat and melt completely before adding the food.
Coals with high flames--used for boiling, stir-frying, and sautéing. Cooking over a hot fire: The hot fire is what you want for boiling a pot of water, or stir-frying, or sautéing. You should never use a hot fire for grilling meat or anything else where fat will be dripping into the fire.
RECIPES
Some of the below recipes are mine, and some are adapted from period sources. These are listed where known.
Venison Stew (serves 4) My recipe
1 pound boneless venison, cubed
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 medium onion, chopped roughly
4 carrots, peeled and cut in thirds
2 turnips, peeled and cubed
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon juniper berries
4 whole cloves
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 stalk celery, halved and cut in strips
1/4 cup rye flour
1/2 cup cold water
Combine water, salt, pepper, and venison; boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1 1/4 hours. Add wine, carrots, turnips, onion, celery, juniper berries, and other seasonings and spices. Cover and simmer 45 minutes.
Combine flour and cold water and mix until smooth. Add to stew. Uncover and return heat to medium. Cook and stir until slightly thickened.
Dutch oven: Roasted Onions with Apples (serves 8) from Dining with William Shakespeare by Madge Lorwin
1 1/2 pounds tart cooking apples, peeled, quartered, cored, and sliced 1/2" thick
2 large white onions, minced
3/8 cup butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup currants, parboiled
In a skillet, simmer the onion with 4 Tablespoons of the butter until translucent. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon, and currants.
In a Dutch oven, put a layer of apple slices on the bottom. Spoon some of the onion mixture over them. Continue to alternate layers of apples and onion, finishing with a layer of apples. Dot with remaining butter. Cover and bury in hot coals for 30-60 minutes until apples are soft. (Or bake at 375' F for 45-60 minutes) Serve hot.
Coal Roasting: Roasted Rutabagas (serves 8) My recipe
4 large rutabagas
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 cup butter
aluminum foil
Wash the rutabagas and pierce several time with a fork or small knife. Wrap in foil. Bury in hot coals for 1-1 1/2 hours until soft throughout. Remove from fire and remove foil. Cut each one in half though thickest part. Serve with salt and butter on the side.
Baking: Shrewsbury Cakes (serves 8) from Dining with William Shakespeare by Madge Lorwin
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sifted unbleached flour
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 Tablespoon rosewater
Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the rosewater and blend. Sift in the flour and nutmeg and stir only until blended; do not overwork dough. Chill 10 minutes in airtight bag in cooler.
Sprinkle a work surface with flour and turn the dough out onto it. Pat the dough into a ball, then gently roll out to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut out cakes with 2-3" diameter round cookie cutter. Place on unbuttered baking sheet an inch apart. Bake in moderate oven ( 350' F) until slightly brown around the edged, about 12-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Baking: Meat Pasties (serve 6) My recipe
Pastry
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup lard
6 Tablespoons cold water
Filling
3/4 pound mild bulk sausage, cooked and drained
1/4 pound cooked chicken white meat, shredded
1/4 cup grated hard cheese (such as aged Cheddar or Parmesan)
2 green onions, chopped fine
1 teaspoon poudre forte
1/2 teaspoon ground cubebs
Make pastry by mixing flour and salt. Cut in lard until grainy. Add water until it comes together. Form into ball and wrap in plastic wrap, then place in sealable bag. Chill at least 1 hour.
Mix all filling ingredients thoroughly. When pastry is cold, roll out on floured board to 1/4" thick. Cut out 12 circles of the same size, using as much of the dough as possible. Divide filling among 6 of the circles, then top with another circle. Pinch edges together with a little water to seal.
Bake in a medium oven for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. You may brush them with egg wash or saffron egg wash before baking if desired.
Spit Roasting: Roast Beef (serves 6) My recipe
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 Tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
1/2 Tablespoon fresh savoury (1/4 tsp. dried), chopped
1/2 Tablespoon fresh marjoram (1/4 tsp dried), chopped
1/2 Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 2 lb. boneless beef roast, trimmed of fat
Sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup beef stock
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon poudre forte
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 Tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
Mix all of the herbs and salt with the butter. Cut tiny slits in the roast, and rub the herb butter into them, and well as spreading it all over the rest of the roast. Spit the roast on a sturdy spit and place 18 inches above hot coals. Roast, turning one-quarter turn, and basting with sauce, every 5 minutes until it reaches the desired degree of doneness. When done, remove from spit and allow to sit 10 minutes before carving. Carve roast slices and arrange on platter. Pour remaining sauce over them. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.
Sauce: Mix all the ingredients in a pan and simmer over very low heat for 15 minutes. Strain through fine meshed sieve, pressing on solid to extract juices. Keep warm.
Grilling: Grilled Sausages (serves 16) from The Classical Cookbook
4 pounds sweet Italian sausage
1 jar horseradish style mustard
Grill the sausages over medium coals for 15-20 minutes, turning continuously until uniformly browned and cooked through. Serve hot with mustard on the side.
