The joint should be hung not too near the fire to begin with, in order
that sufficient fat may exude to moisten the surface; after a few
minutes, however, it is brought closer that this moisture may become
encrusted so as to keep in the gravy. The joint is kept moving in order
that it may cook evenly on all sides, and when it is cooked through
steam will be seen rising from it.
Now, in place of having a revolving spit and a roasting jack, a
substitute can be made by forming a sort of cradle for the joint out
of thin wire and suspending this from a nail or hook. It is well to
suspend the wire cradle with a piece of twine from the hook or nail as
twine will revolve with a twist of the fingers, but wire will not. The
fire, whether it is one built on the ground or in a fireplace, must
have burnt through clear red before the joint is placed in front of it.
In the old cottages in Scotland where a wide-throated chimney and open
hearth with flat stone constitutes all the cooking range there is, it
is common to see a big nail projecting from the chimneypiece, while the
joint is tied in a cradle of string and suspended from the nail, on a
level with the hottest part of the fire. Everybody passing by gives a
twist to the string and so the joint moves round and the result when
done is a perfect roast. The fat that drops is caught by a tin set on
the flat stone of the hearth, and a batter mixture poured into this
is baked by the time the meat is ready for eating. It would be quite
possible to manage something of this type in a log-hut kitchen, but in
tent or camp it would be better to bake rather than roast meat.