THE ART OF OPEN-HEARTH COOKING

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Even the choice of fuel for the fire is critical. Because the meat is perfumed with the fragrance of the burning wood, the selection of firewood cannot be made only on the basis of the fuel's burning qualities. (Bear in mind, too, that in the old days some of that flavor-laden smoke rose to the rafters, where hams and hard sausages and dried apples and mushrooms and chestnuts were slowly curing.)

TOOLS OF THE OLD-TIME COOKS

The whole rich craft of openhearth cooking (which includes the making of chowders, soups, stews, and sauces, in addition to roasts) was perfected over thousands of years by generations of hardworking men and women who spent countless hours in front of open fires. And along the way, these men and women developed museums full of tools that made cooking easier.

The two most basic (and widely used) tools developed for openhearth cookery were the swinging crane (which-by altering the distance between the pot and the flame-could provide any temperature desired) and the rotating spit, for roasting. The latter could be as simple as a stout string drawn lengthwise through a bird or small roast, securely tied, and suspended from a peg on the mantel so that the meat would be positioned properly before the fire. (Every now and then, the housewife-or a childhad only to twist the string and the meat would turn as the cord then unwound.) More elaborate installations featured handsome clockwork mechanisms that-through a system of weights and pulleys-kept the turnspits turning.

Among the many other tools created by blacksmiths for fireplace cookery were dripping pans, reflector shields (to increase the efficiency of the spits), heavy iron pots (often three-legged) with lids designed to hold hot embers (so that the food would be gently cooked from both above and below), and the long-handled skillet.

ROASTING GUIDELINES

Roasts and fowl come in such a variety of shapes and consistencies that it's difficult to give precise roasting directions. In general, though, larger pieces of meat require a good-sized clear fire ... and once that wonderfully appetizing crust has formed on the meat's surface, the spit must be moved a small distance away from the blaze so that the meat can continue cooking. A small bird-on the other handshould be roasted by a small, quick fire and will usually be perfectly done by the time the crust has formed. A steak should be propped upright in a folding grill quite close to the fire (over a dripping pan) ... and needs only to be turned once. (All birds, of course, must be trussed and roasts well-tied ... otherwise, they can come apart while cooking.)

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