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Beef, Roast

For roasting, the sirloin of beef is considered the prime joint. Before the meat is put upon the spit, the pipe which runs down the bone should be cut out; cover the fat with a piece of white paper fastened on with string. Make up a good strong fire, with plenty of coals put on at the back. Put it rather near the fire at first, and in a short time draw it back, and keep it about eighteen inches from the grate. Baste continually all the time it is roasting, at first with a little butter or fresh dripping, afterwards its own fat will be sufficient. If the basting is kept up as it should be, the joint will not need to have flour dredged over it before it is removed from the fire. The time it will take in roasting depends upon the thickness of the piece; a piece of sirloin weighing about fifteen pounds should be roasted for three hours and a half, while a thinner piece, though of the same weight, may be done in three hours. It must also be remembered that it takes longer to roast when newly killed than when it has been kept, and longer in cold weather than in warm.