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Cooking Meat
While there are many ways in which to cook meat and potatoes without the aid of cooking utensils of any kind, a most satisfactory method is the one described by Mr. James A. Wilder in his book on the Pine Tree Patrol. It is called "KABOB" and is cooked in the following manner: purchase the required quarter pound of meat and cut into pieces about the size of a half dollar and 1 inch thick. Get a small straight branch and taste of the bark to be sure that it is not bitter. Sharpen the small end of the stick selected and impale the piece of meat on it. After the fire has burned long enough to become "steady" with some coals, place the meat over it and turn from time to time, salting it the while. Searing it first will produce a burn on the outside which will prevent the juices from dripping onto the fire and being lost. The length of time required for cooking depends upon the heat of the fire and the desire of the Scout as to whether he likes his food rare or well done. In placing meat upon the stick always sharpen the small end and impale the meat from this side. On account of the thickness of the stick varying in diameter a piece of meat impaled from the large end will not cling fast and consequently will not turn when the stick is twisted in cooking. Slices of onions or firm tomatoes introduced between the squares of meat give it a delicious flavor. A word is necessary though, regarding the method of putting the slices of onion on the stick. Peel the outer skin from the onion and with a sharp pointed stick make a hole through it, then slice it at right angles to the above and you will be able to place them on the stick without splitting. Slice the onion first and it will be impossible to make the onion stay together after it has been pierced.
A stick-and-fire kebab written for Scouts with no kit at all. Two things need attention: the skewer, and the fact that searing does not do what the text says it does.
- The skewer is the hingeTasting bark for bitterness is not a reliable screen — oleander, yew, rhododendron and laurel are all dangerous and none announces itself clearly on the tongue. Use a metal skewer, or cut only from a wood you have positively identified as safe, such as maple, birch, ash or willow; green wood, stripped of bark, is much slower to burn through.
- QuantitiesA quarter pound of meat per person is one skewer and a light meal by current standards. Half a pound per adult, with the onion and tomato, makes a proper portion.
- Half a dollarThe coin is about 1.2 inches across, so the pieces are roughly 1¼ inches square and 1 inch thick — a large cube that cooks slowly. Cutting nearer ¾ inch gives more even results over an uneven fire.
- Searing does not sealThe claim that a seared crust keeps the juices in has been tested and disproved; seared and unseared meat lose about the same weight. Sear it anyway for the browning and flavour, but do not count on it to stop drips.
- Fire condition"Steady" means flames have died to a bed of glowing coals with a light ash coat — roughly the point where you can hold a hand at cooking height for three or four seconds. Flames char the outside before the centre moves.
- DonenessWhole-muscle beef or lamb can be taken to whatever the cook likes. Poultry needs to reach 165°F throughout, and whole-muscle pork 145°F with a rest; anything ground should not be cooked this way at all, since it will not stay on the stick and cannot be judged by eye.
- SaltingSalting throughout, as directed, works well over a fire; the surface stays dry enough to brown. Add pepper only near the end, since it scorches over coals.
- The onion trickPierce the peeled whole onion first, then slice across the hole — the rings stay nested and thread on as one disc. Firm tomatoes, which the recipe also calls for, cook far faster than the meat and need watching.