Dark Day

Today marks one of the darkest days in European history. While the storming of the Bastille was not itself that significant of an event, it has come to symbolize the whole kit and kaboodle of the French Revolution. While there were undoubtedly some problems with the governance of the Royal family, they were trivial compared to the various bloodbaths that followed as direct consequences of the "Hopey, Hopey, Changey, Changey" of its day, not to mention the irreparable damage that has been done to the moral, civil and intellectual fabric of the French people (from which they might never recover as a people).

Tempted as we might be to smile on the foolishness of crowds, the madness of the common, and the hijinx of the rabble, it is important that we remember on this day that ideas have consequences.

In some ways we have the advantage of a society that offers many amusements to the agitated masses: Michael Jackson's life and death, American Idol, etc. Perhaps had the Sun King used his baroque displays to dazzle the commoners and not just potentially threatening nobles his successors would not have had the problems they had.

So, while we should shudder at the very notion of any sort of populism, whether it be Rock the Vote or the guillotine (because ultimately they are one), we should also remember that "Apres moi la deluge" is not an acceptable idea in a leader.

Adventures in Roast Pig, Part Two.

I got the technology working, but I don't have pictures of Part Two. Someone else took them. So, until I get pictures from the other fellow's camera, words will have to suffice.

We arrived at the location at 4:20 am. Yes, am. And this was not ideal. We had a tasty pig, but it probably would have been even tastier had we started this at 11pm the night before, and done it over a lower fire. Live and learn.

The first order of business was the fire. Our fire was basically lump hardwood charcoal, built in a rented barbecue with motorized spit (rated to hold 125 pounds), to which we added wet bits of cherry and apple wood. While the fire was burning to coals we went inside and prepared the pig.

Hauling the dripping, purple pig out of the vat was not as difficult as I had thought. We laid it out on our work area and began the preparation:

First, we sewed the spine to the spit. This was a good idea, but we probably should have used more wire, or even twine. The heat ended up breaking a lot of the wire, requiring some rebinding while the pig was on the hot spit. The twine that we sewed the belly up, even as it was closer to the flame, held up fine. Lesson learned. We wired the limbs to the little bar that was mounted six to eight inches from the main spit. The point is to minimize motion that could tear the cooking pig apart. You especially need to watch the shoulder, as this is a bulky mass that can swing considerable.

When the spine was sewn to the spit, We rubbed the cavity with salt and pepper and stuffed it with garlic, chopped fennel bulb, lavender blossoms, and rosemary. We used cotton twine to sew up the belly (and, I have to say, I may have missed my calling as a surgeon. This was some lovely suturing). Then I made several slits in the skin and stuffed those with a finely chopped mix of fennel tops, garlic, fennel seed, and lavender. The slits help the rendering fat come out of the pig so that the whole thing is self-basting.

We carried the pig-on-spit out to the fire. We probably looked like some old-time big game hunters.

Now, at this point, let me add something that we did not do, but probably should have: the problem of motion would probably have best been resolved by using some sort of netting around the pig, such as chicken wire. We would have been able to tightly bind the thing to the spit, and the multiple wires would have added strength to it. Instead we had to do wire wraps when the pig was hot, and that was not fun.

To keep the ears and tail from burning, we tented them with aluminum foil. We also used aluminum foil pans and plywood to make a windshield, as there was enough of a breeze to misdirect the flame, otherwise. It was important to have plenty of foil, because if one area cooked faster, it could be tented if needed (we did this twice during cooking).

When the pig was starting its rotations over the fire, I gave it a liberal coating of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which we continued to brush on for the first hour and a half of cooking.

After the fat from the pig started to render, we switched to apple cider vinegar, which gives a pleasant tang and adds complexity to the meat.

And now it cooked. And cooked. And cooked.

Hopefully I will get some pictures of these steps as well as of the setup.

Next up: Part Three: the pig approaches completion.