How to Roast Rabbits on a Spit

Cooking over an open pit or even just an open fire can be quite the challenge. Most open-air cooking is done over a spit. The art of cooking in this manner includes being able to tell how high above the fire to place the spit, how fast to rotate the spit and how long to allow it to cook. Read on and learn to roast rabbits on a spit.

Instructions

1. Skin the rabbit. Carefully remove the fur and upper layer of skin from the animal. Remove the ears and the bottom part of each leg, below the first major joint. Rinse the body with fresh water and clean the cavity well.

2. Pat the rabbit dry and then rub a spice blend into the skin. Mix sage, pepper, and salt into a seasoning blend that can be rubbed into the meat before cooking. Allow the meat to absorb the flavor of the spices by letting it sit in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

3. Remove the rabbit from the refrigerator and rub a thin layer of butter over the surface of the rabbit. This will help to keep the meat moist and give it the browned skin that is expected from an entrée made over an open-pit fire.

4. Take the spit and slip it through the rear cavity, letting it emerge through the neck. A few rabbits may be secured to the spit so that multiple rabbits can be roasted at the same time.

5. Fold the forelegs of the rabbit over each other and secure with a piece of cooking twine. Stretch out the rear legs and cross them. These legs can also be secured to the spit with cooking twine. To save space it is possible to secure the rear legs of one rabbit to the front legs of a second rabbit.

6. Place the spit into the rack set up over the fire. Test the heat of the flame by holding your hand at the same height as the rabbit. You should not need to pull your hand back drastically because of the heat but should be able to hold your hand there for a second or two before you must remove it.

7. Attach the drive chain to the spoke on the spit. Adjust the chain and the speed of the motor attached to the rabbit so that the rabbit rotates about every five minutes. This speed should allow the rabbit to cook in about 45 minutes.

8. Baste the rabbit with a mix of white wine, garlic and butter. This will give the rabbit a succulent taste.

9. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the crease between the thigh of the rabbit and the crease of the leg. The temperature should be 160 C.

Resources

• Spit-Roasted Rabbit Recipe
• Overview of Cooking Equipment in the Medieval Kitchen