Cassell's dictionary of cookery

We wOl now suppose the joint to be hung sufliciently long ; next let us consider what is the best method of cooking it, and — why. One most important point is to have a good clear bright fire to start with, and for this purpose the cook must see to the fire quite an hour before the joint is what they call " put down." It is no use to " put down" a leg of mutton or large joint to a dull fire, and for the cook to say, " Oh, it will soon burn up !" This corresponds to putting the leg of mutton into lukewarm water, and saying, " Oh, it will soon boil ! " The 'principle of boiling and roasting is the same — to endeavour as quickly as possible to surround the joint with a hard film of meat, in order to keep the flavour in. Consequently, the fire must be clear, bright, and fierce to start with, and the leg of mutton must be put rather near the fire to commence with. After a short time, varying from ten minutes to a quarter of an hour, according to the heat of the fire, draw the joint a little back, and let it cook steadily. Another important point in roasting meat is the basting. A leg of mutton cannot be too much basted. Also basting should commence almost directly the meat is put down. Now it will be often found, in fact generally, that women cooks place the dripping-pan in front of the fire, then hang the joint; next take a basin with some dripping in it, and place a lump in the dripping-pan to melt — the piece placed in front of the dripping-pan generally slipping round to the back as soon as the melting begins. This melting process takes time, and too often the skin and surface of the meat gets hard and dry, and cracks before sufficient dripping has melted to baste with. PRINCIPLES ROASTING. xl\ What cooks should do is to place the dripping-pan in front of tlie fire, with the dripping or lard in it, a quarter of an hour or more before they hang up the joint, and also to make it a rule not to hang the joint at all before they see sufficient dripping has run into the well of the dripping-pan to take up a good spoonful of melted fat in the basting-ladle. With regard to time, this not merely depends upon the size of the joint, but upon the fire and the time of year. Eoughly speaking, a leg of mutton weighing eight pounds will take a couple of hours, and one of ten pounds two hours and a half. For a large leg of mutton, a difference of nearly half an hour should be made for summer and winter — in winter, of course, the meat requiring a longer time. If the fire has been properly attended to, and the basting kept up during the whole time the joint is roasting, it will generally be found that the leg of mutton will be sufficiently browned without having recourse to flouring it and drawing it near to the fire. Should, however, the meat look light-coloured, draw the leg a little nearer the fire, and allow those parts that look lighter than the rest to brown by stopping the roasting-jack from going round. Should, however, it be necessary or thought desirable to use flour, do not let the flour fall in the dripping-pan in any quantity, as this, as we before pointed out, will have the effect of thickening the gravy.