It was six o’clock, time to see if our leap of faith in our ability to mimic Neanderthal cooking techniques was warranted. The rocks surrounding the pit were hot. The dirt pilled on top was warm if you pushed your hand into it a little, we rated our chances of success at a solid 85%, way up from the 50-50 odds we figured we had at the projects outset. We began scooping earth away and soon the smell of pure porky goodness was rushing from the pit. The pine boughs were still semi-green, so our fears that we would have an immolated mess were allayed a little.
The banana leaves were still supple and green, the smell was magnificent. We lifted the pork with our home brewed chicken wire pig caddie eager to peel back the leaves and see the result. Setting the packet on a low wall we unwrapped it. A succulent piece fell away as the wrapper came off, four sets of greedy hands burned themselves to get a bite. Pure perfection, no joke. I hate braggarts and those that swoon orgasmically when sampling their own food, but no lie, it was incredible.
Tacos were on the menu, and no last minute run up to Taco Bell for replacements would be required. While the pork cooled so it could be pulled I made some salsa, chopped radishes, we had pickled red onions in lime juice the day before.
I’d be lying if I didn’t state they were the best tacos ever, and guilty of false modesty. My run of pure fire brilliance came to an abrupt end the next night however when I made paella on the open fire and badly burned the rice. It was well worth the effort.
~KT
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
How awesome is that? This is exactly what cooking with friends should be – a shared adventure with, hopefully, delicous results.
Now I need to find some friends.
Good job with the pork – hope you had some good Mosel Riesling to go with it.
Open fire paella is tricky but when it works, it is a thing of beauty – especially some of the crunchy rice bits. Paella always tastes better on the second day.
My paella failure was pure hubris. I’ve made it many times on a fire, and thus was way overconfident of my ability to control something over an open flame. Lesson learned. If you are cooking over an open flame have a plan to control the heat if need be.