A Method of Roasting a Baron of Beef
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This is Grimm's observation of how a baron of beef was roasted in the 1770s. A baron was a huge joint of beef made up of two sirloins joined at the backbone. It was strung through the spine so it could be rotated on a turnspit in front of a blazing fire.
The cook is protected from the fire by a screen, which also reflects heat back on the meat. Juices from the roasting joint are caught in a drip-tray beneath and prevented from splashing by two other trays balanced against each other. The fire is an early enclosed stone range. Its round oven is a feature that became distinctive to Durham. Before long, such stone ranges would be replaced by cast-iron counterparts. To the far right, a charcoal stove completes this highly informative scene.
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