18th century roast beef recipe: Step one: roast beef

Nervously says it's "probably a little rare" Beef is perfect medium-rare. Well done. Wow.

Just a small tip. When cooking with fiber - like that twine - it helps if you soak it in water before you start. That will protect it from the fire until the beef drippings begin to render and take over the job

Nearly every recipe: *puts cutlery down, claps hands, goes mmm* That's how we know we should be jealous of him getting to taste the product of his hard work.

This is probably the most wholesome content on KZfaq. Never change, man.

I love how stoked this guy is whenever he's cooking these recipes. The world could be ending and he could still find happiness just being able to cook his beef over a fire with a string.

I spy a pineapple in the background. What are you, some sort of king?!?

I watched one video from this dude and 2 hours later I'm loading my musket trying to rob a store for ingredients..

Jon; to me you are the Bob Ross of cooking. Your show and your temperament are just relaxing to watch as well as hugely informative. Coming from the UK; it's always fun to try out some of your older American recipes.

My god, i always watch your videos at night when im too tired to cook anything. Its torture lmao

I swear this man can cure depression. Best channel ever.

I cooked this cut of beef the same way during a camping trip and it was awesome. Thank you for another outstanding recipe.

I'm a chef in a fancy French joint and I can't get my trainee interns from the local culinary school to get a perfect med rare like that with a state of the art computer controlled oven. Well done sir, that looked awesome.

"Rare done is the healthiest, and the taste of this age." I'll chuckle softly to myself and smile at that quote for days. Thank you sincerely for your work Mr. Townsend.

It's crazy how perfectly cooked that ended up being despite the super imprecise cooking method.

I love that my children independently came to watch this channel, and we discovered we all love it.

We cook string chicken suspended from a nail on the mantle. Under it, we catch the drippings in a dish, and use these for basting. If I were doing a beef, I would probably use the same setup, but start my catch bowl half filled with salt water. The string tends to wind a lot on it's own, particularly if you keep it moist while basting. This takes care of much of the duty of rotating the meat. Looks delicious, John. I'm sure to try it soon.

The atmosphere of this is very rustic and homey. I like watching this because it helps to calm me down. Thanks for all of the videos.

Soaking your cord prior to roasting might diminish chance of combustible/burning thru

"I'll cook it 'till I feel like it's done." - Jon

If I was rich, this gentleman would be first on my list to be my chef. Every single one of his tutorials is just mouth-watering.

That looks absolutely to die for.

Made this last weekend outside in my pit area. ( I wish I could post pics, maybe someday I'll upload some content). I built a pretty elaborate pit setup With a keyhole fire pit area, it bean hole pet, 3 tier rim, cooking surfaces, fire proof floor, and steak rock. I have cooked several things such as beer can chicken, Beef Stew, chili, bean hole beans, etc. I have recently cooked a ribbon on a piece of granite curbing with nothing but bacon as a seasoned. (New piece of clean granite f.y.i.) Steak seared beautifully which gave me the confidence to make this roast. I grabbed a 6lb bottom round, a 5ft stainless steel cable (little thinner than roast cord). Tied hung and spun all according to your video. 4 hours and 19 Minutes later, it came away from the fire Looking very promising. I sliced off the ends first to see how overcooked and I was surprised that it was perfectly cooked period as I got into the center. It looked more like prime rib but not underdone, just done. Needless to Say this roast was a hit and it will be done again period I will also be trying other recipes on your page and letting you know how they worked. Thank you for posting this video and keep up the great work.

He seems so genuine and nice. Wish more people were like him.

I just ate and you're still makin me hungry

Your channel continues to be a beacon of joy in my life. I hope that it continues to be beneficial and enriching to you all. Thank you

you're like Gordon Ramsay's chill cousin

Seriously god bless this channel for real. It's so wonderful. And everything he makes always turns out perfect! Mega wholesome

"Roast beef roasting on an open fire, John Townsend talking to his subs." Happy Holidays, everyone!

Methinks the crew ate well that day.

In British Isles, they had 'spit dogs'.... Terrier dogs that ran after a lure of food, to turn the meat over a fire! I so want to taste that Roast Beef!! 😋😋😋😋

He’s one of the guys that fled to the “Battle of Schrute Farms”.

John's Mushroom Ketchup: "I put that stuff on everything!"

I do believe Gordon Ramsay would have given you a "well done"

I am so glad I stumbled upon this channel... I'm a sucker for colonial American history and I love learning about anything from that era. Please don't stop making these videos!!

I like how in every video it’s always had greeting you with a smile not like all the other people with their extended introductions jas’s videos make me feel happy all the time

My mother would say that you're carving it wrong. If you cut across the grain, it will be (or appear to be) more tender and less stringy. As you make the first cut, you can see the long grain of the meat running parallel to your cut.

The cutting of the beef. *WOW* Looks amazing, as always!

It really is PERFECT! I found your channel a few months ago and am SO happy that I did!!!

"rare done is the taste of this age" some things never change it seems

*Wow*, that roast is _perfectly_ cooked. Cutting those slices at 7:05 - 7:18 is pure food porn.

Watching this in the middle of the night was a terrible mistake.

Thanks for always being so positive. Love ya, James.

I have cooked Chickens in a similar manor when camping.. one trick you can use to keep the thread from burning is to put a little oil on it. I have only ever used butcher twine, not cordage like you were using. I like using a reflector fire for this type of camp cooking. I usually just use rocks, but that fire reflector you use is awesome. I need to look for something like it. also I usually baste with the drippings. it makes a really tasty chicken. awesome video.

A nice medium roast beef. The sandwiches from that would be amazing.

Your videos are wonderful. Keeping our history alive in the way you do is noble indeed

I greatly appreciate this channel. It's got history, education, cooking and relaxation. Everything you could possibly want from the calmer side of youtube. Thank you! That roast beef looks absolutely delicious! I really want to try this out now.

Gotta try this on our next primitive camping trip!

So it's similar to how to prepare Char Siu Pork in Asia, with the key being the pork fat 'melting' along with the spices that was applied to the pork on the flame to create that sweet and savory flavor. In the Philippines, the practice of roasting meat on an open flame using a spit is still common to this day, notably using the entire pig to create that brown and crispy skin while retaining the juiciness of the fat and meat.

I've done this on an outdoor fire once. I felt I was lucky that it turned out so good, and that if I tried to recreate it, it'd go horribly wrong. Before this channel, I didn't even think it was a method of cooking. I love your channel, it's taught me a lot.

I'd like to cook this at the ren fair, when the gates close and it's all just pirate enthusiasts camping in the forest.

Best looking bottom round roast I have seen in a while. Looks great.

That slow mo beauty shot made that thing look great good job now I'm hungry

Our house was built in the 1940's so we have two beautiful fireplaces there. I really want to try this recipe now! ☺️thanks for such helpful advice

the way you present your episodes, the music ,the content it's just too good to watch you ❤

7:09 - looks absolutely perfect!

John, you have made videos of how to make the oven for baking bread. Most people in the USA that have fireplaces, don't have a fireplace that is designed to cook food. They are usually just designed to look good. Maybe you could do a video of how to design a fireplace for home cooking???

Your videos are relaxing to watch, I don't know why. Keep up with your research and cooking techniques! Best wishes to you, Mr.Townsend!

I just found you recently !! I am Townsends addicted! Love how you stay in period garb ! Thanks, very informative and entertaining

Yay! Great work showing the insides of the foods you cook! I'm glad you guys read the comments on the last video and excelled!

Jon, amazing video as always. Loved how you seemed to be genuinely excited about trying this one out. Once again, thank you!

The guy in these videos feels so gentle and passionate! I enjoy watching him!

Love the Townsend videos. He is the Bob Ross of the 18th century.

My grandmother used to spread the dripping on bread

Absolutely perfect. Mouth watering. Come spring reenactment rendezvous this will be on the table for potluck. Best

I made this tonight, and it was incredible! Thank you, Jon!

I really enjoy your videos and this is definitely something I might try as we do cook on our fireplace. Thank you for making these.

A pineapple behind you! My goodness you must be going all out for the Christmas Season so you can show up your neighbours!

Open fire cooking is the top of the mountain- there's nothing like it.

I enjoy watching these videos on my lunch break at work. It's informative and so very relaxing.

I'm so happy I came across this channel! It's always fascinating to see and this time Mr. Townsend even got something tastier than a sea biscuit!

My mushroom ketchup arrived last week - it took about a month, I didn't realize it was coming from England - it's delicious!

that looks perfectly cooked to me! ...Drool...

Videos like this are perfect for cold and sunny winter morning.

Your video on baking an onion inspired my wife and I to try it. WOW! What a treat, a new vegetable for us for sure. Thank you John!

More open fire recipes! This is awesome!

We're vegetarians and it even made our mouths water! Especially when you added the mushroom ketchup!

this channel is so comforting

Its fascinating to see this type of stuff. We talk about all aspects of history but we forget about the small things like cooking, cleaning, bathing and clothes. Awesome video!

Just in time for all the Whos in Whoville to enjoy their Roast Beast.

Another fantastic video! I love these so much.

Looks absolutely succulent. Very well done. I love the old way of cooking and this is one of my favorites. You have taught me a lot and being from Texas I love slow smoking and slow open fire cooking. I will be trying this technique over the weekend

Watching this channel almost always puts me in a better mood. I definitely get hungry. James Townsend along with his background music may be the cure for anxiety.

Another winning recipe. You channel is my favorite. By the way, thanks for the wonderful calendar.

i don't know how I ended up here, but I'm now subscribed. I want to see what our great great great grandparents ate

That looks so delicious, and it's so interesting seeing how they would have cooked it back then. As always your videos are just so interesting.

Even 5 years later, this content holds up. Soothes the soul.

A lot of us enjoy you’re show, keep up the good work champ 🥇

That looks so good, I love this channel.

I am first time viewer. I love these open fire pits. Thank you for making this video.

You keep making me dream of all the delicious things from our past. Thank you for these little wonders !

Merry Christmas to you and your family and friends! Happy Holidays!

Referencing your picture of a boy tending a hog: In the middle ages wealthy estates all had what was called a spit boy. Their job was to sit by the fire and continually turn a spit for hours every day. It was a really horrid job in the summer. I suppose it was still a better job than the lowest level servants that had to empty the chamber pots every day.

That looks delicious! I'm hungry now. Thanks for posting.

The wholesomeness of this channel is incredibly refreshing.

I like how enthusiastic this man is. He got me hooked after the first video I watched. They ate some weird things back in the day.

That looks amazing! The beef is perfectly cooked!

Watching you cut this and seeing the beef made my mouth water. I think this would be a great way to make a savory bread pudding - keep a bowl of stale bread pieces underneath. This I need to try!

I'M happy to see that someone os keeping the old style cooking Alive. Thx for all Ur videos

Absolutely cooked that thing perfectly. Wow wow wow. Please keep this content coming. Great stuff 👍