Spit Jack
In days of yore, before enclosed ovens and, heaven forbid, microwaves, the normal way to cook meat was to skewer the animal on to a long solid rod known as a spit and to rotate it over the fire. The process of rotation meant that the meat cooked evenly in its own juices and allowed access for continuous self-basting. Typically, the skewers were around 2cm thick and about 3 metres long.
Technology being, by modern standards, primitive and labour being cheap, the skewer needed to be turned and this opened up a career opportunity for the spit jack. Their job was to turn the spits for hours on end, positioned in an alcove adjacent to the fire. This meant that they were as close to the fire as the meat which was being cooked, meaning it was hot and sweaty work. Because of the nature of the work the Spit Jack (or Spit Boy) was the lowest of the low in the hierarchy of a kitchen and, because of the sheer physical nature of the work, the term Boy was probably pejorative rather than an indication of the age of the post holder.
Typically the Spit Jack would have to rise early, as early as 4 am, to make the fire and then spend the next six hours or so turning the meat. A strong bladder was required because Jacks were specifically forbidden to urinate in the fire – their proximity to the fire and the amount of sweat they produced probably reduced the urge to micturate.
There were some benefits to being a Spit Jack – the universal observance of Lent meant that no meat passed the lips of anyone during the forty days between Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and so this period was a holiday for the Jack. Whether they were paid for their time off or assigned to other duties is not clear.
The Spit Jack was an early victim of mechanisation. Animals were deployed to turn the spit – we saw an example in Chipping Camden where a dog was employed – and then steam power and clockwork mechanisms (as can be seen at Lanhydrock house) were deployed to turn the spit. Doubtless, the use of mechanical aids meant a more even roast, assuming the technology was reliable. Alternatively, a turbine mounted in a chimney using a worm transmission for torque and speed conversion was used.
Rotisseries (a term first used in Paris in the 1450s) are still used in cooking, particularly following the renaissance of hog roasts, and the ubiquitous kebab, that meal of choice after a night on the town. If you tuck into a hog roast or kebab, spare a thought for the Spit Jack.
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