Hangi ovens
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bombadil
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I notice that you live in Dorset. A lot of chalk and flint round there, neither of which are good for this sort of cooking. (Chalk crumbles and flint explodes) What's the ground like in your area?Mike J said:
And while I'm on this note, I'm going to the Azores in a few weeks, where I'm looking forward to trying my hand at making one of the local dishes, a stew cooked in a sack by burying it in hot volcanic soil!
Don't use slate.
Once had someone make a fire on a piece of slate, no one realised what he had done till it started spitting shards of slate out .
Once had someone make a fire on a piece of slate, no one realised what he had done till it started spitting shards of slate out .
bombadil said:I A lot of chalk and flint round there, neither of which are good for this sort of cooking. (Chalk crumbles and flint explodes)
See when flint explodes, does it make good useable flakes? or just mince.
I know that cooked(calcined?) flint is sometimes used for a kind of cement, but have no idea how it's done.
Cheers,
Toddy
Toddy, flint explodes into shards,basically due to expansion of water held within the flint, typically about 2.5%.
Chalk or shale is used to produce cement, never heard of flint being used.
Chalk or shale is used to produce cement, never heard of flint being used.
Ideally you'd use volcanic rock but I'd imagine it is quite difficult to find over here.
One alternative I've heard of is to use cut-up lengths of railway track although you need to be careful as they get hotter and don't hold the heat as well.
If you decide to try for rocks anyway go for smooth, round river stones. Hit them with a hammer and listen to the sound they make. You want rocks that make a fairly high-pitched ringing sound.
Good luck.
One alternative I've heard of is to use cut-up lengths of railway track although you need to be careful as they get hotter and don't hold the heat as well.
If you decide to try for rocks anyway go for smooth, round river stones. Hit them with a hammer and listen to the sound they make. You want rocks that make a fairly high-pitched ringing sound.
Good luck.
Limestone, basalt, granite can all be used safely. Don't use any silica based rocks, as these tend to explode.
Huon said:
Just don't get them out of the river, like Bushwacker bob said above, or they will have a bigger chance of exploding.
i have used granite stones heated in a fire for a sweat lodge with some success. the paving blocks from garden centres cost roughly 50p each and can be reused. i would steer clear of all river stones as i have seen go bang. scary stuff.
I read a book by Jean M Auel where flint is heated in a fire before knapping, changing the structure of the flint and making it better for knapping. She normally does a lot of research into her books, and her information is supposed to be spot on. Has anybody any experience of this?
Spamel
Spamel
Kia Ora Mike,
Here is the NZ government's take on the hangi:
http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/consumers/food-safety-topics/foodborne-illnesses/hangi-guide/
There's a bit in here on how to select stones and also how to make sure your river stones are OK.
Have you decided what you'll cook yet? Some surprising things work very well - we used to get good results with steamed puddings for example. Remember to layer your food with the stuff needing the longest cooking at the bottom.
Cheers,
Huon
Here is the NZ government's take on the hangi:
http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/consumers/food-safety-topics/foodborne-illnesses/hangi-guide/
There's a bit in here on how to select stones and also how to make sure your river stones are OK.
Have you decided what you'll cook yet? Some surprising things work very well - we used to get good results with steamed puddings for example. Remember to layer your food with the stuff needing the longest cooking at the bottom.
Cheers,
Huon
Thanks.
It is a great way to cook for lots of people. The food tastes amazingly good. Imagine a combination of steamed, smoked and baked.
Surprisingly until you think about it, many of the hangi experts back home tended to be teachers - hangis used to be popular at school fairs.
If you could get the OK from the people in charge of the space it would be worth trying at one of the gatherings. You need to watch nearby trees though as hangis for large numbers need a big fire to.
Cheers,
Huon
It is a great way to cook for lots of people. The food tastes amazingly good. Imagine a combination of steamed, smoked and baked.
Surprisingly until you think about it, many of the hangi experts back home tended to be teachers - hangis used to be popular at school fairs.
If you could get the OK from the people in charge of the space it would be worth trying at one of the gatherings. You need to watch nearby trees though as hangis for large numbers need a big fire to.
Cheers,
Huon
Mike J said:
I know the beach - a friend lives a mile or two away in Abbotsbury. I can't remember what sort of stones are there (I thought you weren't supposed to take them
)Don't forget the veg, particularly sweet potatoes. Nobody in NZ would make a hangi without kumeras!
Not allowed to take the stones from Chesel itself.Not sure if thats the law or local folk lore,but down at the Portland tail end its OK or at the other end near Little Sea.Never tried sweet potatoes must give them a try I have seen them in the shops.Just scrub and bake?
Nothing quite like a nibble on crayfish on the beach at Kaikoura, waiting for the kumura ( sweet potato), carrots etc, and pork hangi to be ready...Montieth's Black beer, and a little fire for light...
..I am feeling strangely peckish...
..I am feeling strangely peckish...
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