Roasted Meats

With the exception of birds and squabs, with which whole sage leaves go well, it is no longer customary to lard or baste spit-roasted meats, or to stud them with garlic, rosemary, or other aromatic herbs that tend to leave an aftertaste. If you have some good olive oil, baste them with that; otherwise, use lard or butter, depending on local preference.

People generally prefer roasted meats savory, so be generous with salt when you prepare milk-fed veal, lamb, kid, poultry, and pork. Be more sparing with meat from larger or older animals and with birds, because these meats are already quite flavorful in themselves. But always salt meat halfway or even two-thirds of the way through the cooking. People who salt any kind of meat before putting it on the spit are making a serious mistake, because the fire will dry it out and make it tough.