The Green Dragon Inn #11 - The Last Chapter

[piosenniel]

A trip to the smokehouse

‘An Orc, you say?’ Cook paused for a moment in her butchering and looked toward Ginger. ‘We had one in here quite a while ago,’ she went on, pursing her lips as she stirred through her memories. ‘He came for that big birthday party. Very civilized for an Orc, if I recall correctly. Polite. And good sense of humor.’ She looked at Ginger again. ‘I don’t suppose we could get so lucky again, could we?’

She motioned for Buttercup to fetch the two big roasting pans. And they were soon placed on two chair seats that Ruby had pulled up near the butcher-block. Into each of them she placed a large haunch of goat which would be done up with taters and carrots all nestled about it for supper.

‘Buttercup, you finish up those peas. And then you and Ginger can season the roasts and put them in the oven to roast slow. Don’t get too heavy handed with the rosemary – just a light dusting of it ground will do.’

Cook gathered up the various large pieces she’d managed to cut the rest of the goat into and piled them into a large, two handled pot. ‘Ruby, can you get the other handle? We’ll take these out to the smokehouse to hang.’

It was a heavy load for the two Hobbits, but they managed it nicely and soon were pulling open the smokehouse door. They hung the bloody pieces on the great hooks that came down on ropes from the beams and then closed the door securely. They made sure the low burning fire in the little stove next to the large hut was still going and that the flue from the stove was well opened to let the heat and smoke drift through thickly over the meat. Cook threw a couple of scoops of wet applewood shavings into the little stove for flavor.

The smokehouse stood a good ways away from the back kitchen door and away from the stable. The two Hobbits made their way back to the kitchen, stopping on the way at the pump just outside the kitchen door to clean up. Ruby was asked to start peeling the taters for the roasts, while Buttercup chopped the carrots into good sized chunks. Widow Rosebank was just finishing up the cake batter for dessert.

‘Ginger, girl,’ said Cook, motioning her over to where the butchering had been done. ‘Go fetch the mop and a pail of hot sudsy water. I’ll clean up the table here and put it away and you can scrub up the floor.’