Of course, wrapping the exterior in a layer of fat does not reduce or eliminate moisture loss from the interior. But the point is that since roasted meat in medieval times was dry meat, a medieval cook was justified in doing whatever they could to keep a piece of meat as moist as possible.
Barding is a method of roasting meats that involves wrapping the meat in a layer of fat first.
Additionally, unlike beef cattle today, cows back then weren’t slaughtered the moment they reached maturity. If you had a cow, you’d want to keep it around as long as you could for its milk and warmth. When a cow was nearby, you could use its abundant body heat to keep your living space warm during the winter. (It’s likely that the cows liked the arrangement as well, given the choice between sleeping outside in the snow and inside. ).
It made sense in those conditions to protect a roast from the sweltering heat of the open flame.
Instead of wrapping the roast in layers of fat, another method called “larding” involves threading strips of fat through the interior of the meat. A famous roast that was famously prepared by wrapping it in steaks and roasting it until the outer steaks (which were later discarded) were charred is the legendary chateaubriand.
What is the Definition of Barding?
Using the barding technique, meats are kept juicy and tender while being grilled on a commercial grill. This technique is more common than most people realize, though. In fact, a lot of us use it when we regularly cook bacon.
This phrase simply describes the act of wrapping a piece of fat around a lean piece of meat or poultry. Typically, these fat fragments are things like suet or streaky bacon.
In the end, all of this compensates for the fat the meat loses during cooking to keep it moist.
Common fats for barding are strips of pork fat sliced off pork meats or bacon, but if bacon is used, some people prefer to remove excess salt by first boiling the bacon in water for about 5 minutes. The barding strip can be placed in a position where it will be best absorbed by the meat by either laying it over it or securing it with cooking string.