sweet!! glad to help recall.. and yes!! soooo many traditional styles of cooking similar to this. i will def keep going until i get good at it! :) and thanks, yeah those holes you see were actually from our friend's arrow as he killed the deer. the next step - taking off the hair and grain layer is usually a bit trickier as far as not getting holes. last time bacterial decomposition actually made a couple of holes - it speeds up in the heat of summer. hopefully these cold temps will give this beginner an easier and more forgiving time :)