Looking for that authentic BBQ taste? Why not build your own BBQ pit! I’ts a bit of a project, but if you have a large family or like to entertain, then it will be perfect for you! BBQ Pits are ideal for large cuts of meats such as roasting joints. Read on to find out how to do it!
Tips for Outdoor Cooking in a BBQ Pit
March 24th, 2009 Guest Posted in Cooking |
If you’d like to enjoy real barbeque with traditional flavor and style, consider building a BBQ pit. Cooking in a BBQ pit enhances the absorption of heat and smoke into the meat. The flavor and aroma are unmatched.
This method of cooking outdoors is ideal for larger cuts of meat such as a roast. If your pit is big enough, it’s possible to cook a whole pig or a section of beef. Just remember that it will take a long time to cook this much meat, anywhere up to 10 hours.
There are essentially two different kinds of open BBQ pits you could build: the traditional or the modern. The traditional BBQ pit is essentially a hole in the ground. You then lay in your wood or charcoal and light it.
You can place your food on a skewer and hold it over the flames while it cooks. Or you can set up a grill over the fire to place the food on. You can even wrap up your food in foil and place it in the coals once the fire has gone out.
The modern open pit is usually an above ground BBQ. It’s generally built from concrete, stone or brick. A BBQ pit features a firebox where the wood or briquettes can smolder. You’ll likely want to attach a grill to the pit. Just make sure it’s far enough away from the source of heat so your meat won’t become overcooked.
There are a couple of ways you can cook your food in an open pit BBQ. You can choose either direct or indirect heat. Direct heat cooking means that your food is cooked directly over the flame or heat of the burning coals. In order to manage the cooking temperature, many people locate the coals at one end of the pit and the food at the other. This is a fast cooking method and works well for smaller cuts of meat and hamburgers.
Indirect cooking is also known as pit cooking. Cooking with indirect heat involves using a very low temperature to cook the food. You start by lighting a fire and letting it burn for a while so the pit can absorb the heat. The objective is to store up a lot of heat in the sides of the BBQ pit.
Once the fire burns out or you douse it, you place the meat on the grill. Then you’ll have to place a cover over the pit. The meat will become cooked entirely from the heat stored in the pit. This is a much slower method of cooking, and is best suited for tougher cuts of meat. Many people believe this is the best BBQ method for authentic flavor.
