Barbecuing in a pit can create deep, satisfying flavors.
Traditional pit cooking is a slow, low-heat method of preparing food that has been used around the world for thousands of years. Even better, barbecuing different cuts of meat in a pit can create deep, satisfying flavors unlike most other preparation methods. All that's needed is some space outdoors, a few basic tools, and patience. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
1. Soak approximately 5 pounds of hardwood chunks in a large bucket of water for several hours. These will go on top of the fire later, and once they begin to smolder they will create the smoke that will flavor the meat. It is important to use hardwoods, as softer resinous woods such as pine will burn too fast and hot and will create a bitter taste.
2. Prepare cuts of meat that lend themselves to BBQ. Common choices are beef and pork ribs, beef brisket and pork shoulder. Wrap each cut in a brown paper bag. This will protect the meat from stray ashes, dirt or other contaminants while still allowing the smoke to penetrate for flavoring. Protect the package from burning by wrapping the meat in a second layer of brown paper that has been soaked with water.
3. Choose a spot for the BBQ pit well away from any structures, trees or tall grass. Dig a hole roughly three feet square and at least two feet deep to accommodate 10 to 15 pounds of the dry hardwood chunks.
4. Light the dry hardwood with wadded up newspaper. A charcoal chimney starter a may be used to speed the process. Commonly available in home centers, chimney starters are steel cylinders with a grate inside that holds the wood or charcoal. Space at the bottom allows newspaper kindling to quickly ignite the wood above.
5. Spread the coals out to form an even bed at the bottom of the pit once they have burned down. Add the wet hardwood chunks to the top of the coals to create a layer to rest the meat on. The wet hardwood will begin to smolder, creating the smoke that will flavor the wrapped cuts of meat.
6. Cover the pit with the plywood to contain both the smoke and heat. Cooking times will vary with pit size and construction as well as weather conditions, but expect six to eight hours to produce soft, tender ribs and briskets. As rule of thumb, always remember that according to the USDA the minimum internal temperature for safe preparation of beef is 145 degrees, and 160 degrees for pork.
7. Extract the bags of meat from the pit with tongs and test for doneness with a meat thermometer. Now is the time to add a sweet or vinegary sauce if that's your preference, or just enjoy dry.
Tags: cuts meat, hardwood chunks, begin smolder, brown paper, create deep