"Piedmont" wrote in message
...
Has anyone got experience with an authentic pit, (hole in the ground).

I was about to do some trials in a mini pit and was curious about
suggested depth of coal bed and how long I got expect the coals top last.

I'm proposing to dig my pit about 18 inches deep and about 2x4 foot,
then set it up so that I can place sheet metal on top perhaps by spacing
between the grill and the sheet metal with cement blocks. Any and all
suggestions from experienced pit users would be appreciated!

Pits need to be a combo arrangement IMHO. Dig down at least two feet and
then use cinder blocks so the meat is about three feet (or more) from the
coals. This is great compromise in the Carolinas as the clay soil quickly
becomes like fire brick.

I've only used the pure pit method once and the Q was not really Q but
wrapped and steamed. It was a clambake/ lobster roast/ BBQ (yea right, pork
shoulders wrapped and put in with the veggies and seafood). Not my party, I
was a sous chef at the time and simply followed orders.

The key, IMHO, is keeping the meat three to four feet from the heat. I've
used the modified pit arrangement many times. It interests people and is
better in windy conditions than a block structure w/o digging.

I however don't do the digging.

"Piedmont" wrote in message
...
Has anyone got experience with an authentic pit, (hole in the ground).

I was about to do some trials in a mini pit and was curious about
suggested depth of coal bed and how long I got expect the coals top last.

I'm proposing to dig my pit about 18 inches deep and about 2x4 foot,
then set it up so that I can place sheet metal on top perhaps by spacing
between the grill and the sheet metal with cement blocks. Any and all
suggestions from experienced pit users would be appreciated!

Pits need to be a combo arrangement IMHO. Dig down at least two feet and
then use cinder blocks so the meat is about three feet (or more) from the
coals. This is great compromise in the Carolinas as the clay soil quickly
becomes like fire brick.

I've only used the pure pit method once and the Q was not really Q but
wrapped and steamed. It was a clambake/ lobster roast/ BBQ (yea right, pork
shoulders wrapped and put in with the veggies and seafood). Not my party, I
was a sous chef at the time and simply followed orders.

The key, IMHO, is keeping the meat three to four feet from the heat. I've
used the modified pit arrangement many times. It interests people and is
better in windy conditions than a block structure w/o digging.

I however don't do the digging.

Has anyone got experience with an authentic pit, (hole in the ground).

I was about to do some trials in a mini pit and was curious about
suggested depth of coal bed and how long I got expect the coals top last.

I'm proposing to dig my pit about 18 inches deep and about 2x4 foot,
then set it up so that I can place sheet metal on top perhaps by spacing
between the grill and the sheet metal with cement blocks. Any and all
suggestions from experienced pit users would be appreciated!

From: Piedmont, In northern South Carolina! Nestled between the Blue
Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean! Home to the Catawba Indian Nation!

BBQ USA - A free community group at MSN.com,
http://groups.msn.com/BBQUSA/_whatsnew.msnw
You'll find many links here that all relate to BBQ in one way or another.
Feel free to become a member and post pictures, share a recipe or just
browse the links!

"Piedmont" wrote in message
...
Has anyone got experience with an authentic pit, (hole in the ground).

I was about to do some trials in a mini pit and was curious about
suggested depth of coal bed and how long I got expect the coals top last.

I'm proposing to dig my pit about 18 inches deep and about 2x4 foot,
then set it up so that I can place sheet metal on top perhaps by spacing
between the grill and the sheet metal with cement blocks. Any and all
suggestions from experienced pit users would be appreciated!

From: Piedmont, In northern South Carolina! Nestled between the Blue
Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean! Home to the Catawba Indian Nation!

BBQ USA - A free community group at MSN.com,
http://groups.msn.com/BBQUSA/_whatsnew.msnw
You'll find many links here that all relate to BBQ in one way or another.
Feel free to become a member and post pictures, share a recipe or just
browse the links!

When I was a kid - way back when the paint hadn't quite dried where we put
pictures of the bison on the walls of the cave - my Dad and one of his
buddies used to put on a luau once every year or so. They would dig a big
hole in the ground and get a good bed of coals. Then they'd put a whole pig,
wrapped in a damp covering the makings of which are shrouded in the mists of
time, cover it all back up and let it cook for about 18 hours.

The the party would start.

I realize this is not quite on point to your question, but you reminded of
something that was a lot of fun - and very, very tasty, way back when.

I haven't tried a hole in the ground pit, but would be pleased to read your
results when you've done the deed.
Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.

All the best,
George

"Piedmont" wrote in message
...
Has anyone got experience with an authentic pit, (hole in the ground).

I was about to do some trials in a mini pit and was curious about
suggested depth of coal bed and how long I got expect the coals top last.

I'm proposing to dig my pit about 18 inches deep and about 2x4 foot,
then set it up so that I can place sheet metal on top perhaps by spacing
between the grill and the sheet metal with cement blocks. Any and all
suggestions from experienced pit users would be appreciated!

From: Piedmont, In northern South Carolina! Nestled between the Blue
Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean! Home to the Catawba Indian Nation!

BBQ USA - A free community group at MSN.com,
http://groups.msn.com/BBQUSA/_whatsnew.msnw
You'll find many links here that all relate to BBQ in one way or another.
Feel free to become a member and post pictures, share a recipe or just
browse the links!

When I was a kid - way back when the paint hadn't quite dried where we put
pictures of the bison on the walls of the cave - my Dad and one of his
buddies used to put on a luau once every year or so. They would dig a big
hole in the ground and get a good bed of coals. Then they'd put a whole pig,
wrapped in a damp covering the makings of which are shrouded in the mists of
time, cover it all back up and let it cook for about 18 hours.

The the party would start.

I realize this is not quite on point to your question, but you reminded of
something that was a lot of fun - and very, very tasty, way back when.

I haven't tried a hole in the ground pit, but would be pleased to read your
results when you've done the deed.
Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.

All the best,
George

Well, this is one of my favorite BBQ sites, but, as they say, they don't
dig a pit due to soil conditions; still, lots of good info (and amusing
other stuff).

http://tcomegys.tripod.com/articles/hawgs.html

Note- lot's of pop-up ads

Well, this is one of my favorite BBQ sites, but, as they say, they don't
dig a pit due to soil conditions; still, lots of good info (and amusing
other stuff).

http://tcomegys.tripod.com/articles/hawgs.html

Note- lot's of pop-up ads

"Piedmont" wrote in message
...
Has anyone got experience with an authentic pit, (hole in the ground).

I was about to do some trials in a mini pit and was curious about
suggested depth of coal bed and how long I got expect the coals top last.

I'm proposing to dig my pit about 18 inches deep and about 2x4 foot,
then set it up so that I can place sheet metal on top perhaps by spacing
between the grill and the sheet metal with cement blocks. Any and all
suggestions from experienced pit users would be appreciated!

From: Piedmont, In northern South Carolina! Nestled between the Blue
Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean! Home to the Catawba Indian Nation!

BBQ USA - A free community group at MSN.com,
http://groups.msn.com/BBQUSA/_whatsnew.msnw
You'll find many links here that all relate to BBQ in one way or another.
Feel free to become a member and post pictures, share a recipe or just
browse the links!


I've dug a real Imu (Hawaiian Pit) before and was it ever a PITA! We dug a
rather large square pit about 3 feet deep and then gathered lava rocks to
coat the bottom of the pit. (The rocks actually end up retaining the heat
after the wood burns down. They get so hot they glow.) Then we cut some
large pieces of Kiawe wood (mesquite, ew, I know!) and stacked the wood up
boyscout Teepee style to create a huge bonfire in order to heat the rocks
completely. (Cook the wood down and keep adding more until the rocks
actually GLOW.)

We then set the food (in aluminum roasting containers and wrapped in ti
leaves) on the rocks. We chopped down some banana trees and made huge slits
in the bark. Banana trees hold a lot of moisture; and slicing the stems
helps provide steam and smoke for flavoring. We then covered the entire pit
with more ti leaves over the banana stems and leaves, almost sealing the
layers in. We hid the leaves under a sseries of burlap bags and then
shoveled the excavated dirt over the whole mess. The last step was to take
a tent tarp and bury the mound of dirt. We took extra lava rocks to hold
down the tarp to ensure no smoke or heat would escape and we let it go over
night until about 10:00 am.

Three turkeys and 3 pork butts later, everything shredded and was ready for
eating. I would have liked it a tad bit smokier, but it was an experience
to do it from scratch like that.

I swore I'd never do it again. :~) It was hard work!

kili

"Piedmont" wrote in message
...
Has anyone got experience with an authentic pit, (hole in the ground).

I was about to do some trials in a mini pit and was curious about
suggested depth of coal bed and how long I got expect the coals top last.

I'm proposing to dig my pit about 18 inches deep and about 2x4 foot,
then set it up so that I can place sheet metal on top perhaps by spacing
between the grill and the sheet metal with cement blocks. Any and all
suggestions from experienced pit users would be appreciated!

From: Piedmont, In northern South Carolina! Nestled between the Blue
Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean! Home to the Catawba Indian Nation!

BBQ USA - A free community group at MSN.com,
http://groups.msn.com/BBQUSA/_whatsnew.msnw
You'll find many links here that all relate to BBQ in one way or another.
Feel free to become a member and post pictures, share a recipe or just
browse the links!


I've dug a real Imu (Hawaiian Pit) before and was it ever a PITA! We dug a
rather large square pit about 3 feet deep and then gathered lava rocks to
coat the bottom of the pit. (The rocks actually end up retaining the heat
after the wood burns down. They get so hot they glow.) Then we cut some
large pieces of Kiawe wood (mesquite, ew, I know!) and stacked the wood up
boyscout Teepee style to create a huge bonfire in order to heat the rocks
completely. (Cook the wood down and keep adding more until the rocks
actually GLOW.)

We then set the food (in aluminum roasting containers and wrapped in ti
leaves) on the rocks. We chopped down some banana trees and made huge slits
in the bark. Banana trees hold a lot of moisture; and slicing the stems
helps provide steam and smoke for flavoring. We then covered the entire pit
with more ti leaves over the banana stems and leaves, almost sealing the
layers in. We hid the leaves under a sseries of burlap bags and then
shoveled the excavated dirt over the whole mess. The last step was to take
a tent tarp and bury the mound of dirt. We took extra lava rocks to hold
down the tarp to ensure no smoke or heat would escape and we let it go over
night until about 10:00 am.

Three turkeys and 3 pork butts later, everything shredded and was ready for
eating. I would have liked it a tad bit smokier, but it was an experience
to do it from scratch like that.

I swore I'd never do it again. :~) It was hard work!

kili

"Piedmont" wrote in message
...
Has anyone got experience with an authentic pit, (hole in the ground).


My two cents:

A word of caution -- I was thinking of doing a pig in the ground a number of
years ago -- until I talked to butcher/friend, who said liability too great.
I've eaten a number of pigs from pits, and I'm still here with no (apparent)
ill effects.

It may fine to do where soil is sandy, since it's done frequently in certain
areas (Hawaii, Polynesia, etc., but I live where the clay is 70-110 feet deep,
and it doesn't get much oxygen below the top 2 inches.

Might be safer if you dig pit, fire it up once without cooking to "heat-treat"
soil, then follow up with carefully wrapped whatever you are going to cook.

From CDC website

What kind of germ is Clostridium botulinum?

Clostridium botulinum is the name of a group of bacteria commonly
found in soil. These
rod-shaped organisms grow best in low oxygen conditions. The bacteria
form spores which
allow them to survive in a dormant state until exposed to conditions
that can support their
growth. There are seven types of botulism toxin designated by the
letters A through G; only types
A, B, E and F cause illness in humans.

Dick

"Piedmont" wrote in message
...
Has anyone got experience with an authentic pit, (hole in the ground).


My two cents:

A word of caution -- I was thinking of doing a pig in the ground a number of
years ago -- until I talked to butcher/friend, who said liability too great.
I've eaten a number of pigs from pits, and I'm still here with no (apparent)
ill effects.

It may fine to do where soil is sandy, since it's done frequently in certain
areas (Hawaii, Polynesia, etc., but I live where the clay is 70-110 feet deep,
and it doesn't get much oxygen below the top 2 inches.

Might be safer if you dig pit, fire it up once without cooking to "heat-treat"
soil, then follow up with carefully wrapped whatever you are going to cook.

From CDC website

What kind of germ is Clostridium botulinum?

Clostridium botulinum is the name of a group of bacteria commonly
found in soil. These
rod-shaped organisms grow best in low oxygen conditions. The bacteria
form spores which
allow them to survive in a dormant state until exposed to conditions
that can support their
growth. There are seven types of botulism toxin designated by the
letters A through G; only types
A, B, E and F cause illness in humans.

Dick

Dick Wiegand wrote:

Might be safer if you dig pit, fire it up once without cooking to "heat-treat"
soil, then follow up with carefully wrapped whatever you are going to cook.

From CDC website

What kind of germ is Clostridium botulinum?

Botulism is not on the list of potential pathogens for this situation.
The time from germination to toxin production is measured in days or
weeks, not hours as this scenario would require.

The risks here are for the much more common pathogens such as e coli,
salmonella, staph, etc.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

Dick Wiegand wrote:

Might be safer if you dig pit, fire it up once without cooking to "heat-treat"
soil, then follow up with carefully wrapped whatever you are going to cook.

From CDC website

What kind of germ is Clostridium botulinum?

Botulism is not on the list of potential pathogens for this situation.
The time from germination to toxin production is measured in days or
weeks, not hours as this scenario would require.

The risks here are for the much more common pathogens such as e coli,
salmonella, staph, etc.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

"Piedmont" wrote in message
...
Has anyone got experience with an authentic pit, (hole in the ground).

I was about to do some trials in a mini pit and was curious about
suggested depth of coal bed and how long I got expect the coals top last.

OK, I've read a number of responses to this question and it seems two very
different styles of pit cooking are being discussed.

In general the "luau" or bury method involves a deep pit lined with rocks
that are heated very hot with burning wood. Then the food is wrapped in
some king of leaf, vegetables are also added and the entire pit is buried
under a cover and dirt for about twelve hours.

http://www.cbbqa.com/meat/pork/LuauPig.html

and http://www.texmex.net/Recipes/barbacoa.htm

The pit method I believe the OP was asking about (my clue is the question
about how long the coals last) is the one I would recommend. I use the half
and half (half excavated and half block) as a compromise design. I usually
do full shoulders (if I can find them), Boston butts or regular shoulders in
that order of preference. All seem to be easier to turn and work with at
the slightly lower grill height of the compromise pit.

http://www.ibiblio.org/lineback/bbq/rufus.htm

This one is four blocks high and the compromise design I use is only two.
The rest of the height is in the ground. For someone who has to pick up the
shovel himself I would highly recommend the Rufus.

The very old traditional pit bbq is very difficult to manage as there is no
cover. The pit is three feet deep with the coals in the bottom and a grill
at ground level. Tough to manage heat and the pit boss will be dead tired
when everything is done.

Here is another design that seems interesting but I have no experience with
it.

http://www.ibiblio.org/lineback/bbq/stasiuk.htm

Just my thoughts and stolen web pages

"Piedmont" wrote in message
...
Has anyone got experience with an authentic pit, (hole in the ground).

I was about to do some trials in a mini pit and was curious about
suggested depth of coal bed and how long I got expect the coals top last.

OK, I've read a number of responses to this question and it seems two very
different styles of pit cooking are being discussed.

In general the "luau" or bury method involves a deep pit lined with rocks
that are heated very hot with burning wood. Then the food is wrapped in
some king of leaf, vegetables are also added and the entire pit is buried
under a cover and dirt for about twelve hours.

http://www.cbbqa.com/meat/pork/LuauPig.html

and http://www.texmex.net/Recipes/barbacoa.htm

The pit method I believe the OP was asking about (my clue is the question
about how long the coals last) is the one I would recommend. I use the half
and half (half excavated and half block) as a compromise design. I usually
do full shoulders (if I can find them), Boston butts or regular shoulders in
that order of preference. All seem to be easier to turn and work with at
the slightly lower grill height of the compromise pit.

http://www.ibiblio.org/lineback/bbq/rufus.htm

This one is four blocks high and the compromise design I use is only two.
The rest of the height is in the ground. For someone who has to pick up the
shovel himself I would highly recommend the Rufus.

The very old traditional pit bbq is very difficult to manage as there is no
cover. The pit is three feet deep with the coals in the bottom and a grill
at ground level. Tough to manage heat and the pit boss will be dead tired
when everything is done.

Here is another design that seems interesting but I have no experience with
it.

http://www.ibiblio.org/lineback/bbq/stasiuk.htm

Just my thoughts and stolen web pages