How to Pit Barbecue
Pit barbecues have been in use for at least 200 years, popularized by the Hawaiian luau. Hawaiians called their pit barbecue an imu, which is defined as an underground oven. The traditional imu uses banana leaves, banana stumps, and lava rocks for cooking. The traditional method of cooking with an underground barbecue pit and banana leaves can be replaced with contemporary items. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Shovel
- Metal rake
- Stones the size of a closed fist
- Hardwood or charcoals
- Burlap sacks
- 10- by 10-foot tarp
- Nontoxic chicken wire
- Aluminum foil
- Cooking thermometer
- Oven mitts
Instructions
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1
Dig out a circular hole 3 feet by 2 feet deep. If you need a bigger hole for more meat, expand the width and depth, but make sure the meat is tightly fitted in your pit for faster cooking times.
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2
Start a fire in the pit with your hardwood or charcoals. Place your stones directly on top of the fire as it's blazing. Keep adding wood or charcoal as necessary until the coals are about a foot deep.
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3
Rake the hot stones into a flat, even bed upon which to lay your meat.
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4
Wrap the meat in three layers of foil. Next, wrap the meat in two layers of wet burlap sack, making sure all parts of the meat are covered. Finally, mold the chicken wire over the wrapped meat for easy removal when the meat is done.
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5
Place the meat directly on the hot stones. Put two more layers of wet burlap sacks over the meat. Shovel the dirt dug out of your hole so that it fully covers the burlap sacks and meat.
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6
Lay a tarp over the underground barbecue pit. Weigh down all sides of the tarp with additional stones to make sure no air will slip through. Follow normal baking instructions for the meat you are cooking. On average, the pit will cook consistently at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
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7
Remove the tarp, dirt, and burlap sacks when the cooking time is finished. Put on your oven mitts to remove one of the wrapped pieces of meat.
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8
Use a cooking thermometer to see that the meat is thoroughly cooked at the recommended temperature.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Always check the temperature of the meat you are barbecuing before serving.
Do not use chicken wire that is galvanized, chemically or metal coated.
If you use hardwood, use one that has nice flavor, like mesquite or alder.
Stones that contain water do have the chance of exploding from heat, so use lava rocks when available.
References
- Photo Credit barbecue image by anna karwowska from Fotolia.com
