Fire Pit

[Food Fairy]

Hello, I've had a bright idea to make a fire pit (permenant) in our garden. I've done a bit of reserch, and it seems I need a square hole (logical) with a 2foot drain filled with gravel in the centre, then something to line the sides with (I have some slate) and stones for the bottom which apparently can explode (not good). I was wondering if I could line the bottom with lava rock like that which is used on gas barbecues? Then I believe I can light a wood fire (good because hubby works in a wood yard and there's always scrap to be disposed of) allow it to burn to an ash, put double-wrapped meat, potatoes etc into the ash and bury it for a couple of hours. Then dig up my dinner!
Alternatively I believe I can put a rack on the top and use it like a conventional barbecue.
Has anyone tried it please? Best Regards Jaquelyn

[shylock73]

Just one snag Food Fairy, A fire must receive oxygen to burn, otherwise it will go out, also fire bricks to line the sides and base.

[Food Fairy]

Hi Shylock,
Thank you for replying. I realise about the need for oxygen to sustain a fire, but this isn't like a barbecue, the foods cooked in the heat from the embers, not the fire itself.
I saw it on the Hairy Bikers cookery program from Namibia and rather fancy the idea.
They just made a temporary pit - a hole in the ground basically which was filled with hot embers, the meat wrapped well in foil to keep it dust proof and more enbers on top. Then topped up with soil/sand.
The only caution was not to go off to the pub and forget where you buried your dinner! (I wonder how many pubs there are in the Namibian outback?)
Jaquelyn
x

[buildersmate]

It does work - I have seen it done in Hawaii. The point is that the wood is burning with oxygen and hot before the oxygen supply is extinguished by covering with large stones and earth. It then continues to cook slowly for many hours.
It's an awful lot of work for a small dinner - I've seen it used for preparation of large quantities of cooked food.

[shylock73]

Well, with the price of gas going up 46% I think it`s an idea I might have a go myself. I`d never heard of it before.

[Food Fairy]

It is a lot of work I suppose, but compared to Sunday dinner, I hope to have my meat cooking slowly, and I can see no reason why I can't put veg in a roasting tin and cover it tightly and wrap potatoes in foil and cook the whole lot together in the pit instead of in my oven.
I hope to possibly on other occasions, light the pit, and after a while put a grille over the hole and use it as a barbecue. I don't think it will be quite as hot as normal barbecues as the coals will be deeper and further away from the heat source, but that might reduce the singeing usually associated with barbecues.
Best Regards
Jaquelyn

[Twenty20]

Lets hope it doesnt rain when youre cooking dinner then!

I think you might get fed up of this after a short while as it will just be too much hassle and you'll be left with a large hole in your garden filled with stones and ash. Its much easier to just switch the oven on.

[Food Fairy]

Yep it is easier I agree, but my own reasons for wanting to do it are as above, plus we can use it as a garden heater on chilly evenings. Also I had massive heart failure 3 years ago and only a quarter of my heart works now. One of the things guaranteed to flake me out is heat, I hate it! Last Sunday it was so hot in the kitchen I was quite unwell, hence the decision to cook outside, thus negating the need to have the oven on. Plus as someone mentioned gas prices are set to rise by 46%, and fire wood is a by-product of my husband's job.
We might get fed up with it, but we can fill it in and grass it over again if we choose later or have a water feature in the hole :-)

[burnhal]

I have done this both on scout camp and in my own garden- you need some fairly hefty stones to retain enough heat- you need a good blaze going to get some heat into the rocks and the whole thing does take a fair while but it is a fun thing to do. So why not do it!! ( I am also sad enough to have a campfire pit at the bottom of my garden- nice to sit round a fire with a beer or two!)