Help Me Build an Old School BBQ Pit!

[Brizz]

Do these old pits have smoke stacks that I can't see? I have plans for an old school style pit without a stack.

[NrthCntrySmkr]

Here is what I built.

[neuyawk]

Originally Posted by Boshizzle

To me, Scott's in SC and Smitty's in TX have nailed the old school pits. That doesn't mean that Lexington, NC hasn't, because there are some great pits there too. ... Also, does the NC/SC style pits have the chimney at the end or just in the lid?

Seems like Lexington style joints are the only ones with a dedicated chimney system. If you look at the stacks for places like Stamey's, each stack is dedicated to one cooker.

Open pit Whole hog joints like Scott's don't really have chimneys.

The purpose of the chimney is different for Texas BBQ vs Carolina BBQ. For us the chimney is more as a pathway to release pork grease which would otherwise drip down on to the hog causing that nasty "zebra" effect.

In Texas, that chimney has a real use in that it's drawing the heat from one end of the cooker to the other. Since the heat source is directly below, there's real no issue for Carolina styles in getting the heat to the meat. In fact most "lids" these open pits are simply cardboard.

[Boshizzle]

Thanks, brethren. I want to build a dual purpose pit. One with sliding doors on the sides and vents on top so that I can cook old school directly over coals and also with a firebox end and a chimney that I can close off when cooking direct but open when cooking TX style.

I believe a baffle system at the firebox end is essential. The sliding doors, and vents should be pretty easy. After some suggestions from the brethren, I'm still thinking through the firebox entrance into the smoker and the height of the chimney exit in relation to the grates.

The old school pits that cook meat directly over the coals should be pretty easy.

[landarc]

nueyawk, that is one of the simpler and more accurate descriptions of the difference that I have seen. I have dreams of building an oak pit similar to the ones that were prevalent in California in the 1950's and 1960's which all seemed to be owned by Oklahoma folks. These use a bottom fire box, and really were just a large chimney, with racks build like shelves inside the flue. There was a big opening that allowed the cook to move meat up and down, from shelf to shelf, for cooking or holding.

[The Pigman]

Meat smoking and Smokehouse Design by Stanley, Adam and Robert marianski is a great book detailing all kinds of smoke houses and how to...www.book-magic.com

[Boshizzle]

Originally Posted by The Pigman

Meat smoking and Smokehouse Design by Stanley, Adam and Robert marianski is a great book detailing all kinds of smoke houses and how to...www.book-magic.com

Thanks, I just bought the Kindle version!

[The Pigman]

Very informative.............

Originally Posted by Boshizzle

Thanks, I just bought the Kindle version!

[swinn]

Originally Posted by Bludawg

Carolina style pits are normally shovel fed the ones in CenTex are more like an off set design it is pretty easy think of a Fireplace and chimney laying on the ground instead of brick/block on the upper face of the chimney it is a Metal cap.

These two videos will give you some Ideas

Hot to Build a Pit BBQ for $250 - YouTube

Kentucky Open Pit Barbecue: Tim Russell Style - YouTube

These were the two examples that popped into my mind when I read ythis. May do something like the first sometime if the wife don't bark too much.

[LT72884]

ok boshizzle. here is one i drew up for you in google sketch up. i also have some dimensions for you. 32 inches all the way around and 48 high. its a total of 37-40 bricks which is 80$ and then the expanded metal for the grate. each brick is 8x8x16. the cooking surface will be 16x16

it has a wood lid and a exhaust port. it is made of cinder blocks. So ignor the texture that looks like regular brick. haha. thats all sketchup had.

anyway, i drew it up for you and the rest of the brethren. enjoy

[LT72884]

im sure you could make it not so high. 48 inches(6 bricks high) might take longer to heat than 32 inches high(4 bricks high)

EDIT..

looks like im a we bit late reading your post boshizzle. sorry. didnt see the one where you posted what you wanted. anyway. this is still a fun pit to look at..

[RevZiLLa]

How about a shovel, a section of chain link fence, and some big rocks to hold the fence on the edges around the hole...

[Wampus]

BO...this is so awesome.

This thread is gonna be a classic when it's done.


I've also always had a dream of building a permanent masonry pit at my place. I never thought of doing a direct, coal fired pit like the ones you mention. I really like the idea of having a versatile pit that can also be indirect.

So, for the firebox, are you thinking out of steel? Couldn't you make a firebox out of masonry as well or is that what you're thinking? I wonder how "airtight" the big top doors should need to be if used as an offset, strictly for draw I mean?

You gots masonry skillz? I agree that the foundation is UBER important to any masonry structure. The weight of any masonry structure is heavy. And frost/heave is the arch enemy of any structure, but especially masonry ones since any movement at all will cause cracking. So either you need to get below your local frost line or you need to make the base/foundation sturdy enough to move as one big piece in the case of frost/heavy and not "flex".




This is gonna be good. Watching intently.....

[Boshizzle]

As I work through the details, what should I be thinking about as far as drains are concerned? This thing will be a permanent fixture in my backyard. I don't want it to be a place where water pools in the bottom from rain and snow.

[Bludawg]

Put Sand bed a couple of inches deep in the bottom change it out once or twice a year. If your cooking direct there shouldn't be much to worry about.