I've been smoking/BBQ for 6 years or so and have collected 7 or 8 grills/smokers. lol All have different functions. Building a cooker out of brick is something I've been wanting to do for a while now. I finally acquired the materials to build it and read alot from this forum. So I'd figure I'd share my experience.
Typically, everyone was saying if you wrap the meat in (burlap/foil/banana leaves, etc) you won't get any smoke flavor. That was something I wanted to figure out. After days of thinking about it, I decided to combine a typical indoor roast with an outdoor cook by utilizing a hotel tray.
So, since I am new to this form of cooking, the pit I built is just stacked brick. The size may actually work out good so I'm going to mortar the brick to make it more permanent. The pit is about 24" square and about 15" deep. BTW - I removed a huge tree stump to put the pit there, my back was feeling it.
I started the fire around 7am, I used 3 wheelbarrows of wood. At just around noon, I had about 4 inches of coals. Articles I read said to have 10-12" which turned out, would have been way too much.
For the 8# butt, I made a guajillo chili sauce:
12 or so guajillo chiles, toasted stems removed
4-6 cloves garlic
6 roma tomatoes, halved
2 fresno chiles, halved, stems removed
1 T cumin
1 t ground clove
salt
pepper
2 cups water
Add all the ingredients to a sauce pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Blend until smooth and taste for seasoning.
I marinated the pork with the sauce and placed it in a hotel pan on a bed of: carrot, celery, onion, garlic and jalapenos. I also added about 6 cups of water. You want about an inch or so of water in the pan.
Now that the coals were ready, I moved the to either side with a shovel and placed two brick in the center to keep the pan away from direct heat. This is where I discovered a slight issue: getting near the pit. It's friggin HAWT! Make sure you have gloves and something like a fireplace poker. lol
I set the pan on top of the 2 bricks and lightly covered in foil so smoke would still get to the meat.
The original plan was to add a lid (corrugated steel roof panels) and cover with dirt for insulation. I decided against covering with dirt in case I need to add wood or water, etc. Again, it was all new to me. I did use my remote thermometer though.
I had no idea what temp the pit was, so right around 3 hours the meat was 190. I was pretty shocked. It was cooking a little faster than if I was using my oven so I was a bit worried about the final texture. At the 3:45 mark the meat was 218. I quickly removed the pan from the pit and let it sit. A peak inside revealed a little liquid still in the pan (Yes!) and nothing was burned or anything.
After 30 minutes of resting, I dug into the meat with a pair of tongs. Thinking the meat was going to be tough from the quick cooking time, I pulled out a nice chunk of tender, moist pork.
For dinner, we sat by the pit toasting tortillas for tacos.
Besides making the pit more permanent, I want to add one of those hanging grills that uses something that looks like a plant hanger.
Typically, everyone was saying if you wrap the meat in (burlap/foil/banana leaves, etc) you won't get any smoke flavor. That was something I wanted to figure out. After days of thinking about it, I decided to combine a typical indoor roast with an outdoor cook by utilizing a hotel tray.
So, since I am new to this form of cooking, the pit I built is just stacked brick. The size may actually work out good so I'm going to mortar the brick to make it more permanent. The pit is about 24" square and about 15" deep. BTW - I removed a huge tree stump to put the pit there, my back was feeling it.
I started the fire around 7am, I used 3 wheelbarrows of wood. At just around noon, I had about 4 inches of coals. Articles I read said to have 10-12" which turned out, would have been way too much.
For the 8# butt, I made a guajillo chili sauce:
12 or so guajillo chiles, toasted stems removed
4-6 cloves garlic
6 roma tomatoes, halved
2 fresno chiles, halved, stems removed
1 T cumin
1 t ground clove
salt
pepper
2 cups water
Add all the ingredients to a sauce pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Blend until smooth and taste for seasoning.
I marinated the pork with the sauce and placed it in a hotel pan on a bed of: carrot, celery, onion, garlic and jalapenos. I also added about 6 cups of water. You want about an inch or so of water in the pan.
Now that the coals were ready, I moved the to either side with a shovel and placed two brick in the center to keep the pan away from direct heat. This is where I discovered a slight issue: getting near the pit. It's friggin HAWT! Make sure you have gloves and something like a fireplace poker. lol
I set the pan on top of the 2 bricks and lightly covered in foil so smoke would still get to the meat.
The original plan was to add a lid (corrugated steel roof panels) and cover with dirt for insulation. I decided against covering with dirt in case I need to add wood or water, etc. Again, it was all new to me. I did use my remote thermometer though.
I had no idea what temp the pit was, so right around 3 hours the meat was 190. I was pretty shocked. It was cooking a little faster than if I was using my oven so I was a bit worried about the final texture. At the 3:45 mark the meat was 218. I quickly removed the pan from the pit and let it sit. A peak inside revealed a little liquid still in the pan (Yes!) and nothing was burned or anything.
After 30 minutes of resting, I dug into the meat with a pair of tongs. Thinking the meat was going to be tough from the quick cooking time, I pulled out a nice chunk of tender, moist pork.
For dinner, we sat by the pit toasting tortillas for tacos.
Besides making the pit more permanent, I want to add one of those hanging grills that uses something that looks like a plant hanger.
