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Monday, July 4, 2011

Cinder Block Pit Cooking

I did some cinder block pit cooking this weekend..
I use the pit for whole hogs but every once in awhile I use it for a variety of slow smoked food.
The old pit comes in handy. :)



I wanted to save time so I smoked a brisket in my drum the day before...
Seasoned with kosher salt, cracked black pepper and a bit of garlic.







also smoked 4 pork butts in the Memphis pro...





I covered the bottom of the pit with foil...





added drip pans containing beer, seasonings and a few leeks.. ( I love the aroma :)).

Placed about 5lbs of coal at each end...





When the coals were lit I placed my expanded metal grate on top....



then added another layer of cinder blocks and added the spare ribs which were brushed with bacon drippings and seasoned with Oklahoma Head Country dry rub.

Also added a pot of pintos... seasoned with ham, onions, garlic, crushed cayenne peppers, a pinch of thyme, basil and bay leaves.



I placed the pintos over the hot coals and the ribs in the middle of the pit for indirect heat...



covered the pit with some old sheets of metal and took a break. :)



Checked the pit after one hour... you don't really need to do this, I wanted to make sure everything was doing ok.
I also placed a remote thermometer inside of the pit...that's something I don't normally do. It maintained a temp of 225 the whole time.



add two handfulls (10 to 15 coals) of charcoal to the pit every 30 to 45 minutes. I slide the middle block out on each end to get to the hot coal pile.



After 3 hours I foil the ribs, then place them meat side down to cook for another 2 hours.
I also rotate them.. placing the ribs closest to the heat source in the middle of the pit.



After foiling the ribs, I added two large pans of the pulled pork and also the wrapped smoked brisket (foiled with beef stock)..




After 2 hours of foil-on cooking, I unwrapped everything and added a pot of Q sauce...

I let everything smoke in the pit for another hour, stirring the pulled pork and the beans a few times.




I brushed the ribs with Q sauce during the last 30 minutes....



Time to eat...
The pulled pork sandwiches, brisket and ribs....



The hot Q sauce...



Ha... one friend was asked by his wife what she was supposed to bring to the cookout. He told her mashed potatoes and gravy. So she made them.. I kidded him about mashed potatoes and gravy not being "cook out" food... he said this was the only way he would get them. Apparently she won't make them at home. lol

My pot of pintos at the bottom of the pic..



salads....



I didn't get pics of the desserts but there was home made ice cream, cakes, pies, brownies, and so many other goodies too..



I didn't get a pic of my plate either..

after cooking, I headed to the ice chest for a cold beer and then headed to the shade tree to prop my feet up and relax. :)
It was a fun...

34 comments:

David P. Offutt - The Gastronomic Gardener said...

Looks like one heck of a spread! I hope you had a lot of guests!

cowgirl said...

Thanks David! There were more guests than I could count. Not sure I even knew all of them. lol
Hope you had a nice weekend too!

Dave said...

Dang Jeanie, that's my kind'a meal!!! Meat, with a side dish of meat.

Marc van der Wouw said...

Hi Jeanie...No words just AWESOME!!!
Maybe build a small one in my backyard;-)

LindaG said...

Looks like an all day affair, but it sure looks great!
Now I'm going to go eat some toast for breakfast. ;-)

Ssteppe said...

Reminded me of my childhood when my dad would build a cinder block pit on Memorial Day Sunday each year. We'd have friends over for a BBQ and to listen to the Indy 500 on the radio.
You must be quite popular in your neck of the woods, Jeanie!
-Steve

Old Smoke said...

Jeanie
The food was great, and so was the hospitality. I slipped in while you were busy. I was the old guy guarding the beer cooler...:)

Huh!...Umm!...What!....
OK! I'm awake now...
Good job!!! I'm sure all of the guests enjoyed the party.

cowgirl said...

Thanks Dave! :)

cowgirl said...

Thank you Marc! The block pit words great and you can move it where you need it and make it as big as you need. :)

cowgirl said...

Thank you Linda! It was a fun day :)

cowgirl said...

Steve your childhood sounds great! :)
My friends and family know that I love outdoor cooking, they know not to complain too or I'll let them do it. lol
Thanks Steve! :)

cowgirl said...

Haha Rick!! I thought I saw you here! :)
Thanks friend...

Rueben said...

Cowgirl, you continue to amaze me. Why am I not used to that already?
The variety of BBQing and cooking techniques was great and the results and food spread were awesome!!! Everything I saw was just plain amazing. You are a very talented and not doubt gracious hostess.
You put the capital "C" in celebration.
Your friend from Guam,
Rueben

pid said...

wow, that all looks amazing. i got a food coma just looking at the pictures!

pid

cowgirl said...

Rueben you are too kind! Thanks Friend. :)

cowgirl said...

haha.... Pid, Thanks!!

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the write up. Have been wanting a big smoker,thought about building one. Now i've decided to go old school with cinder block. I knew you were good for something... Lol. Blue Angel air show this weekend. Buddy

Rick said...

How long do you cook a whole hog on that?

Tim from New Hampshire said...

Hi Cowgirl, Tim from New Hampshire here. Spread looks amazing.

We did a 90 lb pig this weekend in a cooker of your design. Used fire proof cement board for the cover. Worked great. We leave openings at each end and block them with foil wrapped bricks. Was a bit too air tight so we rotated leaving an end cracked. It was great. next roast will be Labor Day weekend in Silver Lake, NH.

Always enjoy your posts.
Regards/ Tim from New Hampshire

Tristan said...

Wow.....What a spread! Hats off to ya! How many people would you estimate you fed?

Mike said...

Wow, that looks awesome! I'm getting hungry just looking at it. When you cook a whole hog in the pit how long does it take?

Chris said...

Boy, eating lite this day, huh? :)

When we get more land, I'm going to build a pit like this!

cowgirl said...

Dang it Buddy, I'm ready to see the Angels again! :)
You really do need a pit, how about at your lake house?
They are cheap and easy to use!
Thanks Buddy..

cowgirl said...

Rick it depends on the size of the pig, anywhere from 8 hours to 12. The outside air temperature effects it too. I tried cooking a small one in the late fall one time, it started snowing and the pig took forever!

cowgirl said...

Tim that sounds great!! Thanks for the foil brick tip also the backerboard idea too. I bet that worked great!
Thanks for stopping by Tim, I appreciate it. :)

cowgirl said...

Hey Tristan, Thanks! :)
This was a birthday party.. I agreed to host. 50 were invited so I planned on at least 50 pulled pork sandwiches.. then I figured several of the fellas would eat more than that, SO I added the ribs. There were several small children too that didn't eat much... I was guestimating. :)
I provided the meat and a pot of beans and everyone else brought the side dishes and desserts.

As it turned out, not all 50 made it but others brought fiances, new spouses and kids I had not met yet so I think the head count was still close to 50. ( I didn't take time to count. )
Everyone got fed. lol

Thanks again Tristan, it's good to see ya.

cowgirl said...

Thanks Mike, It takes between 8 to 12 hours, depending on the size of the pig. It's tricky to get the hams and butts up to temperature without drying out the rib section. Just place the hot coals at the ends and don't rush it. I've covered the rib section with bacon and foil at times to keep them moist too.
Hope you give it a try Mike and keep me posted if you do. Thanks!

cowgirl said...

Chris I was hungry. :) lol
Hope you and family had a nice 4th, I'm sure you cooked up something amazing!
Thanks for stopping by. :)

frognot said...

Jeanie-
Great lookin' food, as always. One of these days gonna try the pit thing, thanks for providing all the info.

Charles, aka frognot

cowgirl said...

Thank you Charles! It's good to see you. :)

The block pit is easy to use and will hold a lot. It's not real pretty sitting in your yard but if you don't have neighbors it doesn't really matter. lol
Thanks again...

Carol said...

Cowgirl,that spread is totally awesome. You so inspire me to cook outside more and I really want to try out your cinder block smoker pit,as we have plenty around here. Thanks for making me so hungry this early in the morning.

cowgirl said...

Thanks Carol! The block pit is really easy to use.. just add hot coals and keep it covered.
You can cook about anything in one.
Thanks for stopping by.

RK said...

Just another day in Jeanie's backyard... ;D

cowgirl said...

lol Richard, thanks!! It's nice to see ya. :)