West Kentucky Pit Barbeque

[trust me]

I wish I could have joined the rest of you folks at WBBP's get-together, but I had my own family picnic to put on. We had the after-church crowd over Sunday afternoon for some good food and fellowship, which is really just socializing. Everybody brought a little baked beans or iced tea or whatever, and my brother and I did the pork shoulders.

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This is the fire pit and the cooking box.

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This is what the pit looks like about 3:30 in the morning when the meat is first put on. Temp is around 250 over hickory coals.

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This is what I got to set down to about 1:30 Sunday afternoon. Those that have to watch fat grams or cholesterol better settle for something else.

[GSP]

:cool: Great looking smoke house you got going there Trust Me!

Hollar if you ever need anyone to hang around and tend the firebox for ya!;)

[john4]

Trust Me, have you ever pit smoked any venison in that cooker?

[C.L.Button]

I agree !!! Great looking lunch too !!!

I just ate dinner and that picture is makin me hungry !!! :eek:

What is the shovel leaned up against ? Is that an outside water faucet ?

Do you just put in the hot coals on the ground under the pit or do they go on a grate to let air under them ? Looks like a great system.

I know that Pork was gooooooooood !!!

[trust me]

C.L.,

The shovel is leaning against a hickory post I put in, just to hold the Coleman lantern during the night. The coals are shoveled in the bottom and lay on the ground. I have fire bricks lining the bottom, but that's all.

I've cooked some venison in the past, but you really have to lay the pork fat to it to keep it from being dry as paper. Wrap it in bacon and tie it up in foil, and it's ok, but I think vension needs a quicker cooking method, like broiling or grilling, to keep some juices in.

However, I have made some mean batches of jerky in the BBQ pit. I take the screen out, and thread my thin deer strips on dowel rods, or peeled maple limbs, and hang the rods of meat over the coals. I kept it about 150F for 6 or so hours, and it was great.

My pap always talked about cooking goat like this back in Eddyville, but I don't remember it. I would think goat would be dry like venison, but maybe we'll try it sometime.

There's a thousand pit BBQ joints out in Lyon Co. and around. That's where my family picked it up. If you ever get lost and find yourself in Kuttawa, eat at Hugh Knoth's place, and you'll know what good food is.

[C.L.Button]

THANKS Trustme !!! 10-4 on the lamp post. I just could not tell from the picture. Fire Brick make good sense too. It would help to keep the heat in the pit, instead of the ground absorbing it. I might just have to make a road trip over there just to eat lunch. I also noticed that you cook them fat side down. THANKS for the great info.

The only way I have had success cooking Venison is to smoke it for 1 hr, then wrap in Bacon and foil. I used to Pepper then wrap Prime Rib in Lettuce leaves when roasting in an oven. That might help keep Venison from drying out ? Maybe do both, layer of Bacon, then the leaves. I know out in the North West they use Alder tree leaves to smoke Fish for shore lunches. Maybe just a real thick rub and the lettuce would help to keep it moist ? I will try it this fall in deer camp.

[12 pointer]

man, I'm gonna make one of them very soon!!!!!!!!!!:)

[Deertracker1]

Now I am going to crave BBQ. This area here's not famous for its BBQ. if we want it we cook it. I think it's a shame.
That smokin pit looks great...so is that plate..LOL

[john4]

I've been wanting to make something similar to what you have there Trust Me. A few questions for you.

-did you fill the cinder blocks with sand?
-I can tell from the picture that you lined it with bricks, are they fire bricks and are those fire bricks filled with something?
-I've been told that 32" is the distance you want from the racks to the floor, does that sound about right?


That smoke really carries this time of year, hmmmm

[trust me]

It isn't made with cinder blocks- it's faced with cap block and lined with regular masonry brick. The brick lining is laid the regular way until the top row, and they are stood on end as you see in the picture. This leaves a narrow ledge for your cooking screen to rest on. My screen is only 3 blocks high. It works fine, but 32" might give you more even heat or something.

I've got some firebrick scavenged from General Electric's glass furnace in Lexington. Someday I'll get around to rebuilding with that. Firebrick should hold more heat and make for less work.