When I was a kid growing up in Texas, my grandfather and uncles used to cook a whole pig/goat/cow (part of) in a ground pit. They would start it on Saturday around noon and by Sunday morning when the meat was removed, it was an amazing feast. 30/40 aunts/uncles/cousins and family would eat at noon and it was far and away the most incredible cooking experience ever. Sadly, I. never learned to cook that way. Instead, I went to college, became a lawyer, moved to a golf course gated community and the custom, died (at least for me). Truly one of the few regrets in my life.
Hola Edward! Well it sounds like you need to find a spot in the back, grab your shovel, bricks and get busy (the club will never know 😀) - it’s not hard to cook this way at all! Saludos!
I just want give mucho thanks for this video. I love my pit. Using it again tonight to celebrate a beautiful life that is now watching over us in heaven. Cooking 85lbs of carne for chile Colorado. From our hearts to yours much love and God bless. 🙏❤️
Hola Raquel! Thanks for your comment and there definitely have been a few projects back there -- great idea and we'll try to squeeze that in this year! Saludos!
Hola Joel, sorry for the late reply. I bought it on Amazon under the "Sun Joe" brand for $40 in 2019. I don't see it available now although there's a "Sunnydaze" brand that is available there. It's quite a bit more expensive though. Good luck!
Hola Derek, super sorry for the delay in responding...crazy week. The outside diameter of the bottom hole for the first ring level that the grate rests on was approx 28". The outside diameter of the hole for the next ring (that provides clearance to remove the grate) was approximately 30". The top level flush with ground had an OD of 44". It's all going to depend on the size of the grate you buy. Give yourself a 1" ring of landing for the grate to sit on, ideally to provide a 1/2" of landing for the grate and a 1/2" of clearance to pull it out.. This will allow the grate to remove easily but also allow plenty of surface on which the grate can rest. To double check, just stack 'em up on the ground first to get the dimensions. It worked out for me that adding one brick to the middle ring created the exactly the above-mentioned clearance -- no need to cut bricks. Saludos!
Great job, thanks for sharing! Looking forward to attempting DIY. For how long do you leave the meat in the pit to cook through properly? Did you have an air vent to get oxygen into the pit?
Hola Fred! A barbacoa pit is a bit different from regular barbecue. With this pit, you actually seal the pit when you cook; you don’t want air to enter because you’re wanting to keep the heat. Check out this video to see how it’s done: HOW TO COOK MEAT IN THE GROUND: Barbacoa Pit Brisket! ua-cam.com/video/qMNNHvv4kh8/v-deo.html Saludos!
We live in Phoenix, so not a concern here ever 😀. I think if you use a liner, you’ll need to figure out how to get the water out unless the lid seals really well. Also, it’s going to need to be a liner with a high temp rating as it will get around 500F at the start.
How you clean the ashes out? How you keep the heat going? My pit is simular heat goes out and food is always rare? I even do a fire on top and just got medium rare after 10 hours. Took lid off and inside was cold ?
Hola Jeff, to clean the ashes out, I use post hole diggers and a broom. To keep the heat, it starts with an 8"-10" deep bed of coals. If you don't have enough coals, you won't be able to sustain a long cook time. The other important feature is you need to make sure it's well sealed. After you drop the meat in and cover with the lid, you need to lay a blanket over the lid and then seal it with at least 1-1/2" of soil to trap the heat and seal any air leaks. If any smoke is visible, then you have a leak and the air is going to speed up the burning out of the coals. I hope that helps. Saludos!
Great question! I sweep the ashes into a pile in the bottom of the pit and then use post hole diggers to pull it out. It's a bit of a workout, but hey, you gotta burn those brisket calories off somehow...Saludos!
Hola Regis, thanks for the comment! Well, it's pretty easy to keep the soil moisture out since we live in Phoenix, AZ. The soil is dry packed clay. 😀 If you live in a place where there's a lot of rain and saturated soil, you might try testing it with a 12" or 18" hole first to see what happens. Saludos!
The pit looks great! I’m a n the planning phase now and had a clarifying question for you please. Those stones were not retaining wall blocks, right? Im guessing fire pit bricks are meant to withstand that heat but retaining wall blocks wouldn’t stand the test of time. They look similar thanks!
Hi Lama Mel! I think I've seen some DIY tandoori brick ovens that would be similar to what you could try. The key difference is my understanding is tandoor ovens allow air to pass through. Barbacoa pits are sealed to keep the heat in. I think there's also a Turkish or Armenian type of aboveground pit that is similar to what you're describing. Saludos!
How do you get the ashes out after a cook? It seems they would soon fill all the gaps around the rocks and be difficult to shovel out. I guess a shop vac would work.
Hi Blauskie! Great question... I usually use a broom and post hole diggers to sweep it into piles and pull it out. I have however also used a shop vac, but that's like a once-a-year event. Ashes around the rocks isn't a problem as the heat is so great you don't really need to worry if ashes are on the sides of the stones. Saludos!
Hola Mark! Well, we live in Phoenix and have received 4" so far this year, so mot much worry about rain seeping in. Whatever moisture we get is gone before we can even look to see. 😀 Sorry I can't be more help with that question...saludos!
Hola Lord of Bhutan! It probably is doable if you use mortar to seal behind the bricks, but I’m not sure if there would be a durability difference. Saludos!
hi i am trying to build a pit and placed a cultvert 36 ' and trying find bricks to go in there, but i live an a rural area in northern california and i don't find them. where can i buy them ? thank you
They usually have them on display in a section called “fire pit brick kits” or “circular fire pit bricks” . You can buy the bricks individually though. The Lowe’s brand is called Pavestone I think.
Thanks for this video! I’m in the process now of digging out the pit! It’s not easy at all but i know it’s worth it . I’m digging ti about 40” deep .. any thoughts on multiple grates so I could add a couple more briskets. I would love to make at least 2 maybe 3 at a time . Not sure if stacked meats would still work as well
Hi David! Thanks for the positive feedback! The challenge with multiple grates is you'll need multiple ledges to support multiple grates. Unless the grate in the bottom is smaller than the one above, you're going to end up trapping the bottom one under the ledge supporting the top grate. I've loaded a 32-quart steamer/tamale pot with lamb and then placed two 15-lb briskets on top of the lid and had no problem getting it cooked. You'll definitely be able to stack two briskets with no problem, based on my past experience doing the same. Three seems doable, but that's 45 pounds of meat, man! Let me know how it goes!
Ketolicious Kitchens haha I think 45lbs is plenty!! Ok, thank you for the response !! Just watched your brisket video too .. inspiring me to start a channel . Check out my Instagram page @goldlinela Appreciate your help!
I just moved to a new house they have a fire pit in ground made from a 55 gallon drum i am going to be putting a brick boarder around it above ground from ground to the grate is 18 inches how far above ground would you recommend the bricks to be also how would i go about getting the meat out lets say i make it 10 inches tall above ground that means to the grate would be 28 inches so i cant just reach down into it any suggestions?
Hola Johnny, sorry for the delay on your question. Ideally you would want as much of the barrel in the ground as possible as it is critical to seal the pit and avoid losing heat. If you lose heat, you'll run into trouble cooking it long and low enough to make the meat tender. As far as reaching down to pull the meat out, I lay down on a blanket and pull it out with gloves. By the time the meat is ready, the temperature is only around 200F -- not too hot to quickly lift it out. I originally bought some light chain with hooks to lift the whole grate out, but it's always been easier to just pull it all out by hand. Enjoy!
Hola Ziggy! It took two weekends, but half of that was due to the fact the ground was ridiculously hard to dig out.. It probably would have taken half as long if the ground had been softer, lol. Saludos!
Hi Jason, I've cooked 32 lbs of brisket on top of a steamer of beef tongue and beef check, but I've never tried stacking turkeys. It's probably doable, but I'm wondering whether the turkey would cook quicker than the beef. Given the size of the roasts you're saying, it probably would work if you've previously oven-roasted turkey and beef together at the same time. Saludos!
Great teaching video and how to make a barbacoa. This video was better than any of the other do-it-yourself videos. However what was the price for all the material to make this deep pit barbacoa?
Thanks Eugene! It's been a few years since I built the pit, but I'm thinking it was around $300. I think the lid and grate totaled about $100 and then I had around $200 of brick. Saludos!
Hola Suresh! I've lived in the Southwest almost my whole life, so I can't say with certainty whether you'd have moisture problems there. Someone in the area who digs deep holes often, like a pool company, might be able to advise. Saludos!
Great question... we live in Phoenix, so we just don’t see enough rain here to have ever seen that problem. If you live in a place where water stands for a long time, then you’ll probably see water staying in the hole. A workaround would be to make the diameter of the top ring smaller so the lid rests on top rather than within the ring, but then you’ll need to find a way to ensure the lid doesn’t shift. Saludos!
The flames seem to overwhelm everything in the hole, is it better to cook food with the flames or wait till theres only live embers at the bottom and then cook?
Hi Boosted! Great question. This is just the video for how to make the pit. If you catch the brisket video, you will see exactly what you described - let the flames reduce to glowing coals. The coals (not flames) provide the heat for the meat. Saludos!
Hola Ram R! We live in Phoenix, so rain is not much of a concern. If you get a lot of rain where you live and the rain water doesn't soak into the ground quickly there, you'll need to design the lid to cover the top ring rather than nest within it. Regarding waterproofing, I'm not sure there's a way to water proof it. You could minimize water penetration by using mortar around the bricks, but I don't have enough knowledge about it to say how durable that would be. Regarding insects...You can sweep it out before use, but it's going to get over 500 degrees F when sealed. Any insects in the pit will be ashes. Saludos!
I started mine today! Got a couple feet down then hit good old east Texas red clay/semi rock. Then the rain came. Been semi-obsessed since seeing this video. How do you capture the juices and make a consommé with this cook? Also, any downfall to using common architectural bricks?
Awesome! Sounds like the breaker bar I showed in the video might be good to break the rest of the clay. As far as the consommé goes, I use a giant steamer. It’s like a lobster pot but has an internal ring on which you can set the rack for the meat. The juices melt off into the soup underneath - every bit as a tasty as the meat! We’re going to make some lamb in a week or so showing the process. Just running out of weekends for the year! Saludos!
Hola Liese! We live in AZ, so that's never been an issue 😀, but in any case the bricks aren't creating a watertight seal. You might get a puddle for a while, but the water will continue draining further into the ground. Saludos!
Hi, interesting idea... It might help some with starting the fire, but you definitely would want to seal the tunnel when it's time to cook the meat. You'd lose the heat otherwise. (This is different from smoking meat in a smoker, where you're feeding oxygen to the fuel during the cooking of the meat.)
@@KetoliciousKitchens Ok, because this build reminds of the "dakota fire pit" method for making a smokeless fire in a survival situation lol ua-cam.com/video/RlPSEfcz718/v-deo.html
We wanna do this for a gathering the end of April. What part of AZ are you at? We would so love to see yours before starting. What was your estimated cost for this job? I'm so excited to have one of my own!! 😁
Thanks so much for the info. My Pit will be christened Saturday night for Sunday. Not as nice as yours but happy with the hubs outcome. I do have a question. How much wood do you need/use? Our grate is 30inch. I hope I have enough. I look forward to some great BBQ!
Hola JoMama! Great! It's tough to say how much wood as it depends on the type of wood and how deep the bed of coals is (you should aim for at least 8" of coals), but I'd say generally speaking you're going to need enough to fill the pit two times. Enjoy and let us know how it goes! Saludos!
Thanks used about 2 wheel barrels of mesquite and some hickory. Gonna drop the meat in about 30 mins. Coals are still burning high. I'll keep you posted. Also used your barbacoa recipe and seard the brisket. Also throwing 2 pork shoulders in and 1 pork leg for chocinita pibil. Whish you could join us. Thanks again.
I want to try this but I don't live in the desert like you. How do you keep the pit from becoming a well when it rains? Is the lid enough to keep out runoff?
Hi Alex! I think you’d have to size your lid such that it rests on top of the top ring rather than inside the top ring. The lid would shift around more, but at least the water could roll off the ring instead of funneling into the hole. Saludos!
Hola Jaclyn, the bottom brick rings were 10 bricks X 4 layers (3" tall), the middle were 11 bricks X 8 layers (3" tall) and the top ring was 12 bricks (4" tall). So that's 128 3" bricks and 12 4" bricks. See diagram a 4:05. Looking forward to hearing how it came out! Saludos!
Hola Francis! For my pit, the inside diameter (ID) of the main body of the hole was approximately 24". As mentioned in the video, the grate I bought was 22" so I needed to give myself about 1" on each side to provide plenty of clearance when I need to remove the grate. The ID of the hole that the grate sits on is roughly 20". The ID of the top deck will be a function of the size of the lid you use. Saludos!
Hi ! How does the fire can breath? In smoking pit you always need to have some gaps for the fire to breathe.. Also, is this called BBQ Pit or Smoking Pit? Or it is the same thing.. thanks
Hi Itamar, great questions! This is a Mexican style of pit cooking that involves sealing the pit instead of letting the fire breathe. You create a deep bed of coals that provide enough heat to slow cook the meat while the hole is sealed. This is different from traditional BBQ or meat smoking. It’s more like slow-roasting in an oven. Check out our video for barbacoa pit brisket to see more how the process works: ua-cam.com/video/qMNNHvv4kh8/v-deo.html Saludos!
Do you need to clean the wood out after every use or do you let it burn all the way down? We call this a 'Hangi', not exactly but similar principle were we use river rocks (or nowadays, iron) but we clean the hole out then put the rocks down. We cover the hole and food up with wet sacks and thats what cooks ours. Cheers
Hola Aloysius! Wow, interesting; that's not too far from authentic barbacoa pits where they use maguey or agave leaves. Regarding the wood, what happens is the coals burn down to ashes and then I use post-hole diggers to pull the ashes out. I sweep the ashes in a pile and pull it out until I see the river rock again. I think if I did it over, I'd spend some time thinking about how to pull the ash out easier, but it isn't that big of a problem.
Maybe I missed it, but you chose to only use 3" bricks, and the total number of "rings" stacked was 11? How many total bricks did you use for that depth? 40 for the bottom layer and how many for the middle?
Hola Josh! There are three rings in the bottom for the coals and grate, 3” bricks with 10 bricks per ring. Then there are eight rings above the grate, 3” bricks with 11 bricks per ring. Finally, the top ring (flush with ground) uses twelve 4” bricks. Hope that helps!
Hey Joshua! They've been in there for about a year now and so far, so good. The heat is finally breaking here in Phoenix, so year two of the pit will be cranking up soon! Saludos!
@@KetoliciousKitchens is there a specific kind of brick we need in terms of holding the heat and not letting it dissipate?? And how hot does those river rocks get without cracking?
Hola Jah Bless! The bricks I used for the walls were circular fire pit bricks from Lowes. After I seal the lid, the temperature is around 500 F and it cools to 200 F in about 5-6 hours, so they definitely hold the heat long enough to get a good slow cook. They've held up great for the year and a half I've had the pit so far. The river rock question is one I get a lot. In the last year and a half, I've only had 1 or 2 rocks split. Other people have comment they'll pop like fireworks, but it simply hasn't happened in this pit. We live in Arizona and these rocks probably haven't seen water in 30,000 years, so maybe that's it. Not sure. In any case if it's a concern, you could probably line the bottom with similar brick and get adequate insulation (it works for the walls after all). Saludos!
LOL ...Nuevo Mexicano... so I guess a dude from the other formerly Mexican states would be called Arizono, Nevado, Texano, Californio, Colorado, and Montaño.
Hola Jaclyn, Bakersfield’s average rainfall is similar to Phoenix, so I don’t see any issue. The rain may get in the hole but the ground will soak it up. Saludos!
Well…we live in Phoenix, so nothing really. In the event we do get a big rain, the little bit of dirt that washes in can easily be swept up. We’re in year 3 with it and it still is working out fine. Saludos!
@@KetoliciousKitchens very nice. Thank you for the tutorial. Ive been building outdoor bbq pit and fire pit in our backyard. Planning on building one like this. We have lots of left over bricks to use. Your food looks delicious.
Hi Gator Goins, I had one crack but that’s been it. We live in AZ and they were buried in the ground when I used them; don’t know if that makes a difference.
Hola bombo atomico! Nope, this is different from barbecue where you're using air and flame to control heat and/or flavor the meat from smoke of the wood. This barbacoa pit is more similar to traditional Mexican barbacoa pits where you're using the heat from a deep bed of coals to cook. If air is allowed in, you'll lose the heat needed to cook a big brisket or pork shoulder for 4-5 hours. Kind of like a giant sealed crock pot of sorts. Check out the brisket video for more details. Saludos!
Hola brookster, great question! After the barbacoa is pulled out and things cool down, there's pretty much not much left other than some coals and ash. I just use a broom to sweep them to one side in a pile and post hole diggers to pull it out. You'll get some exercise to burn the brisket off! Saludos!
Looked at you video and it looks awesome! They only thing I would have done extra (not sure exactly how but...) is to build in an extra set of brick or maybe sort of removable metal clips coming out higher up in the pit so that you could add in an extra grate! Now you have a perfect oven/pit, but only one space to put stuff to cook on. Something so that you can still shimmy down the lower grate, but so that you can put another one on top. Maybe something to think about if you ever build another, or decide to redo/improve this one. But thanks for an superb video!
Hola Martin! Great idea and thanks for the positive feedback! Actually I toyed around with the idea of driving three or four evenly-spaced rods into the sidewalls higher up in the pit like you described. The grate would then have room to pass down to the base brick layer for barbacoa or rest on the rods for an additional surface. Not sure my description is clear, but it seem like it would work. Saludos!
Lol, I’m not sure how long they have to be away from the river, but these came from some landscaping buried in my yard in PHX. I’ve never seen one explode. Saludos!
@KetoliciousKitchens we build fitpits and all the brick yards are quick to tell me they explode from holding water and getting too hot I so will look at more of your videos because the bbq pit is awesome!
This is more of a Luau. Barbacoa is just the heat of the bricks. That's why the fire is made in the pit , to heat all the bricks for a 16hr roast. Usually a trivet or hot bricks loose on the bottom work well to position a pot on the bottom to catch the meat drippings. With no cosume' its not real barbacoa. I liked your video! I liked the fact that you shared your design off pit for everyone to use. Great video. Keep em coming!
Hola ninjabeaner! I've heard that from others, but only experienced one cracked rock. Perhaps it's because the ones I used were already in the yard here in the dry heat of Phoenix. Not sure, but you could always line it with brick instead if you prefer. Saludos!
I feel bad for people out east digging up that rock solid clay. Here in the PNW, we have rich fluffy soil that comes right out of the ground with little effort.
Hi Thirsty Duck, there are a lot of videos of homemade pits in Mexico that are simple holes in the ground, covered with maguey leaves and then sealed with sheet metal and soil. It's definitely possible to make barbacoa without spending a bunch of cash! Saludos!
Hola Style-TV! So true, or Armenian tonir! Too many cool ways with cook with this! Definitely will have to look at some recipes using a tandoor. Saludos!
YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE THIS HOLE THIS DEEP. I HAVE SEEN THEM ONLY 24 INCHES DEEP LINED IN ROCKS AND COVERED WITH A BOARD AFTER YOU START A BIG FIRE WAIT FOR IT TO GO OUT PUT EVERYTHING IN A POT WITH GRATE AT BOTTOM ADD WATER TO BOTTOM THEN LAY DOWN BANANA LEAVES AND YOUR MEAT THEN COVER WITH BANANA LEAVES AND PUT LID ON POT AND COVER WITH BOARD. THEN BURY COVER WITH DIRT AND THE NEXT DAY UNVOVER DIRT THE FOOD IS READY. LEAVE FOR 12 HRS. OR MORE DEPENDING.
Hi Tamara, thanks for the comment! If you've seen our brisket video, we're following a similar process to what you're describing except without banana leaves. (The pit, as well as the cooking process in the brisket video, draws from the traditional Mexican barbacoa pit but recognizes most people in the US don't have easy access to banana leaves or agave.). Nevertheless, the design is definitely flexible enough to allow for a shallower hole as long as you leave enough space for the coals and the meat. FYI...When we use the pit, we usually use it for large parties or when we're cooking a ton of meat for the holidays. This means I usually have a 14" tall lobster pot full of leg of lamb or lengua/cachete with a 16-pound brisket laying on top of the lid. A 24" hole isn't going to cut it for that when you account for room for coals. In any case, in my opinion if you're going to invest time in making this pit, dig the extra 12" so you don't regret it later. But, as with everything, adapt to what works for you! Saludos!
When I was a kid growing up in Texas, my grandfather and uncles used to cook a whole pig/goat/cow (part of) in a ground pit. They would start it on Saturday around noon and by Sunday morning when the meat was removed, it was an amazing feast. 30/40 aunts/uncles/cousins and family would eat at noon and it was far and away the most incredible cooking experience ever. Sadly, I. never learned to cook that way. Instead, I went to college, became a lawyer, moved to a golf course gated community and the custom, died (at least for me). Truly one of the few regrets in my life.
Hola Edward! Well it sounds like you need to find a spot in the back, grab your shovel, bricks and get busy (the club will never know 😀) - it’s not hard to cook this way at all! Saludos!
Sell your gated house get some land in the country side and you can do this every weekend
Invite me on your 1st cookout
Never too late to reconnect with your roots brother
It's not too late to start again
I'm impressed. A real barbacoa, the original form of barbeque.
Thanks Chavezoid! It's crazy how tender the meat is when you cook it in that style. Cachete y lengua tacos video coming soon! Saludos!
Not really. Use to cook complete cow. Barb, the whiskers, b the body , que they tail.. barbeque.
I just want give mucho thanks for this video. I love my pit. Using it again tonight to celebrate a beautiful life that is now watching over us in heaven. Cooking 85lbs of carne for chile Colorado. From our hearts to yours much love and God bless. 🙏❤️
So sorry for your loss and we’re glad you were able to use the pit for this. Thanks for sharing and God bless.
We do have something in Southern Yemen we use like this we u can let even lamb meat drip on to rice it tastes awesome .
Hola Nasser! Wow, that's giving me a reason to make it again soon! That sounds awesome! Saludos!
Salaam aleikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh. I want a clip of how to make
Vegan thechr
I looked for something like this, I found it here, and this is the best video I've found for it. Guess I gotta subscribe now.
Hola Lakyn! Thanks for the comments and make the pit! Saludos!
We had a chance to sample!
Even the broth from the drippings was delicious!
Yes it was! Thanks!
U did excellent sir. I don’t wear hat but hats off to you. Many thumbs up for ur efforts
Hola Zee, thanks for the kind feedback and go make some barbacoa! Saludos!
Felicidades Mike and Lupita, I hope to taste that barbacoa soon! 🙂
Thanks Blanca! We hope to make some brisket first, then barbacoa next!
Thanks for the video. We are as a family going to start out pit this weekend. Thanks again
Hola Smokin88! Have fun and let us know how it goes! Saludos!
I think we would all love for you to make a video showing us your back yard thank you
Hola Raquel! Thanks for your comment and there definitely have been a few projects back there -- great idea and we'll try to squeeze that in this year! Saludos!
I love this video. I'll enjoyed it.
Hola Angel! Thanks for the kind comments! Saludos!
Thanks for this video. much appreciated 👍
Gracias for the kind words and enjoy! Saludos!
HEY IT LOOKS PRETTY DECENT
Thanks Eulogio! Saludos!
Hay que hacer ese poco para una suculenta barbacoa, ha de quedar deliciosa! Saludos desde Monterrey, México 🇲🇽 🙋♀️🙋♀️🤗👏🏻👍🏻
Que gusto saludarte, Regina! Sí, estamos planeando hacer una barbacoa de cordero en dos semanas! Muchos saludos a Monterrey!
Excellent video. Question. What is the difference between this and a tandoori? Thanks
Hola Jessejames! They're pretty similar but I think you can cook on the sidewalls of a tandoori. I don't think it would work in this pit. Saludos!
Great video! This helped me build mine up at my cabin!
Hi Joe, thanks for the comments and enjoy the pit! Saludos!
Did you use fire brick or regular brick ?
I used fire pit bricks. Saludos!
hi Mike, great video. love the lid, can you share supplier?
Hola Joel, sorry for the late reply. I bought it on Amazon under the "Sun Joe" brand for $40 in 2019. I don't see it available now although there's a "Sunnydaze" brand that is available there. It's quite a bit more expensive though. Good luck!
Great project. Can you tell me the outer diameter you dug for the coals/river rock level and then the same for the cooking level above? Thanks.
Hola Derek, super sorry for the delay in responding...crazy week. The outside diameter of the bottom hole for the first ring level that the grate rests on was approx 28". The outside diameter of the hole for the next ring (that provides clearance to remove the grate) was approximately 30". The top level flush with ground had an OD of 44".
It's all going to depend on the size of the grate you buy. Give yourself a 1" ring of landing for the grate to sit on, ideally to provide a 1/2" of landing for the grate and a 1/2" of clearance to pull it out.. This will allow the grate to remove easily but also allow plenty of surface on which the grate can rest.
To double check, just stack 'em up on the ground first to get the dimensions. It worked out for me that adding one brick to the middle ring created the exactly the above-mentioned clearance -- no need to cut bricks.
Saludos!
Fantastic. Thank you.
Great job, thanks for sharing! Looking forward to attempting DIY.
For how long do you leave the meat in the pit to cook through properly?
Did you have an air vent to get oxygen into the pit?
Hola Fred! A barbacoa pit is a bit different from regular barbecue. With this pit, you actually seal the pit when you cook; you don’t want air to enter because you’re wanting to keep the heat. Check out this video to see how it’s done: HOW TO COOK MEAT IN THE GROUND: Barbacoa Pit Brisket!
ua-cam.com/video/qMNNHvv4kh8/v-deo.html
Saludos!
Any issues with flooding? Was wondering if a liner would be beneficial?
We live in Phoenix, so not a concern here ever 😀. I think if you use a liner, you’ll need to figure out how to get the water out unless the lid seals really well. Also, it’s going to need to be a liner with a high temp rating as it will get around 500F at the start.
How you clean the ashes out? How you keep the heat going? My pit is simular heat goes out and food is always rare? I even do a fire on top and just got medium rare after 10 hours. Took lid off and inside was cold ?
Hola Jeff, to clean the ashes out, I use post hole diggers and a broom.
To keep the heat, it starts with an 8"-10" deep bed of coals. If you don't have enough coals, you won't be able to sustain a long cook time.
The other important feature is you need to make sure it's well sealed. After you drop the meat in and cover with the lid, you need to lay a blanket over the lid and then seal it with at least 1-1/2" of soil to trap the heat and seal any air leaks. If any smoke is visible, then you have a leak and the air is going to speed up the burning out of the coals.
I hope that helps. Saludos!
Looks amazing, but I'm concerned about cleaning up the pit. How do you do that ?
Great question! I sweep the ashes into a pile in the bottom of the pit and then use post hole diggers to pull it out. It's a bit of a workout, but hey, you gotta burn those brisket calories off somehow...Saludos!
Great vid. How do you keep the surrounding soil moisture out when not in use?
Hola Regis, thanks for the comment! Well, it's pretty easy to keep the soil moisture out since we live in Phoenix, AZ. The soil is dry packed clay. 😀
If you live in a place where there's a lot of rain and saturated soil, you might try testing it with a 12" or 18" hole first to see what happens. Saludos!
The pit looks great! I’m a n the planning phase now and had a clarifying question for you please. Those stones were not retaining wall blocks, right? Im guessing fire pit bricks are meant to withstand that heat but retaining wall blocks wouldn’t stand the test of time. They look similar thanks!
Hola Amaru! Yes, that’s correct - they’re circular fire pit bricks. Enjoy!
Is it possible for me to do it doesn’t need to go in the ground? Like line the rocks in a big drum?
Hi Lama Mel! I think I've seen some DIY tandoori brick ovens that would be similar to what you could try. The key difference is my understanding is tandoor ovens allow air to pass through. Barbacoa pits are sealed to keep the heat in. I think there's also a Turkish or Armenian type of aboveground pit that is similar to what you're describing. Saludos!
How do you get the ashes out after a cook? It seems they would soon fill all the gaps around the rocks and be difficult to shovel out. I guess a shop vac would work.
Hi Blauskie! Great question... I usually use a broom and post hole diggers to sweep it into piles and pull it out. I have however also used a shop vac, but that's like a once-a-year event. Ashes around the rocks isn't a problem as the heat is so great you don't really need to worry if ashes are on the sides of the stones. Saludos!
Have you encountered any issues with rain water seeping in from the sides?
Hola Mark! Well, we live in Phoenix and have received 4" so far this year, so mot much worry about rain seeping in. Whatever moisture we get is gone before we can even look to see. 😀 Sorry I can't be more help with that question...saludos!
Is it ok to use regular red bricks 🧱
Hola Lord of Bhutan! It probably is doable if you use mortar to seal behind the bricks, but I’m not sure if there would be a durability difference. Saludos!
@@KetoliciousKitchens I thought red bricks have high heat resistant
hi i am trying to build a pit and placed a cultvert 36 ' and trying find bricks to go in there, but i live an a rural area in northern california and i don't find them. where can i buy them ?
thank you
Hi! I don't know if you're near a Lowes or Home Depot, but you would find the bricks there. Saludos!
thank you for the reply what is the name of the bricks?@@KetoliciousKitchens
They usually have them on display in a section called “fire pit brick kits” or “circular fire pit bricks” . You can buy the bricks individually though. The Lowe’s brand is called Pavestone I think.
Thanks for this video! I’m in the process now of digging out the pit! It’s not easy at all but i know it’s worth it . I’m digging ti about 40” deep .. any thoughts on multiple grates so I could add a couple more briskets. I would love to make at least 2 maybe 3 at a time . Not sure if stacked meats would still work as well
Hi David! Thanks for the positive feedback! The challenge with multiple grates is you'll need multiple ledges to support multiple grates. Unless the grate in the bottom is smaller than the one above, you're going to end up trapping the bottom one under the ledge supporting the top grate. I've loaded a 32-quart steamer/tamale pot with lamb and then placed two 15-lb briskets on top of the lid and had no problem getting it cooked. You'll definitely be able to stack two briskets with no problem, based on my past experience doing the same. Three seems doable, but that's 45 pounds of meat, man! Let me know how it goes!
Ketolicious Kitchens haha I think 45lbs is plenty!! Ok, thank you for the response !! Just watched your brisket video too .. inspiring me to start a channel . Check out my Instagram page @goldlinela Appreciate your help!
Will do and good luck with the pit! Saludos!
Hi one more question .. my pit is approx same diameter as this one ... approx how many bricks did you use ?
ActUally decided to take your advice and go bigger .. 36” grill
I just moved to a new house they have a fire pit in ground made from a 55 gallon drum i am going to be putting a brick boarder around it above ground from ground to the grate is 18 inches how far above ground would you recommend the bricks to be also how would i go about getting the meat out lets say i make it 10 inches tall above ground that means to the grate would be 28 inches so i cant just reach down into it any suggestions?
Hola Johnny, sorry for the delay on your question. Ideally you would want as much of the barrel in the ground as possible as it is critical to seal the pit and avoid losing heat. If you lose heat, you'll run into trouble cooking it long and low enough to make the meat tender. As far as reaching down to pull the meat out, I lay down on a blanket and pull it out with gloves. By the time the meat is ready, the temperature is only around 200F -- not too hot to quickly lift it out. I originally bought some light chain with hooks to lift the whole grate out, but it's always been easier to just pull it all out by hand. Enjoy!
@KetoliciousKitchens ok the barrel is only like 3 inches out of the ground with a lid to cover it
How long did this project take you sir?
Hola Ziggy! It took two weekends, but half of that was due to the fact the ground was ridiculously hard to dig out.. It probably would have taken half as long if the ground had been softer, lol. Saludos!
@@KetoliciousKitchens saludos ,so cool gracias for the video !!
How much meat can you cook at one time? I m having a party and want to cook 3 turkeys and 11 - 3 lbs roasts can I put all in at the same time?
Hi Jason, I've cooked 32 lbs of brisket on top of a steamer of beef tongue and beef check, but I've never tried stacking turkeys. It's probably doable, but I'm wondering whether the turkey would cook quicker than the beef. Given the size of the roasts you're saying, it probably would work if you've previously oven-roasted turkey and beef together at the same time. Saludos!
Amazing
Thanks Gilbert!
Great teaching video and how to make a barbacoa. This video was better than any of the other do-it-yourself videos. However what was the price for all the material to make this deep pit barbacoa?
Thanks Eugene! It's been a few years since I built the pit, but I'm thinking it was around $300. I think the lid and grate totaled about $100 and then I had around $200 of brick. Saludos!
Is it possible to build such a pit in Tampa Florida?
Hola Suresh! I've lived in the Southwest almost my whole life, so I can't say with certainty whether you'd have moisture problems there. Someone in the area who digs deep holes often, like a pool company, might be able to advise. Saludos!
@@KetoliciousKitchens Gracias, señor!
Curious about making one. Is there any issue with the hole connecting rain water?
Great question... we live in Phoenix, so we just don’t see enough rain here to have ever seen that problem. If you live in a place where water stands for a long time, then you’ll probably see water staying in the hole. A workaround would be to make the diameter of the top ring smaller so the lid rests on top rather than within the ring, but then you’ll need to find a way to ensure the lid doesn’t shift. Saludos!
I thought barbaco is the name of the frame work that holds the meat above the heat source.
Close, but no...barbacoa is the cooking method/process. 😃
I guess the guy on NPR is also wrong. At least I am in good company.
The flames seem to overwhelm everything in the hole, is it better to cook food with the flames or wait till theres only live embers at the bottom and then cook?
Hi Boosted! Great question. This is just the video for how to make the pit. If you catch the brisket video, you will see exactly what you described - let the flames reduce to glowing coals. The coals (not flames) provide the heat for the meat. Saludos!
@@KetoliciousKitchens thanks!
How do you drain the rain water, and make sure it remains clean from insects or what not. How do you make it water proof.
Hola Ram R! We live in Phoenix, so rain is not much of a concern. If you get a lot of rain where you live and the rain water doesn't soak into the ground quickly there, you'll need to design the lid to cover the top ring rather than nest within it.
Regarding waterproofing, I'm not sure there's a way to water proof it. You could minimize water penetration by using mortar around the bricks, but I don't have enough knowledge about it to say how durable that would be.
Regarding insects...You can sweep it out before use, but it's going to get over 500 degrees F when sealed. Any insects in the pit will be ashes. Saludos!
I started mine today! Got a couple feet down then hit good old east Texas red clay/semi rock. Then the rain came. Been semi-obsessed since seeing this video. How do you capture the juices and make a consommé with this cook? Also, any downfall to using common architectural bricks?
Awesome! Sounds like the breaker bar I showed in the video might be good to break the rest of the clay. As far as the consommé goes, I use a giant steamer. It’s like a lobster pot but has an internal ring on which you can set the rack for the meat. The juices melt off into the soup underneath - every bit as a tasty as the meat! We’re going to make some lamb in a week or so showing the process. Just running out of weekends for the year! Saludos!
Oh and as far as bricks go, I’m not sure. You’d think they’d work. I used the fire pit bricks to get a better circle and seal between the ends.
So how do you prevent it from filling up with water when it Rains?
Hola Liese! We live in AZ, so that's never been an issue 😀, but in any case the bricks aren't creating a watertight seal. You might get a puddle for a while, but the water will continue draining further into the ground. Saludos!
would it work better if you also dig out a side tunnel that goes up to let oxygen in to the bottom of the fire?
Hi, interesting idea... It might help some with starting the fire, but you definitely would want to seal the tunnel when it's time to cook the meat. You'd lose the heat otherwise. (This is different from smoking meat in a smoker, where you're feeding oxygen to the fuel during the cooking of the meat.)
@@KetoliciousKitchens Ok, because this build reminds of the "dakota fire pit" method for making a smokeless fire in a survival situation lol ua-cam.com/video/RlPSEfcz718/v-deo.html
Wow, cool...
We wanna do this for a gathering the end of April. What part of AZ are you at? We would so love to see yours before starting. What was your estimated cost for this job? I'm so excited to have one of my own!! 😁
Hola JoMama! We spent between $300-$400 in materials around two years ago. We're in Gilbert! Let us know how it goes! Saludos!
Thanks so much for the info. My Pit will be christened Saturday night for Sunday. Not as nice as yours but happy with the hubs outcome. I do have a question. How much wood do you need/use? Our grate is 30inch. I hope I have enough. I look forward to some great BBQ!
Hola JoMama! Great! It's tough to say how much wood as it depends on the type of wood and how deep the bed of coals is (you should aim for at least 8" of coals), but I'd say generally speaking you're going to need enough to fill the pit two times. Enjoy and let us know how it goes! Saludos!
Thanks used about 2 wheel barrels of mesquite and some hickory. Gonna drop the meat in about 30 mins. Coals are still burning high. I'll keep you posted. Also used your barbacoa recipe and seard the brisket. Also throwing 2 pork shoulders in and 1 pork leg for chocinita pibil. Whish you could join us. Thanks again.
Sounds great and enjoy! Saludos!
I want to try this but I don't live in the desert like you. How do you keep the pit from becoming a well when it rains? Is the lid enough to keep out runoff?
Hi Alex! I think you’d have to size your lid such that it rests on top of the top ring rather than inside the top ring. The lid would shift around more, but at least the water could roll off the ring instead of funneling into the hole. Saludos!
I live in northern Canada and that was my issue. I found a large tarp over the put during the wet season worked well enough.
I love barbacoa!! 💕
How Many bricks in total did you use I bought 12 4in and 23 3in
Hola Jaclyn, the bottom brick rings were 10 bricks X 4 layers (3" tall), the middle were 11 bricks X 8 layers (3" tall) and the top ring was 12 bricks (4" tall). So that's 128 3" bricks and 12 4" bricks. See diagram a 4:05.
Looking forward to hearing how it came out! Saludos!
Thx for sharing
No problem and thanks for watching!
I see you have given the depths but What is the dimeter of the Pit
Hola Francis! For my pit, the inside diameter (ID) of the main body of the hole was approximately 24". As mentioned in the video, the grate I bought was 22" so I needed to give myself about 1" on each side to provide plenty of clearance when I need to remove the grate.
The ID of the hole that the grate sits on is roughly 20". The ID of the top deck will be a function of the size of the lid you use. Saludos!
We were shopping for something to put in the slow cooker
Lol...
Hi ! How does the fire can breath?
In smoking pit you always need to have some gaps for the fire to breathe..
Also, is this called BBQ Pit or Smoking Pit? Or it is the same thing.. thanks
Hi Itamar, great questions! This is a Mexican style of pit cooking that involves sealing the pit instead of letting the fire breathe. You create a deep bed of coals that provide enough heat to slow cook the meat while the hole is sealed.
This is different from traditional BBQ or meat smoking. It’s more like slow-roasting in an oven.
Check out our video for barbacoa pit brisket to see more how the process works:
ua-cam.com/video/qMNNHvv4kh8/v-deo.html
Saludos!
Do you need to clean the wood out after every use or do you let it burn all the way down?
We call this a 'Hangi', not exactly but similar principle were we use river rocks (or nowadays, iron) but we clean the hole out then put the rocks down. We cover the hole and food up with wet sacks and thats what cooks ours.
Cheers
Hola Aloysius! Wow, interesting; that's not too far from authentic barbacoa pits where they use maguey or agave leaves.
Regarding the wood, what happens is the coals burn down to ashes and then I use post-hole diggers to pull the ashes out. I sweep the ashes in a pile and pull it out until I see the river rock again.
I think if I did it over, I'd spend some time thinking about how to pull the ash out easier, but it isn't that big of a problem.
Maybe I missed it, but you chose to only use 3" bricks, and the total number of "rings" stacked was 11? How many total bricks did you use for that depth? 40 for the bottom layer and how many for the middle?
Hola Josh! There are three rings in the bottom for the coals and grate, 3” bricks with 10 bricks per ring. Then there are eight rings above the grate, 3” bricks with 11 bricks per ring. Finally, the top ring (flush with ground) uses twelve 4” bricks.
Hope that helps!
Love this! Are the bricks you used holding up to the heat?
Hey Joshua! They've been in there for about a year now and so far, so good. The heat is finally breaking here in Phoenix, so year two of the pit will be cranking up soon! Saludos!
@@KetoliciousKitchens is there a specific kind of brick we need in terms of holding the heat and not letting it dissipate?? And how hot does those river rocks get without cracking?
Hola Jah Bless! The bricks I used for the walls were circular fire pit bricks from Lowes. After I seal the lid, the temperature is around 500 F and it cools to 200 F in about 5-6 hours, so they definitely hold the heat long enough to get a good slow cook. They've held up great for the year and a half I've had the pit so far.
The river rock question is one I get a lot. In the last year and a half, I've only had 1 or 2 rocks split. Other people have comment they'll pop like fireworks, but it simply hasn't happened in this pit. We live in Arizona and these rocks probably haven't seen water in 30,000 years, so maybe that's it. Not sure.
In any case if it's a concern, you could probably line the bottom with similar brick and get adequate insulation (it works for the walls after all). Saludos!
@@KetoliciousKitchens thankx budd I will def take ur advice when it’s my turn to build one in my back yard ...
Ooooooooooooooo sooooo easeeeeeer!
Lol, enjoy!
Are those regular paver stones or actual fire bricks?
Hi Syrus44, the 3" lower circular brick are fire pit bricks. The top bricks (4") are for raised beds. Saludos!
Wow Mike parece que eres Mexicano!
Lol, gracias, pero no...soy Nuevo Mexicano. :-)
LOL ...Nuevo Mexicano... so I guess a dude from the other formerly Mexican states would be called Arizono, Nevado, Texano, Californio, Colorado, and Montaño.
Lol...exactly, except Arizonano and Nevadaño.
How wide are the bricks
Hola Jaclyn, the 3" thick bricks are about 8" wide and the 4" bricks are nearly 12" wide. Saludos!
@@KetoliciousKitchens thanks this helps so much I have another question I live in Bakersfield, Ca how or what do you do if it rains will it damage it?
Hola Jaclyn, Bakersfield’s average rainfall is similar to Phoenix, so I don’t see any issue. The rain may get in the hole but the ground will soak it up. Saludos!
@@KetoliciousKitchens awesome I'm so excited to build now that you answered all my questions 😊
I have another question when making the Barbacoa what meat do you use and this may sound dumb but is it the same as deep pit
What happens when it rains?
Well…we live in Phoenix, so nothing really. In the event we do get a big rain, the little bit of dirt that washes in can easily be swept up. We’re in year 3 with it and it still is working out fine. Saludos!
@@KetoliciousKitchens very nice. Thank you for the tutorial. Ive been building outdoor bbq pit and fire pit in our backyard. Planning on building one like this. We have lots of left over bricks to use. Your food looks delicious.
My experience with the river rock is when they get hot they explode, and you get shavings like Frisbee flying around.
Hi Gator Goins, I had one crack but that’s been it. We live in AZ and they were buried in the ground when I used them; don’t know if that makes a difference.
They Only explode if there’s moisture inside. Once you heat the river stones red hot they will never crack again unless moisture gets inside again.
I thought it would need a pipe going down along its length to connect to the bottom to provide oxygen.
Hola bombo atomico! Nope, this is different from barbecue where you're using air and flame to control heat and/or flavor the meat from smoke of the wood. This barbacoa pit is more similar to traditional Mexican barbacoa pits where you're using the heat from a deep bed of coals to cook. If air is allowed in, you'll lose the heat needed to cook a big brisket or pork shoulder for 4-5 hours. Kind of like a giant sealed crock pot of sorts. Check out the brisket video for more details. Saludos!
Can you do a video on how to clean that out? It seems very high maintenance
Hola brookster, great question! After the barbacoa is pulled out and things cool down, there's pretty much not much left other than some coals and ash. I just use a broom to sweep them to one side in a pile and post hole diggers to pull it out. You'll get some exercise to burn the brisket off! Saludos!
Mexico 🇲🇽 🇲🇽 🇲🇽
Gracias SuperStrangeone!
Looked at you video and it looks awesome! They only thing I would have done extra (not sure exactly how but...) is to build in an extra set of brick or maybe sort of removable metal clips coming out higher up in the pit so that you could add in an extra grate! Now you have a perfect oven/pit, but only one space to put stuff to cook on. Something so that you can still shimmy down the lower grate, but so that you can put another one on top. Maybe something to think about if you ever build another, or decide to redo/improve this one. But thanks for an superb video!
Hola Martin! Great idea and thanks for the positive feedback! Actually I toyed around with the idea of driving three or four evenly-spaced rods into the sidewalls higher up in the pit like you described. The grate would then have room to pass down to the base brick layer for barbacoa or rest on the rods for an additional surface. Not sure my description is clear, but it seem like it would work. Saludos!
Less talking, more cooking. 👍🏼😁
Lol, I know what you mean EDUSA! Check out the barbacoa video. Saludos!
Wait.. River rocks explode when in fire 🤔
Lol, I’m not sure how long they have to be away from the river, but these came from some landscaping buried in my yard in PHX. I’ve never seen one explode. Saludos!
@KetoliciousKitchens we build fitpits and all the brick yards are quick to tell me they explode from holding water and getting too hot I so will look at more of your videos because the bbq pit is awesome!
Thanks!
This is more of a Luau. Barbacoa is just the heat of the bricks. That's why the fire is made in the pit , to heat all the bricks for a 16hr roast. Usually a trivet or hot bricks loose on the bottom work well to position a pot on the bottom to catch the meat drippings. With no cosume' its not real barbacoa. I liked your video! I liked the fact that you shared your design off pit for everyone to use. Great video. Keep em coming!
Hola Sine! Thanks for the comments and enjoy! Saludos!
I wouldn't recommend river rock heat makes them explode
Hola ninjabeaner! I've heard that from others, but only experienced one cracked rock. Perhaps it's because the ones I used were already in the yard here in the dry heat of Phoenix. Not sure, but you could always line it with brick instead if you prefer. Saludos!
I feel bad for people out east digging up that rock solid clay. Here in the PNW, we have rich fluffy soil that comes right out of the ground with little effort.
Haha When Mountain Move, true story and start digging that pit! 😀 Saludos!
I'm watching this like if I'm actually going to do this 🤦♂️
Lol Adrian, get that shovel and bricks and get rolling! Saludos!
I just use muddy/clay cant afford bricks and rocks
Hi Thirsty Duck, there are a lot of videos of homemade pits in Mexico that are simple holes in the ground, covered with maguey leaves and then sealed with sheet metal and soil. It's definitely possible to make barbacoa without spending a bunch of cash! Saludos!
That's called a tandoor
Hola Style-TV! So true, or Armenian tonir! Too many cool ways with cook with this! Definitely will have to look at some recipes using a tandoor. Saludos!
YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE THIS HOLE THIS DEEP. I HAVE SEEN THEM ONLY 24 INCHES DEEP LINED IN ROCKS AND COVERED WITH A BOARD AFTER YOU START A BIG FIRE WAIT FOR IT TO GO OUT PUT EVERYTHING IN A POT WITH GRATE AT BOTTOM ADD WATER TO BOTTOM THEN LAY DOWN BANANA LEAVES AND YOUR MEAT THEN COVER WITH BANANA LEAVES AND PUT LID ON POT AND COVER WITH BOARD. THEN BURY COVER WITH DIRT AND THE NEXT DAY UNVOVER DIRT THE FOOD IS READY. LEAVE FOR 12 HRS. OR MORE DEPENDING.
Hi Tamara, thanks for the comment! If you've seen our brisket video, we're following a similar process to what you're describing except without banana leaves. (The pit, as well as the cooking process in the brisket video, draws from the traditional Mexican barbacoa pit but recognizes most people in the US don't have easy access to banana leaves or agave.).
Nevertheless, the design is definitely flexible enough to allow for a shallower hole as long as you leave enough space for the coals and the meat.
FYI...When we use the pit, we usually use it for large parties or when we're cooking a ton of meat for the holidays. This means I usually have a 14" tall lobster pot full of leg of lamb or lengua/cachete with a 16-pound brisket laying on top of the lid. A 24" hole isn't going to cut it for that when you account for room for coals.
In any case, in my opinion if you're going to invest time in making this pit, dig the extra 12" so you don't regret it later. But, as with everything, adapt to what works for you!
Saludos!