On Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:05:33 -0800, "Dave Bugg" >
wrote:

>sf wrote:
>> On Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:23:53 -0600, "modom (palindrome guy)"
>> > wrote:
>>>
>>> A new smoker pit: http://i40.tinypic.com/so1ncz.jpg
>>>
>>> I seasoned it Christmas day, so it's ready to go. We'll have ribs
>>> for the new year.
>>
>> Why are they called "pits" when they're based on barrel bbqs made from
>> a real oil drum? My BIL used to make something like this (it wasn't
>> portable) for his backyard cooking.
>> http://pork-barrel.com/images/smoker.jpg
>
>Because anything which is used to cook barbecue is a derivation of the first
>real pit.... an open hole in the ground to hold the burned down coals with a
>framework above to hold the meat. The cookers are meant to mimic what an
>in-ground pit will do. A barrel converted to cook bbq is an above-ground
>pit.

Kinda like a portable hole:
http://flickr.com/photos/23879054@N00/2691101530
--

modom