Open-pit cooking

Hanging or leaning meat over a firepit can be a fantastic way to cook with indirect or direct heat. I use the “log cabin” method to create a fire in my pit, and it’s just like it sounds. Stack the split wood logs as you would build the four walls of a log cabin, each layer perpendicular to the one below, overlapping at the ends. The fire starter and wood chips are piled in the center of the cabin. This creates an even heat across the fire, unlike the “teepee” formation campers often use to make a campfire. There are many hanging devices you can buy to support even heavy cuts over the fire, but it’s just as easy to make your own. The important thing is to allow for adjustment, so that you can hang the protein higher or lower, depending on how quick and intensely you want to cook it.