barbecue pit

American  

[bahr-bi-kyoo pit] / ˈbɑr bɪˌkyu ˌpɪt /

noun

1. a specially prepared well or trench in the ground, used for roasting meat on a grill or spit over an open wood or charcoal fire.

   Where this dish was invented, it's cooked in a barbecue pit with whole pork shoulders as the main ingredient.

   We were all standing over the barbecue pit, getting smoke in our eyes.

2. a boxlike structure outdoors or in a restaurant kitchen, etc., having a grill on top or a spit inside for roasting meat over an open wood or charcoal fire.

   After years of experimenting, he perfected a portable barbecue pit that could cook large quantities of meat.

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Etymology

Origin of barbecue pit

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Behind a huge barbecue pit I spot the former rugby pro Phil Vickery, who played for Gloucester and captained England.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2023

Outside the house stands a wood plank smokehouse, flanked by a barbecue pit and pile of rocks.

From Seattle Times • May 22, 2023

The transformation approaches magic: a fruit that eats like a vegetable, its crushed garlic releasing aromas into the air as tantalizing as the wood smoke from a barbecue pit.

From Washington Post • Aug. 29, 2022

It has a large barbecue pit under a covered cooking area near a picnic pavilion and horseshoe pit area.

From Washington Times • May 21, 2022

A cheer went up over by the barbecue pit, as it did each time they turned the hogs.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead