barbecue pit

[bahr-bi-kyoo pit]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of barbecue pit¹

First recorded in 1865–70