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barbecue pit

American  
[bahr-bi-kyoo pit] / ˈbɑr bɪˌkju 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.


Etymology

Origin of barbecue pit

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

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

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

Next door, Samantha Jenkins finally found some charcoal and got her barbecue pit going.

From New York Times Oct. 29, 2020

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

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