The Deep Pit

For the past 20+ years, skipping a year or two, Tim's parents have hosted the Schramm's Deep Pit Barbeque up at "The Ranch."  Its getting harder and harder for most of the family to come now, especially with the second generation of Schramm cousins being born left and right!  Plus, everyone has moved on and no longer live in pretty much the same city like they used to.  Anyway, there was still a great turn out of family and those that have been adopted as family and a great time and great food was had by all!  We tried to grab a quick picture of the cousins that were there.  Megan is missing in this one because she NEEDED a nap.

 

 Whats a deep pit you ask?  Well, basically, a huge bon fire is built over a hole and as the goals burn, it fills up the hole.  About 12 hours before you want to eat, you wrap the meat (we had ham and turkey) that has been seasoned, oiled or whatever else you want to do with it with one of those baking bags, wrap it in foil and then again with burlap.  After dipping the burlap covered meat (which is also wrapped with wire) in a bucket of water (so as not to burn the burlap before it is covered), you put the meat in the goals and quickly cover it with more coals and then with tin (like from a tin roof) and then dirt.  Because there is no oxygen (a necessary fuel for fire to burn), the burlap and meat doesn't burn.  Instead, for the next 12 hours, the most delicious meat you will ever eat cooks in all its own juices that can't escape and you pull it out and it literally falls off the bone.  Sigh...DELICIOUS!!  Sounds confusing and maybe its easier to understand after you have seen it done a few times.  Its definitely a lot of work!  But probably the easiest amount of work to feed as many people as it does!

Here they are digging the dirt off the tin

 

 and there you can see the coals (with a piece of the tin still on the left side of the picture)

 The meat! (Now you can see why the wire is important)

 Sorry, didn't take any pictures of the meat or the feast...pretty sure I was salivating too much to focus! ;)  But we all enjoyed it and good food and fellowship was had by all!  A little too much food for me for sure!

Some of the clean up crew. :)

 Ringo did his own amount of "clean up" which is why he spent the majority of the rest of his day like this. :)

We are so thankful for the deep pit, not only for the good food, but for the opportunity to see family and friends that we haven't seen in sometimes years!  Thanks to Jack and Sherry (Tim's parents) for all their hard work and generosity!