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There’s something intrinsically pleasing about spending an afternoon in the fresh air of the great outdoors. Better still is to spend that time digging a big hole, making a fire and cooking a hunk of meat. Gather your friends, it’s fire-pit time.
How To Make Your Fire Pit
Fire Pit Equipment
- Charcoal
- Kindling
- Piece of corrugated metal
- A spade
- Flat stones to line the pit
How to Make Your Fire Pit
- Dig a hole big enough for your lamb joint and cooking stones.
- Retain a layer of soil and turf to insulate the fire pit.
- Loosen the earth in the bottom of the pit for the stones to bed into.
- Line base and sides of pit with flat stones, adding a few extra slabs to the base to form a raised cooking surface.
- Add charcoal evenly to the bed of the fire pit and light using the kindling.
- Keep the fire burning for two hours to heat the stones thoroughly. You can start your lamb prep in this time.
- Scrape out the embers or push them to one end, then wrap the lamb in foil and put it on the raised platform.
- Place the corrugated metal over the top and cover with soil/turf. Leave to cook.
Fire-Pit Curried Lamb Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 heaped tbsp ground mixed spices
- 3 heads of fresh garlic
- 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
- 4-5 tbsp yoghurt
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 1/2 jar star anise
- 1/2 jar cardamom seeds
- 1/2 medium red onions
- 1/2 bottle of red wine vinegar
- Glug of vegetable oil
- Salt
Method
- Finely chop the onions, garlic and mix with the yoghurt. Add the blended spices, seeds and salt, then mix with mustard, vinegar and oil to create the marinade
- Score the lamb very lightly in a criss-cross pattern through the fat and skin.
- Rub the marinade all over the lamb. Cover and leave in a cool spot for 2-3 hours.
- Put the foil-wrapped lamb on your cooking platform.
- Cover and cook for 1-1.5 hours. For a medium cook, allow 15 mins per lb [450g], 20 mins per lb for well done. Halfway through dig up your lamb and turn it before reburying.
- Serve! The lamb should be faintly pink in the thicker areas of the meat.
Valentine Warner has devised a series of fire-pit recipes on behalf of Belgian beer Leffe
