The steam pit may not sound like an appetizing cooking technique, but wait until you try it. This primitive cooking method makes great tasting food that stays hot for hours. The steam pit is a hole in the ground (or a raised mound) with hot rocks at the bottom. These rocks are covered with dirt or sand, then wrapped food is sandwiched between two layers of green vegetation. This entire pile is covered with dirt and/or tarps to seal in the steam to cook the food. Follow the directions, and enjoy.
1. Digging In The Dirt
Start by digging a pit in the soil. The pit can be any depth and width, and it can be dug in the dirt, clay or sand. The pit can be small or as large as you have rocks and food to fill it with and about 2 feet deep. Any shape will work. Collect a pile of local rocks that are capable of handling a lot of heat. Make sure you have enough to fill the bottom of the pit, and you can even place them in there like a puzzle to see where the stones fit best. You now have a choice now of leaving the stones in the pit and building the fire on top of them or taking the rocks out of the pit and placing them in a big fire. Either way, the stones should be heated for two hours. If you heat the rocks in the pit, you must scoop the remaining wood, charcoal, coals and ash out of the pit when the rocks are hot enough. If you heat the stones outside the pit, use a shovel or a large green wood pole to roll or push the rocks into the pit. You can also gather your green vegetation during the 2 hour…
