BBQ Underground

Materiaal

• Spade / shovel
• Dry stones (no river stones)
• Plenty of hardwood
• Wet burlap / jute sacks
• Aluminum foil
• Fire-resistant gloves
• Bucket of water

Vegetables in the coals

• Leeks
• Parsnips
• Onions (soaked in water first)
• Celeriac
• Beetroot
• Potatoes
• Savoy cabbage (or a small white cabbage)
• Turnips
• Small pumpkin (e.g. red kuri)

Vegetables in foil

• Belgian endive
• Black salsify
• Carrots
• Asparagus (in season)
• Butter, salt, pepper
• Optional: brown sugar, honey, thyme

Building an Underground Oven

1. Pick a spot - bare ground away from trees, roots, dry grass and buildings. Check whether open fires are allowed and keep a bucket of water nearby.
2. Dig the pit - roughly 60–90 cm wide and 50–60 cm deep. Keep the sods and soil aside, you'll need them to close the oven.
3. Line the pit with stones - use dry, dense stones. Avoid river stones or wet stones: trapped moisture can make them crack or burst in the heat.
4. Build a big fire - stack hardwood on top of the stones and keep it burning for 2–3 hours, until the stones are glowing hot and there's a thick bed of coals.
5. Prepare the food - wrap meat or fish in foil and/or damp leaves (cabbage, banana or corn leaves work well). Soak the burlap sacks in water.
6. Level the coals - spread out the coals and cover them with a layer of wet leaves or greens so the food doesn't burn directly.
7. Load the oven - place the wrapped food on top, cover with more wet greens and then the wet burlap.
8. Close it up - shovel the soil back over it, 15–20 cm thick. Wherever you see steam or smoke escaping, add more soil to seal it.
9. Wait - let it cook for 3–8 hours depending on what's inside (a whole pork shoulder easily takes 6+ hours).
10. Dig it out - carefully remove the soil without piercing the burlap, then lift out the food with gloves. Everything will still be very hot.

Vegetables in the Coals

Some vegetables don't need any preparation at all: put them straight into the glowing coals and let them char. The outside turns black, but inside they steam in their own moisture and become soft and sweet.

• Leeks - put them in whole, 20–30 minutes, turning now and then. Peel off the burned outer layers - the inside is soft and sweet.
• Parsnips - unpeeled, 30–45 minutes depending on thickness. Done when a skewer slides in easily.
• Onions - soak them in water first (at least 30 minutes) so they steam instead of burning straight through. Put them in with the skin on, 30–45 minutes.
• Celeriac - one of the best. Whole, 1.5–2 hours. The outside chars completely, but inside it turns soft, nutty and slightly sweet. Peel, cut into chunks and finish with butter.
• Beetroot - unpeeled, 45–60 minutes. The skin rubs off with your fingers afterwards.
• Potatoes - the classic. Skin on, 40–60 minutes (or wrap in foil first if you want to eat the skin).
• Savoy cabbage (or a small white cabbage) - whole, 1–1.5 hours. The outer leaves burn while the inside steams. Peel off the black leaves.
• Turnips - like beetroot, 45–60 minutes.
• Small pumpkin (e.g. red kuri) - whole, 45–75 minutes, until a skewer slides in easily.

Once they're done, scrape or peel off the burned layer and you're left with vegetables that taste great - smoky and caramelized. A bit of butter, salt and pepper and you're set.

Vegetables in Foil

More delicate vegetables burn too quickly directly in the coals. Wrap them in foil with a knob of butter and lay the parcel on the coals.

• Belgian endive - halve, add butter, salt, pepper and optionally a little brown sugar, 15–20 minutes. It caramelizes nicely and loses some of its bitterness.
• Black salsify - with butter, 20–30 minutes. Peel afterwards - much easier than before.
• Carrots - with a little honey and thyme, 20–30 minutes. Thick carrots can go straight into the coals, thin ones burn too fast.
• Asparagus (in season) - with butter, 10–15 minutes.