Barbecuing is a ritual of summertime. It signals the time of eating outside with the smells of wood smoke and sizzling meat, carmelization and saltiness. Think of potato salads and coleslaw, jello molds and brownies, corn on the cob and colorful salads. If you don’t have your own grill set up to do a barbecue, there are several options you can try to get yourself ready for a fun dinner.
Obtain a 55-gallon barrel at a local source or purchase one at arizonabarrels.com (see Resources). It is best to use a food grade steel barrel so that you don't have to worry about unknown chemicals. A 55-gallon barrel is a good size for a large barbecue pit. If the barbecue is for a family of 4 or 5, you can cut the barrel in half for a small barbecue. Make sure to take the cover off the barrel.
Place the barrel in the position where you will be doing your cooking. Stand it upright and pour in several bags of sand until the barrel is filled up almost halfway. If you don't want to use so much sand, you can fill it up with gravel first and then just a 6-inch layer of sand.
Spray or oil your grill racks to keep the food from sticking and grill as you would with a regular grill. This will be a very sturdy grill that will cook the food at a convenient height of about 34 inches. Once you are finished with the barbecue and the fire has died, the ashes can easily be lifted out with the foil.