Smoking over an Open Pit

I think the most important thing is indirect heat.  Wish I could help more but I've never cooked like that.  I do whole pigs one in a great while over an open fire but the pig is on a spit in front of the fire.  We use plywood to block the wind and channel or radiate the heat toward the pig

My open pit had the meat rack 32-34" above the fire.... In a pit that has an open front, like the one you are building and mine, you will need an "air block" for the opening.. I used a piece of steel sheet, about 20 gauge, to block the inflow of air... the fire will create a draft, sucking the fire to the back side of the pit and increasing heat because of the draft...
You will have to experiment with your pit to figure out the "idios".. they all burn different and regulating the wind and fire and heat will take time.... they produce a very high quality BBQ, once you get stuff figured out.......
If you look at pits at commercial BBQ joints, the pit is 4 sided with small air inlets placed around the bottom of the walls that can be adjusted or blocked off..... a meat rack below the top of the exterior walls, and a cover to keep in the smoke and heat......

Dave

I covered the meat with aluminum foil.... sometimes made a tent, of foil, to add heat to the top side of things like salmon..... hard to flip a fileted salmon...

I want the top of mine opened will I need to flip meat during the cook?

Paspitbbq said:

I want the top of mine opened will I need to flip meat during the cook?

Click to expand...

For salmon,  I do not recommend flipping...     Use a tent similar to this drawing....

...click on pic to enlarge.......