Grillmasters, take notice!
Matt Keeler kicks backyard barbecue pits up a notch
By ROB PRICE THE COURIER-ADVOCATE

Photo Provided Matt Keeler stands by his unique, hand-made barbeque grill

BATH - When Matt Keeler of Avoca bought a Weber kettle grill last year, his first barbecue project was a prime rib roast - not exactly a beginning barbecuer's typical project; the meat alone cost $50.

But Keeler already had figured out the best way to roast a large cut of meat over fire was to control the heat and keep away from the meat. In the Weber, that meant piling the hot charcoal on one side of the kettle while the meat cooked on the other side. "It tasted great," Keeler said of the rib roast. "You wouldn't have wanted to goof that up."

Clearly a man who is comfortable around flame, Keeler decided to expand his barbecuing options with a larger grill. But instead of forking over $2,000 for a Brinkman or other topnotch barbecue pit, Keeler decided to build his own barbecue oven. Surfing the internet, he came across a Texas barbecuer who built pits resembling 19th century steam locomotives. "I thought that would be kinda neat." Keeler said last week, as he showed off his own creation - a multi-chambered, steel barbecue pit weighing between

800 and 900 pounds, and looking just like a loco.

Keeler cannibalized a used propane tank for accessing the grilling area - after filling the tank twice with water to make sure no residual propane remained in the interior. "It was interesting cutting into the propane tank, but there was no explosion," he said.

An expert welder and metal cutter (Keeler is the founder and owner of Keeler Services, a plumbing, heating, AC and electrical company based in Bath), he built a fire box and primary cooking chamber using sheets of steel. Two chimneys, one for ventilation and the other for controlling the internal temperature, came next, followed by three pairs of wheels made from tractortrailer wheel rims. And finally, a "cow catcher" made also of steel sheets and bars.

Keeler estimates he spent about 70 hours building his pit, and he has some simple advice for anyone who thinks they'd like to build one for themselves: "Make sure you know how to weld and how to cut steel." Note: Keeler used both a cutting torch and a plasma cutter to work the steel sheeting; he also had help from acquaintances at Bath Plumbing, Haines Manufacturing and Booth Electric. It takes a village to raise a pit.

Keeler's barbecue pit works on some fairly simple cooking principles. The burning wood in the fire box heats the primary and secondary cooking areas; one chimney controls the amount of oxygen feeding the fire, in order to control the internal temperature. An avid student of barbecuing technique, Keeler notes traditional southern pork barbecue calls for "slow and low" cooking, with temperatures in the 200 to 225- degree range. Baby back ribs, for instance, take about four hours of slow cooking to reach the perfect point, where the meat is tender and falling off the bone. More complicated cuts of meat, such as a pork shoulder, can take all day.

The key, Keeler stresses, is low, indirect heat, which his pit's individual fire box ensures. "The whole thing with indirect cooking is to have your fire away from your food," he says.

The balmy fall weather may be tapering off into a wintry slush, but Keeler is looking forward to putting his pit through its all-year paces. Last week, he burned a bag of charcoal just to see how it conducted heat; the cooking chambers quickly warmed to about 325 degree - too hot for slow cooking but perfect for cooking another prime rib roast.

But with the fall hunting season and Thanksgiving approaching, Keeler has a different plan for his pit's maiden dinner.

"I think," he says, "I'm going to start with a couple of turkeys."