Fire pit for cast cooking and open fire cooking

[CHNeal]

Ive decided that I want a dedicated cast iron cooking pit as I am starting to really enjoy it and want to use more than one piece at a time. Ive been looking around for ideas and its looking like Ill have the grates and frame made but wasn’t sure what to use as a base / pit.
Then I stumble on this and there’s not much I like better then a good piece of salvage to repurpose!
The plan is to invert the this with the top of the lid up and the ring on top. It should make a fantastic fire ring to put a frame with Santa Maria type gear or a tripod for hanging kettles and DO from and to allow a multitude of cooking styles and even a great base to site Dutch ovens in.

It’s 37 inches across and weighs 500 lbs. Its only 5 inches deep is the only thing I don’t like about it. Sold iron so once its heated up it should stay that way a very long time…

Whatca think?

[Oakgrovebacon]

You can easily do a couple rows of brick under it to raise it a bit and leave some gaps for better airflow for the combustion air. I have a fire pit that is about 14” tall and it struggles for air.

[Washblue]

There’s tons of potential with it!
It is going to be awesome!

[bmillin]

We set up a CI cooking station at the cabin last summer and I highly recommend something bigger than that. Used a few old steel duck blind lids, it is probably about 30" x 72" on a simple frame waist high.

You can have two dutch ovens going at the same time as well as a chimney for new coals. You don't have to bend over as much, but it isn't so high it is hard to lift off.

This is a HUGE improvement over cooking on the ground.