THE RUDIMENTS OF PIT COOKERY

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It's even possible to use the "steaming pit" method in places where digging a hole is (for one reason or another) impractical. All you have to do is construct an aboveground "pit" by piling rocks in a circular fashion over a stone base. You can then proceed in the same manner as with the underground oven.

A few more things we've learned: When preparing roasts and hams, it's best to cut the meat into a number of smaller pieces so it'll cook faster and more thoroughly. A turkey or chicken—on the other hand—can be cooked whole if a few small, hot stones are placed inside the bird's body cavity. Foods that are well wrapped in foil (or sealed inside a covered pot or Dutch oven) can be cooked right on the pit's coals.

And that's about all there is to it. Once you get the hang of pit cookery, you'll be able to prepare a great many of your family's favorite dishes underground, without the aid of gas or electricity. Here, for example, are just a few of our tribe's favorite pit oven specialties:

CHICKEN AND POTATOES

watercress 1 whole, cleaned chicken 4 potatoes, washed and deeyed salt and/or other seasonings to taste

Prepare a steaming pit and lay a bed of watercress down in it. Place the chicken on the bed of cress, surround it with potatoes, season to taste, and cover the meal with another layer of greens. Seal the pit and cook for three hours. (Serves four.)

GRAHAM CRACKER DELIGHT

butter
20 graham crackers, crushed
2 tablespoons of sugar
I/4 cup of butter
1/2 cup of chopped nuts
1 can of your favorite pie filling

Line a 9" piepan with aluminum foil and butter the foil thoroughly. Mix the dry ingredients (and the quarter cup of butter) together . . . then sprinkle twothirds of the mixture on the bottom of the piepan, pour in the filling, and sprinkle on the remaining graham cracker mix. Cover the pie with foil and bake it in hot coals for 20 to 30 minutes. Serves eight.

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
3 teaspoons of baking powder
2/3 cup of buttermilk
1/2 cup of oil

Sift all the dry ingredients together in a bowl, then add the buttermilk and oil and stir until moist. (Do not overbeat.) Roll out the dough, cut the biscuits, and seal them in foil. Bury the foil pouches in hot coals and allow them to cook until the bread is brown . . . about 15 minutes. (Yield: 12 biscuits.)

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