The Ummu Thread (Hawaiian underground oven)

[Fedora]

An ummu is a traditional underground oven used by Hawaiians and many other Pacific islanders. We are all familiar with the image of the luau pig. He is cooked in an ummu. Spelling and pronunciation vary between islands but the concept is the same.

My good buddy and neighbor is a native of Hawaii and Micronesia. He got the itch to do some island style cooking and of course I had to get in on the action. Thought I would document the process and share with HBT as it's interesting and may inspire others to get in touch with they're inner islander. This will take several posts as I'm posting from my phone, so keep checking back.

We dug the ummu and did a pre burn the night before just to season the pit and get a bed of dead coals down. Note the deeper hole dug out in the middle. This is to allow the fire to draw.

 

[ol-hazza]

Keep it coming.. One of the best meals I had was cooked in an umu by some Tongans when I was in Solomon Islands doing a SAR and they came across a pig.

 

[Fedora]

Double post

 

[Fedora]

Next we started a small fire in the center depression and piled on the wood. We are using a combination of oak, hickory, apple, and walnut. All well seasoned. Any wood suitable for meat smoking is acceptable.

We then piled creek stones on top of the fire to heat up as it burned. WARNING : The stones WILL pop, crack, shatter, and throw hot chunks of sharp stone all over. Be careful and keep the kids away. This ain't no campfire. Fire brick would be a safer option. The natives use lava rock, which is available at hardware stores. However, my buddy said if it is over a year old it too will shatter. He told a story of a guy standing next to him getting beaned in the temple with a chunk and being knocked out for several hours. You have been warned...

 

[krackin]

We call them 'bean holes' in my neck of the woods. They can be used for pots of beans, clam bakes, hogs, etc. They are generally stone lined for long term repetitive use.

 

[Fedora]

When the fire burned down we spread out the stones and coals, then put down a layer of sticks just prior to putting the meat on. The natives use smashed banana stems, which we couldn't source. The sticks worked fine. We are cooking two 4 lb Boston butts, some spare ribs, and some brisket in foil ( wasn't sure about the brisket). More to follow..

 

[Fedora]

With the meat on we quickly covered the whole thing in banana leaves which had been soaked in water. The banana leaves came from a local Latino grocery store and are essential for authentic taste. I was told always place banana leaves green side up, read, natural position.

We then covered the leaves with a wet blanket. Burlap sacks are traditional. We could not source these either. Wet t shirts, towels, any cloth will work.

 

[Fedora]

Then the whole thing is covered with a tarp, and sealed up with rocks, logs, dirt. Anything to keep the moisture in and oxygen out. As I read in someone's sig line, " Nothing left to do but smile and drink beer." Some of my Brown Ale should do. Cheers!

 

[Fedora]

We let this go for two hours, then opened it up. It was dark by that time so the pictures didn't turn out, but here's the money shot. The meat was very tender and moist. It had a very unique flavor from a combination of the steamed banana leaves and the smothered coals. Absolutely delicious...

We're cooking again this weekend. Already planning improvements. I'll update this thread as we go. If anyone else decides to do some ummu cooking feel free to post it up here. And thanks to those who already replied. I'm off to drink some homebrew. Cheers!

 

[jdm61]

Very cool. A little safety tip. I learned at a young age that if you don't want exploding rocks, you should not throw sandstone in a fire. I don't know if other sedimentary rocks will blow up too, but sandstone will for sure. Lava rocks like the ones that you can buy for your gas grill will not blow up.

 

[Fedora]

Thanks jdm, good info. Pretty much all the rocks around here will shatter. Having built fires on the creek banks here all my life, I'm pretty used to it. A piece did get my son last summer though. Pretty good burn on his chest.

I'll snap a few more pictures when we cook this weekend.

 

[jdm61]

Thanks jdm, good info. Pretty much all the rocks around here will shatter. Having built fires on the creek banks here all my life, I'm pretty used to it. A piece did get my son last summer though. Pretty good burn on his chest.

I'll snap a few more pictures when we cook this weekend.

Just buy some lava rocks for the girl. they should last a long time especially if you put them on top and they are not getting grease on them.

 

[krackin]

Field stone or cut granite is used here. Nobody uses river rock.

 

[ol-hazza]

Ive heard rumours over here that using railway irons is the way to go...

 

[Fedora]

Thanks for the input fellas! Yes the creek stones are temporary. We've decided on fire brick when we rock this thing in permastyle. Meanwhile here's some pics of before and after the ummu had its way with this pork butt...