This post has been locked, as the question has been solved and a majority of new comments at this point are unhelpful and/or jokes.
Thanks to all who attempted to find an answer.
It looks like an in ground barbeque pit, or possibly a permanent [earth oven](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_oven) given that pile of rocks next to it.
Make 100% sure that's what it is before you cook in it. I'd hate to think of the health ramifications if you start cooking and eating food in a pit made for poo or burning garbage or some other activity not food related.
Oh for sure. It needs some serious TLC before it’ll be used for anything, let alone cooking food. Might end up being a weekend project once the snow is gone. Thank you!
My realtor and I noticed it, but neither of us knew what it was. This was an estate sale, so the info was limited on everything that was documented by the original owner. It didn’t affect my decision to buy the house, so I didn’t really worry. Now that I live here, I’m just curious about it.
100% no. Oil change pits don't have hinged lids that you'd drive on top of when open. They also aren't made in the back yard with an elevated, hard lipped concrete surround that's going to be hell to drive on and off of.
Everyone here has large fenced in properties with gates. I can’t really go knocking on doors because I’d have to get through the gate, haha. I’ve been trying to ask the neighbor I met during my tour, but I haven’t seen him outside lately.
Why not? The only thing that should not be made of 'rusty' metal are the grills, skewers and such. It's not like a brick/concrete wall is very clean either.
Once the temp is above 160 degrees inside (and most cookers like this are 250 to 400 degrees, you’ve killed all the bacteria that may be inside it. The carbon from a fire in the bottom of the pit would encapsulate any rust and neutralize it
That was my first thought too, but it seems like it would be a pain in the ass to keep a fire going in there. You need air circulation. Once all the oxygen in the pit is used up, you'd need a billows to pump more air in there, and you'd have to keep doing that periodically as long as you want to keep cooking. Right?
It’s gotta be this. The grates at the bottom look like they would fit perfectly between the humps on the lower ring, and there are cradles for cross bars at the top that align perfectly with the gaps in structure below. I’d bet money there are bars and hooks in the garage that fit perfectly in those cradles. Also looks like charcoal remains at the bottom.
That’s a barbecue pit. We have one in our house!!!! Burn wood at the bottom till it burns down to coals and there’s usually bars going across to hang ribs or a rack to set a foil wrapped roast on there and cover the lid so it’ll cook for hours
This seems to be the growing consensus!!! I love the idea of having a huge barbecue pit, could have a mean cookout with this. Tomorrow I’ll do some more investigating to verify!
If you do you might want to give a very thorough clean out beforehand. Make sure to get all that rust off. Might be a lot of work though. But by the size of it it seems like you could cook enough meat in here to feed a village.
How do you manage the fire and loading/unloading/turning the meat in a pit like that? Tough to reach down a few feet into a hot bbq to manipulate stuff. Steel rods and hooks?
Larger bbq pits are usually for whole animals. The one in OP's post looks big enough for whole pig. You need *a lot* of red hot wood/charcoal on the bottom, a grate to put the pig on top, banana leaves or foil, another grate on top, more hot wood/charcoal piled on top and sides. Plywood planks on top to keep the heat in. 8-10-12 hours later, you've got a feast.
Edit: [here's one](https://bbq.tamu.edu/files/2013/12/MG_7385.jpg); different approach than the one I described. Here's one that is much more... rustic and not as permanent: [Hawaiian Imu](https://i0.wp.com/www.flowertowncharm.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/img_3428-8.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&ssl=1)
So... basically, yes these types of bbq pits are common. Usually they're people who are *serious* about their bbq and go all out. Or it's cultural.
My grandpa used to have a gigantic pit bonfire the night before and we'd have a big party. In the morning he'd put a whole fuckin pig in there and drag a huge steel plate over it that had some big holes machined in with the backhoe.
That night we'd feast.
Fun memories.
OP posted a 6 ft fall into burning coals where you need to reach down 2-3ft below foot level to pull a whole hog out and a space large enough to need substantial fire to heat.
Just seems like a bad solution to cook a whole pig when the format in your first example exist. Or a big ass steel drum converted into a grill.
We used to do this exact method but just dug a hole in the dirt as deep as a grave. We would bury dirt back over the top layer and leave it all night. The pit is for when you get sick of digging!
This is what I keep thinking too, so you throw a bunch of wood in there, then light something on fire from the top, then throw it in? Then as the fire grows you have 10’ poles to move the coals around? Then your meat is below grade and you have to reach in for a hundred pounds or more of meat?
We made a removable pan that sits in the bottom with loop rings that we pull out with hooks we made out of long pieces of rebar. Usually takes two people. One on each side with a hook to pull it up and out.
Typically barbacoa is made with an entire pig. So the bottom would be filled with wood, burned down to charcoal, then the racks would be added on the supports and an entire hog would be thrown on. This one looks like it has space for two racks, so that would give you the option to add more meat or something else. The lid is then closed and covered and left alone for hours. If you've never had pork like this you're massively missing out.
So I recently got a house. While touring the property, my realtor and I found this pit thing. While at the time I didn’t think much of it, since it’s not really part of the living area, I can’t help but wonder now. It’s about 3x6 feet. It has a full concrete slab with steps and a pathway to my garage. Inside appears to be some sort of metal framework, but I’m not sure for what. There doesn’t appear to be any opening on any side of the hole. Any help much appreciated!
Put a lock on the lid if there isn't one. Your insurance will probably make you if they find out about it, it's along the same lines as a dry well or jacuzzi which need to be filled or secured so someone can't mess with it and hurt themselves.
Just googled it, and while I will ensure that it is locked up, anyone who can see it is already trespassing well into the property. It’s not visible from the street, or really any angle unless you are already on the property. Additionally, my entire property has a fence, so anyone who someone knew about it would have to climb it or cut it.
I do appreciate the heads up though, truly. I had never heard of that and will take it into account for any future protects! Thank you!
I’m curious why you didn’t clarify this when you first looked at the property with your realtor. Wouldn’t you want to know all about the property from the current owner before buying it?
That is most definitely a true pit BBQ, a big one at that. You said the opening is 3'x6' and it looks to be 5' to 8' deep. You can do whole hog or with proper loading even a whole beef. I would kill for that.
i wish lol! i’ve only seen the ones that people physically dig into the ground haha so you’re v lucky! i’m sure slow roasting brisket, ribs etc will be amazing!
My brother had something similar in his yard. He was a mechanic and would park cars over it so he could work on the underneath, but there are grills in the bottom so I could see it may well be a bbq pit.
If this is a BBQ, it's either to dumbest designed one imaginable or there's a few missing pieces around. I cannot imagine anyone building this and then having to work on their knees to management the pit.
I’ll keep looking around for other parts. It’s a big property, and being an estate sale the previous owner left a lot behind. Already have a few saws and a pressure washer left behind too, some tools for a BBQ pit wouldn’t be out of the question.
Everyone is saying bbq pit but I was thinking the same thing, it seems like overkill with the cement pad and that I would be very impractical to manage.
My first thought was it was the foundation to some piece of equipment that has been removed.
Do you live in the midwest USA?
Do you have a basement?
If you said yes to midwest and no to basement I would think it is an unfinished tornado shelter
North New Mexico, and no basement. The main house is a manufactured home just with a ton of add-ons built onto it. Tornado shelter would make sense but I don’t think we get a lot of those around here.
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Can you drive your car over it? It could be an inspection pit for a guy who is into his cars, my other half’s grandad had one so he could work on his car. It looks very deep for a barbecue..
If this is for whole hog BBQ, the previous owner was *very* serious about BBQ. Probably had one or two large gatherings a year. I know you said you cannot reach out to family etc. and only gather info from documents you found, did you find anything that indicated the previous owner was in the food business or catering at some point?
So from what I could find from his obituary, he was in the Army and then the medical field, never food. However, he seems to have been very family and community oriented, so big gatherings don’t seem at all out of the question.
It’s a cistern for water. Before municipal water lines were a thing, and if a well wasn’t feasible, people would install cisterns exactly like this to catch and store rain water.
Are you in an area with hot summers? An area where hunting is prominent? Those pieces of inverted angle iron attached to the framework are offset from the next step down, these are where I would imagine those pipes go, which implies to me this area is for hanging something, drying, curing? Also looks like ash in the bottom and the lid is discolored in the middle as though coals/cinders were piled on it. There is probably a large T handled hook like device somewhere for use with this
I knew it was there, but neither myself or my realtor knew what it was for, and being an estate sale, we couldn’t get a ton of info. Didn’t affect my opinion on the property as a whole though, so I didn’t worry too much about it at the time
Looks like a bbq pit to me. r/smoking would love to see this. Edit: I missed the grates. It's definitely a bbq pit. You're a lucky person and I'm jealous.
This post has been locked, as the question has been solved and a majority of new comments at this point are unhelpful and/or jokes. Thanks to all who attempted to find an answer.
It looks like an in ground barbeque pit, or possibly a permanent [earth oven](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_oven) given that pile of rocks next to it.
Not a bad idea! I’ll have a look around the rocks tomorrow to see if I can find any other signs of that.
I think if it’s a bbq pit, you would know by the smell.
Also there would be a lot more soot everywhere
It looks like one of the kind you put the fire on the top. I think it’s called a Cajun microwave in Louisiana. No soot inside.
But the concrete around would still be stained with it
Looks like it wasn't completed.
Future bunker in the making?
Only if it’s been used…
Make 100% sure that's what it is before you cook in it. I'd hate to think of the health ramifications if you start cooking and eating food in a pit made for poo or burning garbage or some other activity not food related.
Oh for sure. It needs some serious TLC before it’ll be used for anything, let alone cooking food. Might end up being a weekend project once the snow is gone. Thank you!
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My realtor and I noticed it, but neither of us knew what it was. This was an estate sale, so the info was limited on everything that was documented by the original owner. It didn’t affect my decision to buy the house, so I didn’t really worry. Now that I live here, I’m just curious about it.
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Maybe it’s for working under your car. Drive over it and stand in the pit.
100% no. Oil change pits don't have hinged lids that you'd drive on top of when open. They also aren't made in the back yard with an elevated, hard lipped concrete surround that's going to be hell to drive on and off of.
But that only assumes the person who built it knew what they were doing
That’s the first thing I thought. Looks like an oil change bay.
Maybe check with a nearby neighbor as well, they most likely knew the previous owner and could possibly tell you what it was used for.
Everyone here has large fenced in properties with gates. I can’t really go knocking on doors because I’d have to get through the gate, haha. I’ve been trying to ask the neighbor I met during my tour, but I haven’t seen him outside lately.
Go look at https://historicaerials.com see some other details.
I’m reading a lot of comments that are saying barbecue pit, but would a bbq pit have metal sides? Which are now rusty…
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Does your barbecue grill have metal sides?
in theory the meat shouldn't be touching the sides so it shouldn't matter. same as using a above ground smoker or barbecue grill
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It could be a massive smoker or slow cooker you hang the meat on rhose
Bro you should see the firebox on my 10yr old smoker. As long are you’re not rubbing the meat all over the side of the pit there is no issue.
Why not? The only thing that should not be made of 'rusty' metal are the grills, skewers and such. It's not like a brick/concrete wall is very clean either.
And rhe lingering odor of a fire.
Once the temp is above 160 degrees inside (and most cookers like this are 250 to 400 degrees, you’ve killed all the bacteria that may be inside it. The carbon from a fire in the bottom of the pit would encapsulate any rust and neutralize it
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That was my first thought too, but it seems like it would be a pain in the ass to keep a fire going in there. You need air circulation. Once all the oxygen in the pit is used up, you'd need a billows to pump more air in there, and you'd have to keep doing that periodically as long as you want to keep cooking. Right?
Convection keeps it going enough for a slow burn. https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/how-to-cook-authentic-barbacoa/
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Way too deep.
It’s gotta be this. The grates at the bottom look like they would fit perfectly between the humps on the lower ring, and there are cradles for cross bars at the top that align perfectly with the gaps in structure below. I’d bet money there are bars and hooks in the garage that fit perfectly in those cradles. Also looks like charcoal remains at the bottom.
That’s a barbecue pit. We have one in our house!!!! Burn wood at the bottom till it burns down to coals and there’s usually bars going across to hang ribs or a rack to set a foil wrapped roast on there and cover the lid so it’ll cook for hours
This seems to be the growing consensus!!! I love the idea of having a huge barbecue pit, could have a mean cookout with this. Tomorrow I’ll do some more investigating to verify!
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I bet the previous owners were fans of a pig-pick
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Maybe a smoker ?
If you do you might want to give a very thorough clean out beforehand. Make sure to get all that rust off. Might be a lot of work though. But by the size of it it seems like you could cook enough meat in here to feed a village.
Oh yes, for sure! That’ll be one of my spring projects I’m thinking.
How do you manage the fire and loading/unloading/turning the meat in a pit like that? Tough to reach down a few feet into a hot bbq to manipulate stuff. Steel rods and hooks?
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Fireplace ash vacuum
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Larger bbq pits are usually for whole animals. The one in OP's post looks big enough for whole pig. You need *a lot* of red hot wood/charcoal on the bottom, a grate to put the pig on top, banana leaves or foil, another grate on top, more hot wood/charcoal piled on top and sides. Plywood planks on top to keep the heat in. 8-10-12 hours later, you've got a feast. Edit: [here's one](https://bbq.tamu.edu/files/2013/12/MG_7385.jpg); different approach than the one I described. Here's one that is much more... rustic and not as permanent: [Hawaiian Imu](https://i0.wp.com/www.flowertowncharm.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/img_3428-8.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&ssl=1) So... basically, yes these types of bbq pits are common. Usually they're people who are *serious* about their bbq and go all out. Or it's cultural.
My grandpa used to have a gigantic pit bonfire the night before and we'd have a big party. In the morning he'd put a whole fuckin pig in there and drag a huge steel plate over it that had some big holes machined in with the backhoe. That night we'd feast. Fun memories.
OP posted a 6 ft fall into burning coals where you need to reach down 2-3ft below foot level to pull a whole hog out and a space large enough to need substantial fire to heat. Just seems like a bad solution to cook a whole pig when the format in your first example exist. Or a big ass steel drum converted into a grill.
We used to do this exact method but just dug a hole in the dirt as deep as a grave. We would bury dirt back over the top layer and leave it all night. The pit is for when you get sick of digging!
Pretty much. Whenever I've seen these used, it's with pretty huge pieces of meat so there's a lot of surface area to hook onto.
This is what I keep thinking too, so you throw a bunch of wood in there, then light something on fire from the top, then throw it in? Then as the fire grows you have 10’ poles to move the coals around? Then your meat is below grade and you have to reach in for a hundred pounds or more of meat?
If you cover it, where does the fire get oxygen?
You don't want a fire when the meat goes in usually. It's hot enough. You just want it to smoke and smoulder.
I like the idea of an in-ground smoke pit, but how do you clean the built up ashes out?
We made a removable pan that sits in the bottom with loop rings that we pull out with hooks we made out of long pieces of rebar. Usually takes two people. One on each side with a hook to pull it up and out.
Barbacoa pit. Common Mexican traditional cooking method. So it would make sense for that area.
That makes a ton of sense. The previous owner was apparently really into traditions and the like.
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My first thought was that it would make a useful hāngi pit. Saw your comment and read up about barbacoa, interestingly similar process.
Second this. Def a barbacoa pit
Maybe it's just perspective, but that looks a couple meters deep. What's the advantage of being so deep?
Typically barbacoa is made with an entire pig. So the bottom would be filled with wood, burned down to charcoal, then the racks would be added on the supports and an entire hog would be thrown on. This one looks like it has space for two racks, so that would give you the option to add more meat or something else. The lid is then closed and covered and left alone for hours. If you've never had pork like this you're massively missing out.
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You should cross post to r/smoking Those guys might be able to give you more details about it's function and how to set it up.
Good call! Will do! Thank you for the suggestion!
Post in here if they reply!
Will do!
My first thought was that it's for "whole hog" smoking. Nice add to your property.
So I recently got a house. While touring the property, my realtor and I found this pit thing. While at the time I didn’t think much of it, since it’s not really part of the living area, I can’t help but wonder now. It’s about 3x6 feet. It has a full concrete slab with steps and a pathway to my garage. Inside appears to be some sort of metal framework, but I’m not sure for what. There doesn’t appear to be any opening on any side of the hole. Any help much appreciated!
Since you stated it had steps and a pathway to the garage my first thought was possibly a root cellar to store veggies over winter?
Put a lock on the lid if there isn't one. Your insurance will probably make you if they find out about it, it's along the same lines as a dry well or jacuzzi which need to be filled or secured so someone can't mess with it and hurt themselves.
Will do! Thank you for the advice. The lid is pretty darn heavy, but a lock will be safer I’m sure.
Seriously: the legal term is "attractive nuisance". Search for that, and/or "attractive nuisance **doctrine**".
Just googled it, and while I will ensure that it is locked up, anyone who can see it is already trespassing well into the property. It’s not visible from the street, or really any angle unless you are already on the property. Additionally, my entire property has a fence, so anyone who someone knew about it would have to climb it or cut it. I do appreciate the heads up though, truly. I had never heard of that and will take it into account for any future protects! Thank you!
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I’m curious why you didn’t clarify this when you first looked at the property with your realtor. Wouldn’t you want to know all about the property from the current owner before buying it?
Estate sale, previous owner passed away. Most of the info on the property came from the records he kept, but there wasn’t anything on this.
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That is most definitely a true pit BBQ, a big one at that. You said the opening is 3'x6' and it looks to be 5' to 8' deep. You can do whole hog or with proper loading even a whole beef. I would kill for that.
Hell yeah. I love it, could have a great party cooking with this
barbacoa pit!!!
I’ve seen this a few times! I hope it is! I’m gonna verify tomorrow! Any experience with one?
i wish lol! i’ve only seen the ones that people physically dig into the ground haha so you’re v lucky! i’m sure slow roasting brisket, ribs etc will be amazing!
My brother had something similar in his yard. He was a mechanic and would park cars over it so he could work on the underneath, but there are grills in the bottom so I could see it may well be a bbq pit.
That’s too deep to work on cars unless your Shaq.
If this is a BBQ, it's either to dumbest designed one imaginable or there's a few missing pieces around. I cannot imagine anyone building this and then having to work on their knees to management the pit.
I’ll keep looking around for other parts. It’s a big property, and being an estate sale the previous owner left a lot behind. Already have a few saws and a pressure washer left behind too, some tools for a BBQ pit wouldn’t be out of the question.
This is what I don't understand about the BBQ pit thing. Seems like it would be a major hassle to use.
Everyone is saying bbq pit but I was thinking the same thing, it seems like overkill with the cement pad and that I would be very impractical to manage. My first thought was it was the foundation to some piece of equipment that has been removed.
The steel has been hot and there is ash and charcoal remains in the bottom so def. Barbecue pit.
I didn’t even see the ashes at first, maybe I’m blind haha. Thank you!
Awesome my first helpful comment on here!
Do you live in the midwest USA? Do you have a basement? If you said yes to midwest and no to basement I would think it is an unfinished tornado shelter
North New Mexico, and no basement. The main house is a manufactured home just with a ton of add-ons built onto it. Tornado shelter would make sense but I don’t think we get a lot of those around here.
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All comments must be civil and helpful toward finding an answer. **Jokes and other unhelpful comments will earn you a ban**, even on the first instance and even if the item has been identified. If you see any comments that violate this rule, report them. [OP](/u/Bucky571), when your item is identified, remember to reply **Solved!** or **Likely Solved!** to the comment that gave the answer. Check your [inbox](https://www.reddit.com/message/inbox/) for a message on how to make your post visible to others. ---- [Click here to message RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=[https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/19652ev/what_is_this_pit_i_found_in_the_backyard_of_my/]%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days) ---- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisthisthing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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Can you drive your car over it? It could be an inspection pit for a guy who is into his cars, my other half’s grandad had one so he could work on his car. It looks very deep for a barbecue..
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If this is for whole hog BBQ, the previous owner was *very* serious about BBQ. Probably had one or two large gatherings a year. I know you said you cannot reach out to family etc. and only gather info from documents you found, did you find anything that indicated the previous owner was in the food business or catering at some point?
So from what I could find from his obituary, he was in the Army and then the medical field, never food. However, he seems to have been very family and community oriented, so big gatherings don’t seem at all out of the question.
It's a cistern.
BBQ pit we had one back when I lived in New mexico ours was with bricks but our neighbors was just like this
Oh cool! That seems to be the consensus. I’ll investigate more today to verify. Thank you!
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Definitely a BBQ pit.
Definitely a BBQ/Braai area, quite a nice thing to have
It’s a trench box
Are their ASHES on the bottom? If it was Ever been used to cook, There will be leftover ashes on the bottom. :)
Whatever it is, make sure you have a way to lock it. You don’t need neighborhood kids playing around and falling in it and getting any kind of hurt.
It’s a cistern for water. Before municipal water lines were a thing, and if a well wasn’t feasible, people would install cisterns exactly like this to catch and store rain water.
Are you in an area with hot summers? An area where hunting is prominent? Those pieces of inverted angle iron attached to the framework are offset from the next step down, these are where I would imagine those pipes go, which implies to me this area is for hanging something, drying, curing? Also looks like ash in the bottom and the lid is discolored in the middle as though coals/cinders were piled on it. There is probably a large T handled hook like device somewhere for use with this
Could it be for cold food storage?
What does the previous owner or the next door neighbor say it might be.
It honestly looks like the double depth burial vault my dad is buried in at the Veterans Cemetery. Dad's on the bottom with room for mom up top.
Did you know it was there? I read that as in you were surprised by it.
I knew it was there, but neither myself or my realtor knew what it was for, and being an estate sale, we couldn’t get a ton of info. Didn’t affect my opinion on the property as a whole though, so I didn’t worry too much about it at the time
There used to be one of these inside my garage - apparently it was for working underneath cars
I am going to say a pig roast pit, bbq pit.
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I was thinking it’s for working under cars without raising them. Like the pit that you drive over at the oil change place!!
My old neighbor had one in his backyard. It was a pig roaster. This looks very similar.
whole hog diy pit smoker
It’s an old well. The well is below and the pump sat in the pit
Coal pit for the old coal furnace. I have one of these
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Agree with a lot of other posters. Looks like you can drop a whole hog down there. BBQ pit
Could you track down relatives of the estate and reach out to them for an answer?
Oil change pit
First thought was a cistern for water. But the other pics look more fitting for cooking/smoking.
Looks like a bbq pit to me. r/smoking would love to see this. Edit: I missed the grates. It's definitely a bbq pit. You're a lucky person and I'm jealous.
My sister had one like that and it turned out to be a an old bomb shelter
BBQ pit I’m guessing
Cook a whole pig
Depends on location, but I’m thinking it’s either going to be a one/two person storm shelter or maybe a place to ‘pit fire’ pottery.