Chimenea Cooking: How To Cook On A Chimenea

Chimeneas come in different sizes, materials, and colours, providing great outdoor heat and being lovely to look at. But an everyday use for chimeneas is cooking! Keep reading and learn how to cook on a chimenea.

• Can I cook on a chimenea?

• What can I cook on my chimenea?

• How do I prepare my chimenea?

• Wood or coal?

• What will I need?

Can I Cook On A Chimenea? 

Absolutely! Traditionally the Mexican clay chimeneas served this exact purpose. Not only did they provide heat, but they were also used for baking bread.

We've come a long way since then. Creating a minimum-fuss meal using your chimenea is easy, whether entertaining guests or having a family night outside.

What Can I Cook On My Chimenea?

The possibilities here are endless, and you can cook pretty much anything; let's look at cooking with a chimenea... 

• Pizzas - create your own masterpiece pizza using a pizza stone. Chimenea cooking at its finest.

• Roasting meat or fish - Sticky ribs or sweet chilli salmon using a cast iron cooking iron or grill 

• Baked potatoes - all you need is some seasoning and foil.

• Burgers and hot dogs - using a cooking stick and cooking iron.

• Toasted marshmallows 

• Popcorn - using a popcorn pan

Is your mouth watering yet? Mine too.

Let's move on to preparing your chimenea and get you cooking!

How To Cook On A Chimenea Safety Considerations

Safety should always be the top priority.

• Always ensure your chimenea is in good condition with no cracks or damage. 

• Check the sand bed in the chimenea. You need enough sand to protect the bowl from the high heat.

• Before lighting your chimenea, make sure it's flat and solid.

• Always position your chimenea in a clear and open space, away from any overhanging trees or branches and anything flammable. 

• The surface under your chimenea must be non-flammable, so avoid wood decking. Ideal surfaces include stone or paving slabs.

• Instead of sand, you can also use lava stones to protect your chimenea. 

• Place the lava stones on the bottom of the clay chimeneas to prevent the hottest part of the fire from touching the clay.

• Suitable for any clay chimeneas and helps prevent thermal shock and therefore cracking.

• Easy to use, place the contents of one bag directly on the clay in the bottom of the chimenea and build your fire on top.

• The lava rocks can be used time and time again. The rock heats; it does not burn.

Cooking Preparation

• Fill the inside of your chimenea with a thick layer of sand (around 2 inches) or lava stones.

• This will protect the base from intense heat, prevent scorch marks, and make cleaning easier. 

• Place 2 bricks on top of the sand inside the belly of the chimenea. Leave enough room in the middle of the bricks to place your kindling. Your logs can then sit on top of the bricks and kindling.

• You don't need much wood to cook; a few hardwood logs will be enough.

• For added flavour, try apple wood or hickory. Never use treated wood; you don't want chemicals released into your food. 

• Never use chemical-based fire starters when cooking food.

• Light the kindling, and once the wood is alight, keep adding wood a little until you have a good bed of coals.

• Once your coals are a few inches thick, you are ready to cook!

Choosing The Right Cookware:

Not all cookware is suitable for cooking on a chimenea.

Cast iron, stainless steel, and clay pots are great options for stews and soups, while pizza stones and grilling grates work well for pizza and meats.

The cookware will get very hot, make sure they are suitable.

Tried and Tested Favourites

Now that your chimenea is ready, here are some of our favourite dishes, tried and tested using a chimenea. 

Pizza

• Everyone's favourite. If you're brave enough, you can make your own dough.. for me, it's shop bought. 

• Pre-heat your pizza stone by placing it in the belly of your chimenea, resting on the bricks over the hot coals. 

• While waiting for the stone to heat up, you can create your award-winning pizza. A favourite of mine is a BBQ sauce base; add some chopped cooked chicken, onions and plenty of cheese.

• Once the stone has reached a high temperature, slide your pizza onto it and allow the chimenea to work its magic. 

• Always watch your pizza closely, as it will cook in minutes. Once the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted, your pizza is done. If you prefer a more charred and crisp flavour, leave it in for a few more minutes. 

Burgers

• Grab some juicy beef burgers, some onions, tomatoes and cheese.

• Use your cast iron cooking iron for cooking your burger. 

• Place directly into the chimenea belly, resting on the hot coals.

• Turn frequently so both sides of the burger get the same heat.

• When it's almost done, add your cheese, onions and tomatoes and cook until the cheese is deliciously melted. 

• Pop into a bun, add some sauce and demolish.

Should I Use Wood or Coal?

• Always use wood in your clay chimenea. Coal burns very hot and may cause damage to the chimenea. 

• Generally, you can use wood or coal for a cast iron chimenea, but we recommend cooking only with wood.

• We recommend using apple wood or oak for a delicious smoky flavour. 

• Never use treated wood, as chemicals may escape into your food.

How Do I Control The Temperature?

When cooking outdoors with wood, this is trickier than cooking on your stovetop or oven.

• Consider a temperature gun; this will help you easily keep track of the temperature. However, it isn't essential. 

• Use only a little wood because chimeneas are a very efficient heat source. Usually, a couple of logs are sufficient.

• Adjust the airflow; some metal chimeneas have doors; adjust this to allow or restrict airflow. The more air, the hotter the fire will burn. You can also use a lid for the chimenea to restrict this airflow.

• Finally, move the wood and the cookware. There will be parts of the chimenea hotter than others. Either move closer and remove from this heat.

What Tools Do I Need To Cook On A Chimena? 

A few things will come in handy when using your chimenea for cooking.

• Heatproof gloves: These will help protect your hands from the high heat.

• Heatproof mat/pad - Easy to place underneath the legs of your chimenea to protect the surface underneath from the high heat and escaping embers.

• Tongs: Use these to add wood to the fire and move the coals. 

• Long lighter: Using a long neck lighter will make it safer for you to light your kindling. 

• Bucket of water: Whilst you should never use water to extinguish your fire (always leave it to die out naturally as the sudden change in temperature could cause the chimenea to crack), having one nearby case is always handy in an emergency. 

Cooking Tips

• Please keep it simple; let the food and the smoky flavour speak for themselves.

• Keep a close eye on the food, as cooking times will differ from oven cooking.

• Rotate your food to ensure even cooking, which is particularly important for dishes requiring longer cooking times.

• Cooking on a chimenea will be fun. You may make the odd mistake; that's part of learning, but be bold and experiment. 

• Allow the food to rest to ensure all the juices are redistributed throughout the dish.

• Use the correct cooking utensils, making cooking easier and better-tasting food.

• Practice good food hygiene. This is just as important as cooking in the kitchen.

• Have fun and enjoy the experience of cooking with family and friends.

Our Must-Have Chimenea Accessories

There are some accessories we can't live without when cooking with a chimenea.. here are some of our favourites.

• Pizza stone 

• Waffle Iron

• Popcorn pan

• Grill 

• Skewers 

• Cast iron cooking pot

Now you have everything you need to start cooking with your chimenea. Enjoy!