Outdoor Fireplace - Useful for Cooking?

[larry4406]

I am in the planning stage of renovating our patio and hopefully building an outdoor BBQ/grilling station

Separately, I want an outdoor fireplace. We like burning fires in fall, winter, etc.

I saw this link showing an Argentina style insert for a fireplace. Looks quite clever and well made. Too spendy for me, but I do have fab skills with welder etc so I could clone.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/725118032/usa-made-fireplace-and-restaurant

Anyone have experience with one of these or similar? Or what do you do for cooking in an outdoor fireplace?

The BBQ station if approved by significant other, will have my gas grill, pellet grill, pizza oven, and cooktop. Want a separate space with real wood/coals and it would be ideal if the fireplace could be dual purpose.

 

[1911Ron]

Hmm tough call,if it were me I would do a fire pit for entertaining and keep the cooking area separate. If you need to cook anything on the fire pit do hotdogs and marshmallows.

 

[larry4406]

Hmm tough call,if it were me I would do a fire pit for entertaining and keep the cooking area separate. If you need to cook anything on the fire pit do hotdogs and marshmallows.

Existing patio is quite large - 32' deep by almost 30' wide.

I plan to roof over about 12x32' where the gas grill, pizza oven, cooktop, and pellet smoker will be. Not much more real estate there to add toys.

The unroofed portion will have the outdoor fireplace. We have a fire pit and it smokes too much. The fireplace will be 48" wide and around 36" tall, likely 24" deep, with a real chimney. Thus the thought to provision it with cooking hardware.

 

[jeffshoaf]

Unless you elevate the fireplace much higher than a standard fireplace, I think you'd have trouble cooking on it - you need to manage the heat by moving the coals/embers around and you'd be on your hands and knees to do that.

Based on my informal research done mostly on YouTube, many (if not most) homes in Argentina have a parrilla in the backyard; from what I've seen, they're usually positioned so that the grates are just below chest high, making it easy to work with both the food and the fire.

 

[tom b]

I think that would be bad azz!

 

[Dweverett]

Unless you elevate the fireplace much higher than a standard fireplace, I think you'd have trouble cooking on it - you need to manage the heat by moving the coals/embers around and you'd be on your hands and knees to do that.

Based on my informal research done mostly on YouTube, many (if not most) homes in Argentina have a parrilla in the backyard; from what I've seen, they're usually positioned so that the grates are just below chest high, making it easy to work with both the food and the fire.

I think that makes sense and the couple of these I’ve seen (restaurants) have been built much higher than a traditional fireplace.

Going back to the comment on having a fire pit but it smoking too much. I got tired of having smoke chase me around the backyard and bought a 24” Breeo a couple years ago. Night and day difference. Not 100% smokeless but darn close once it’s up and running — and very easy to get it lit as well due to some of the increased airflow. Actually, they have really good options for cooking on it too.

We looked at going the outdoor fireplace route but the cost was stupidly high (not all of it the direct fireplace cost)

 

[Inthewoods]

There's a member here and I don't remember his handle...I believe he's Dutch. That's where I would point ya. His place has/had one and he seemed ta enjoy it quite a bit also the food looked amazing not ta mention the techniques involved in that type of cooking in my opinion puts one on another level in the fire and meat hobby.
Yeori....that may be his name, not handle.

-D

 

[jeffshoaf]

I think that makes sense and the couple of these I’ve seen (restaurants) have been built much higher than a traditional fireplace.

Going back to the comment on having a fire pit but it smoking too much. I got tired of having smoke chase me around the backyard and bought a 24” Breeo a couple years ago. Night and day difference. Not 100% smokeless but darn close once it’s up and running — and very easy to get it lit as well due to some of the increased airflow. Actually, they have really good options for cooking on it too.

We looked at going the outdoor fireplace route but the cost was stupidly high (not all of it the direct fireplace cost)

A user on a brand-specific Kamado forum I'm on uses a Santa Maria attachment for another grill over his Solo fire pit for cooking and says it's the only way he cooks steak now.

I have a big Santa Maria/Argentinian grill, cooking with wood on it is my favorite way to cook now. Getting to play with fire is a big part of that and I always seem to build a much bigger fire than I need when using it.

 

[JAKs Q & brew]

I converted an existing outdoor fireplace into a Santa Maria grill. It works great.

As someone else said, the height off the ground is not a standard fireplace height. The bottom is actually right about the same height as my countertops. It works great to cook on but not great as a fireplace for people to sit around and hang out.

 

[Stingerhook]

There's a member here and I don't remember his handle...I believe he's Dutch. That's where I would point ya. His place has/had one and he seemed ta enjoy it quite a bit also the food looked amazing not ta mention the techniques involved in that type of cooking in my opinion puts one on another level in the fire and meat hobby.
Yeori....that may be his name, not handle.

-D

Dave,
Yoeri is correct and his username is LordRiffenstein.
I PM'ed him to see if he will post some pictures to this thread.

 

[larry4406]

There's a member here and I don't remember his handle...I believe he's Dutch. That's where I would point ya. His place has/had one and he seemed ta enjoy it quite a bit also the food looked amazing not ta mention the techniques involved in that type of cooking in my opinion puts one on another level in the fire and meat hobby.
Yeori....that may be his name, not handle.

-D

Maybe this post? Name matches.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=289237

 

[Inthewoods]

Ay that's him. Go pick his brain, I wouldn't doubt he has some ideas on fireplaces as well. It's funny what people can learn from the doing of things and what ya can learn from them.
Now.....back ta my usual "know it all" self.

-D