Chiminea barbecues come in many different styles
The original chimeneas were built by tribesmen in ancient Mexico to provide heat and cook food.
The tribesmen found they could create a good fire in their chimeneas with just a few sticks and the design kept the rain off. Like many modern chimeneas, they were made from terracotta clay, fashioned into a firebox and chimney unit.
As well as making great barbecues, modern chimeneas can be decorative, fun and an interesting conversation starter for gardens, patios, porches or deck areas. So it’s easy to see why they are growing in popularity here in the UK. The warm, dry heat produced by a chimenea (also often spelt, incorrectly, as chiminea and pronounced “chim-in-ee-ah”) can be very welcome on evenings spent outside.
A modern chimenea is made from terracotta or metals such as cast iron or aluminium. They are freestanding, with an opening on the front for loading in fuel and cooking access and are topped by a vertical chimney to vent out smoke. Most are about five feet (about 1.5m) in overall height and about two feet (60cm) in width at the widest point of the bulbous firebox.
Traditional designs are very popular but some modern versions have a grated door on the front and accessories like side tables to hold food. Smokestacks should have a spark arrestor to prevent random sparks from becoming a fire hazard.
When positioning a chimenea, care should be taken to allow plenty of overhead room and side room to accommodate the heat of the device and to let smoke and fumes escape into the air.
The clay chimenea burns dry wood such as fragrant pinon wood (which also repels bugs) and their design promotes faster, hotter burning than other types of heating or cooking fire appliances.
Wood or charcoal may be burned in metal chimeneas. The barbecue versions can be treated with a heat-resisting paint. Metal units cost more than clay chimeneas but are more resistant to wet weather. A cast iron chimenea will give off more heat than a clay one.
So now you’re an expert on the modern British chimenea. Why not try something new today?
