Anyone cook in a chiminea?

<table border="0" align="right" valign="top"><tr><td><img src="http://www.4backyards.com/media/products/fire-pits/wtliving/cast-iron-grape-chimineas.jpg" border="0" align="right"></td></tr></table>Chimineas have long appealed to me, but I can't help but wonder if they're any good for grilling.

Most I've seen come with cooking grids, but the surface area and large open-air mesh of the "bulb" (that's what I call it - don't know what the real term is) make me think that (a) you'd lose quite a bit of heat sideways in windier conditions, and (b) it might be challenging to get a big enough fire going inside the thing so as to get enough hardwood coals that'd make for easy grillin'.

That said, maybe the trepidation is all for nothing, since I'm sure that with enough coals in there, one could do a couple of steaks or wings in one of them not too shabbily.

What's been your experience? I know that a kamado is clearly superior ... but is a chiminea even passable as a substitute for something like a kettle charcoal grill?

[Jenise]

The best thing I ever cooked in the one chimnea I had was my kitchen cabinets. We'd remodeled you see, and using the old ones for fire wood was an appropriate and efficient ending for them. But on a more serious note, we'd have never cooked in ours and I don't believe they were ever made for this purpose--you seriously couldn't get the food far enough from the fire. But they're fine as heaters.

Paul, I don't think these are intended for cooking, but they sure pretty! Check it out.


http://www.kamado.com/Meridian/PhotoGallery/Stove.htm

<table border="0" align="right" valign="top"><tr><td><img src="http://www.4backyards.com/media/products/fire-pits/wtliving/cast-iron-grape-chimineas.jpg" border="0" align="right"></td></tr></table>Chimineas have long appealed to me, but I can't help but wonder if they're any good for grilling.

Most I've seen come with cooking grids, but the surface area and large open-air mesh of the "bulb" (that's what I call it - don't know what the real term is) make me think that (a) you'd lose quite a bit of heat sideways in windier conditions, and (b) it might be challenging to get a big enough fire going inside the thing so as to get enough hardwood coals that'd make for easy grillin'.

That said, maybe the trepidation is all for nothing, since I'm sure that with enough coals in there, one could do a couple of steaks or wings in one of them not too shabbily.

What's been your experience? I know that a kamado is clearly superior ... but is a chiminea even passable as a substitute for something like a kettle charcoal grill?

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...

What's been your experience?

Nothing more than s'mores. But it does a great job on those.