Grilling in the winter? In the fireplace?! Sure! Why not! After all, it wasn't really too long ago that home cooks did almost all their cooking in the fireplace. And it sure beats huddling around the outdoor grill while gazing at a vista of snow banks...
Try This: Winter Grilling in the Fireplace
All the same techniques that apply to campfire cooking apply equally to fireplace grilling. Use dry, seasoned wood - this will burn hotter and cleaner than wet or "green" wood. Most of the time, you'll want to build up the fire and then let it die down into hot, glowing coals. This provides a hotter and more consistent heat for cooking.
There are actually grills specially made for fireplace grilling. The grill rests on a stand that slides in and out of the fireplace. On most models, the height of the grill can also be adjusted to be closer or further away from the hot coals. We found a company called SpitJack that sells fireplace grills for between $160 and $210.
The same company also sells some pretty fancy-looking rotisserie sets. These are cast-iron and motor-powered spits, and can be used to cook chickens, skewers of meat, or even fish.
If you're not quite up for investing in a lot of fancy equipment, you can always fall back on favorite campfire dinners: roasted potatoes wrapped in foil, hot dogs on a stick, stews cooked in cast-iron dutch ovens, and of course, s'mores.
Now we all just need to make friends with someone who has as fireplace...
• More Information on Fireplace Grilling and Safety from SpitJack
• Fireplace Grills from SpitJack
• Fireplace Rotisseries from SpitJack
• Camp Dutch Ovens from Lodge
Related: Outside Cooking: Build Your Own Grill
(Image: Flickr members powerbooktrance and majorbonnet licensed under Creative Commons)
Comments (7)
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this is great! i recently moved into a house with an outdoor wood burning fireplace. it's too wet to use right now, but i'm looking forward to trying it out this spring. thanks for the tips!
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view cassiopia's profile
Fun! Judith at Aroma Cucina does a lot of cooking in her fireplace, too.
My fireplace at home is gas so we can't cook in it (no coals) but I did go to an amazing event recently where we got to cook in a heritage home over the hearth. It was such a great experience and everything was so delicious!
http://danamccauley.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/back-in-time/
view Dana McCauley's profile
Whatever you do, do not burn coal, charcoal or briquettes indoors (unless you have a special stove). Most fireplaces will not have the draw to remove the carbon monoxide (it is a similar density to air) and you could end up asphyxiating yourself or your family. The coals will burn for a long time even when they don't produce too much heat and continue to release co.
Be safe! Happy grilling.
view slipperymarshmallow's profile
I always thought that the draw needed to remove wood exhaust is actually quite a bit larger than the draw needed for coal.
Coal fireplaces, typically found in Victorian houses, often have a 8" square chimney opening, smaller than one that is needed for wood. I lived in London, UK, for a while and we burned coal in our small fireplace with no issues.
Having said that, I am no expert on this, so please double check the above. A co2 detector is a good idea to have in any house.
view andreasduess's profile
This is actually better tasting than outdoor grilling because you get lots more smoke flavor, we like doing pork tenderloins this way. Of course it may just be that it reminds me of camping.
view sally599's profile
I'm jealous of anyone who has a wood burning fireplace.
One of my favorite food memories is that of my dad spit roasting a turkey in one of our fireplaces in the house I grew up in.
I also got to cook on an outdoor fireplace for a family I stayed with in Avignon:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/art_chel/2959071902/in/set-72157608215004415/
Something I've always wanted to try are the fireplace roasted duck breasts that I saw Jacques Pepin do once. He tied duck breasts with string and hung them from the top of the fireplace and every so often spun them around. He placed a pan underneath to collect the drippings. Jacques Pepin--what can't he do?
view art's profile
Love this post! We do s'mores in our fireplace all the time in the winter--compensates a little for the fact that we have no outdoor space so can't grill in the summertime. :) We keep talking about doing a full "camping" dinner--baked potatoes in foil and kielbasa on sticks is exactly our usual camping menu--but just haven't gotten around to it yet. But this has inspired me!
view Brooklynnina's profile