Can you cook using biobricks

[Charland]

Hi Everyone, I am a new member. Recently bought an old house with a wood burning cook stove inserted into a "Russian" Fireplace, clean flue, but no liner. My chimney guy says the stove is in good shape and go ahead and use it without the lining as long as I use very hard wood. Does this sound right? (Must have been the case for the first 100 years in operation).

Can I use some type of dense engineered product like biobrick to cook with? Would that be wiser to avoid a chimney fire?

The other side of the fireplace has a dutch oven. Can I use biobricks to cook in that? Would hard wood be OK to use there? Thanks!

 

[Jags]

Do you trust your chimney guy? If so, then hardwoods would be my choice. If not, get another pro out there for a second opinion. I don't believe that biobricks (or any of the other mfgs) will really make anything "safer" than using properly seasoned firewood. As far as eating something that has been cooked over them......not for me, but I am a food whore extraordinaire.

"Mmmmmm...honey, can't you just taste the smokey flavor? And the wax coating should preserve it for weeks." :lol:

 

[Charland]

Ahh, maybe I will put off the cooking with them idea now that you mention it. Thanks for the quick response! If hard woods work I will do that. He said use apple if I can. Is maple, ash, oak, or birch just as acceptable?

 

[Jags]

Is maple, ash, oak, or birch just as acceptable?

Yes! Properly seasoned, they are all fine firewood. Just so you know, in the wood burning world, birch is not really considered a hardwood by most. Yes, you can find books that state that anything with a "leaf" is a hardwood but check out some btu charts, and make up your own mind.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

If biobricks are manufactured like pellets- then it's all wood. Extreme pressure is used to compress the material. The heat of the process melts lignin in the wood, which then binds it all together. No wax/additives, very dry and therefore less creosote issues. More energy per pound, but more expensive and a little bit of a learning curve to get the right burn without overfiring, according to folks here that use them.

 

[woodconvert]

[quote author="Kennebec" date="1220982203"]

Can I use some type of dense engineered product like biobrick to cook with?

As an engineer i'm getting tired of all the dense jokes so lets just nip that in the bud...but were it me, i'd try something like Kingsford before I tried a biobrick...unless they were free ranged (get it???..range???...I aint so dense ;-P )

 

[Jags]

Adios - I can't vouch for all the bio brick types, (BG has actually done some pretty in depth reviews on the brands) but I think because of the increased size over pellets, the pressure needed for the "natural" fusing of the wood particles is aided with a small amount of wax. Again, can't say its all of them, but I would sure check it out before I stared char'in my bone in rib eye with it.

 

[SteveT]

Biobricks are advertised as 100% hardwood. No binders. The manufacturer has been on these boards and stated that his equipment works at very high pressure therefore no need for binders.

 

[Jags]

Biobricks are advertised as 100% hardwood. No binders. The manufacturer has been on these boards and stated that his equipment works at very high pressure therefore no need for binders.

Good info EngineRep - I wonder if the other MFG's are in the same boat.

Edit: it was several years ago that I was looking at a pallet of bricks (not sure of brand) that may have lead me into believing that they required a binder. They were a bio-brick type (not firestarters) and they did have some wax as binders, but that would have been very early in the bio-brick game. Its good to see that the process has improved (or the company I was looking at was just a hack).

 

[fossil]

Biobricks aren't bad if properly seasoned...preferably marinated overnight. I lke 'em with onion rings & fresh corn. They're not just for breakfast anymore. Rick

 

[Jags]

Biobricks aren't bad if properly seasoned...preferably marinated overnight. I lke 'em with onion rings & fresh corn. They're not just for breakfast anymore. Rick

Hot or cold?

 

[fossil]

Right off the grill...medium rare. Still nice and pink in the center. Rick

 

[brewerpete]

I rememebr reading somewhere ..maybe on this forum that the bertucci's poizza chain switched to bio bricks to fire thier brock oven restaurants.... if true i suspect it's safe.

 

[cmonSTART]

Pete, that rings a bell. I think I remember some brick oven pizza place around here using them because they're consistent and predictable.

 

[BioPellet]

Hi Everyone, I am a new member. Recently bought an old house with a wood burning cook stove inserted into a "Russian" Fireplace, clean flue, but no liner. My chimney guy says the stove is in good shape and go ahead and use it without the lining as long as I use very hard wood. Does this sound right? (Must have been the case for the first 100 years in operation).

Can I use some type of dense engineered product like biobrick to cook with? Would that be wiser to avoid a chimney fire?

The other side of the fireplace has a dutch oven. Can I use biobricks to cook in that? Would hard wood be OK to use there? Thanks!

I cook with them regularly - they are just wood - let them burn down to coals before putting the grill and the veggieburgers on...