Does anyone have a cooking area built into their interior chimneys?

[mass_burner]

Jusy curious to see if and how folks use thier cooking areas of their chimneys. Attached are pics of mine. The previous owner welded what looks to be a old time car jack to another grate that could be raised and lowered over the fire. I have roasted a chicken and cooked a roast, but that's about it. Its too much trouble for grilling anything. My wife suggested converting it to a pizza oven.

This "oven" is facing the kitchen island, which makes prep/serving easy.

 

[mass_burner]

I take it no one has this type of setup. I'm gonna try to cook in it a few times more. Maybe I just need to get the hand of it.

 

[mellow]

Most in this Microwave generation do not want to deal with waiting on something to warm up before cooking on it. Looks like a fun grill to do some hickory burgers on.

 

[mass_burner]

unless you're doing alot of burgers, its too much trouble to get the coals going. the doors close and have adjustable air inlets. i've made a 4-5 lb beef roast with potatoes before. my wife was thinking of converting into a pizza oven.

 

[jeff_t]

Your wife might have a good idea.

I'd use something like that all the time if I had it. I'm home a lot, and do most of the cooking.

 

[eclecticcottage]

My grandparents and aunt and uncle both had something sort of like that (my aunt and uncle built the same house as my grandparents only 2' longer and 2' wider with fieldstone for the central fireplace/heat sink instead of marble).

I'd have to see if I could find pics. It's a little hard to explain, but...

In the center of the right side of the house was a HUGE masonry fireplace structure. It was about 12' long in the living room (whole wall) and there was a fireplace in that part. The other 12' side of it was the kitchen, and it was probably 6-8' wide between the two (in both houses, it went down into the basement where there was a second fireplace below the one in the living room, never saw either use it but my mom said that they used the one at my grandparents house for a while when they lived in the basement as the house was being built). In the kitchen, there was storage built into the bottom as well as a regular wall oven. Then on one end there was an indoor "grill" area that vented up into a chase in the chimney. Never in my lifetime did I *ever* witness either my grandparents or my aunt and uncle use that grill. I think it was either wood or charcoal, and apparently the design didn't get a good enough draft to naturally exhaust the smoke up the chase. The idea was cool as heck though.

I would use yours for baking. Breads and all sorts of good stuff.

 

[mass_burner]

My grandparents and aunt and uncle both had something sort of like that (my aunt and uncle built the same house as my grandparents only 2' longer and 2' wider with fieldstone for the central fireplace/heat sink instead of marble).

I'd have to see if I could find pics. It's a little hard to explain, but...

In the center of the right side of the house was a HUGE masonry fireplace structure. It was about 12' long in the living room (whole wall) and there was a fireplace in that part. The other 12' side of it was the kitchen, and it was probably 6-8' wide between the two (in both houses, it went down into the basement where there was a second fireplace below the one in the living room, never saw either use it but my mom said that they used the one at my grandparents house for a while when they lived in the basement as the house was being built). In the kitchen, there was storage built into the bottom as well as a regular wall oven. Then on one end there was an indoor "grill" area that vented up into a chase in the chimney. Never in my lifetime did I *ever* witness either my grandparents or my aunt and uncle use that grill. I think it was either wood or charcoal, and apparently the design didn't get a good enough draft to naturally exhaust the smoke up the chase. The idea was cool as heck though.

I would use yours for baking. Breads and all sorts of good stuff.

your description is close to what we have now. our masonry fireplace structure is 13' x 4' (including the hearth bench on one side). its in the center on the common area. on the LR side its virginia or tennesse field marble and whitewashed brick on the kitchen side. floor to ceiling, extends into basement where there's an open fireplace. we have inserts on both sides.

 

[eclecticcottage]

It's funny because when you posted something about the open fireplace in the basement I had to check your location, since the description sounded oddly familiar. However, both of my family's houses are in NY (my grandparents home was sold several years ago after my grandpa passed away so it is possible that eventually the new owners might just pop up here).

 

[mass_burner]

yea, that would be wierd. did they ever finish the basement?

 

[eclecticcottage]

Neither my grandparents nor my aunt and uncle did. My grandfather used the part where the fireplace was as his woodworking area (he was a carpenter and mason by trade, and after he retired he built miniature replicas of antique furniture). My aunt and uncle sort of used theirs as a workout room/storage area. I met the people that bought my grandparents house briefly right before it closed and they intended to finish it. The walls were all brick so they were keeping those but making it a rec room area. They were expecting to use the fireplace down there as well, I have no idea if it had a shared flue or not. The one upstairs had some sort of door unit on it with these round holes in the bottom below the doors that acted as an air control.

 

[mass_burner]

The one upstairs had some sort of door unit on it with these round holes in the bottom below the doors that acted as an air control.

same here, the metal doors have sliding metal pieces that cover some or all the openings. it even has thin fire brick panels on the inside of the doors.

 

[JayD]

Add some thick soapstone were the grate is, That wood make a great pizza oven.

 

[weatherguy]

MB, you have a see through fireplace with inserts in each end? I have an open FP upstairs that I'm thinking of standing a stove in the middle, only problem is it's only 25 1/2" high.

 

[Flamestead]

From a different era...



Bread oven on top, ash storage below. Looks like at one time there was a cast iron door/frame around the openings. (the vertical beam on the right was added by a previous owner as decoration) This chimney has the same setup down in the basement for a summer kitchen. Plus, upstairs there is a door into a 'room' (large enough for a couple of people to fit into) within the chimney where they used to smoke meat.

 

[Firedancer]

I love that! A pizza oven is the way to go.

 

[mass_burner]

MB, you have a see through fireplace with inserts in each end? I have an open FP upstairs that I'm thinking of standing a stove in the middle, only problem is it's only 25 1/2" high.

I have inserts on both sides, not see through. On the kitchen side there is an insert and the cooking oven. Another insert on the LR side. The chimney has 5 separate flu's .

 

[webby3650]

I lined my firebox with soapstone, I have a lot left over. I want to do some kind of an oven in here someday, or at least add a crane for a big stew pot.

 

[mass_burner]

From a different era...

View attachment 117878

Bread oven on top, ash storage below. Looks like at one time there was a cast iron door/frame around the openings. (the vertical beam on the right was added by a previous owner as decoration) This chimney has the same setup down in the basement for a summer kitchen. Plus, upstairs there is a door into a 'room' (large enough for a couple of people to fit into) within the chimney where they used to smoke meat.

is this stove in the pic operational?

 

[Flamestead]

is this stove in the pic operational?

A bit delayed on the response, but yes, a Progress Hybrid, our primary heat.

 

[mass_burner]

Add some thick soapstone were the grate is, That wood make a great pizza oven.

i have some soap stone left over from our kitchen island/sink install, can you make a fire directly on SS?