Top 10 Best Chimineas – Outdoor heating in the winter, BBQ grill for summer

A patio heater and a BBQ grill rolled in one, Chimineas are great for the patio or garden and given that it doubles as a grill, you can use in both in the winter and summer months or all year round. We examine some of the best Chimineas with BBQ grill.

These outdoor wood burners are just what we need when the summer is coming to and end and days are getting shorter but it does not stop there. Our selection of best chimineas come with grill that lets you cook food. Given the versatility, you can decide to cook anything on the grill, anytime you want, in any season.

Patio heating in the winter, BBQ grill in the summer and everything else in between.

How to go about choosing the right Chiminea for you, here are some food for thought.

Key Considerations When Looking for a Chiminea with BBQ Grill

Design: From modern stainless steel to traditional steel or cast iron barrels or rustic clay chimineas there is many different designs to suit your outdoor living space.

Construction: Metal (cast iron or steel), clay or brick are some of the commonly used materials for chimineas. While metal and brick chimineas may need some assembly, clay chimineas usually come as one piece with a steel wire stand, although we have seen clay chiminea made from two halves, top and bottom. Cast iron chimineas are heavier while steel chimineas are lighter. Manufacturers tend to mix cast iron and steel, with cast iron for the bowl and steel for the chimney.

Storage: While chimineas can be used outdoor throughout the year, in any climate, if you would rather keep it away for a long period of time, when not in use, you will need to consider one that can be carted or taken apart easily for storage. Brick or clay models are out of the question although some smaller clay models may be movable if you have a trolley. Alternatively, if you have a big and tall Chiminea, almost the size of a brick oven, then you can consider building a gazebo around it, keeping the chimney section above the roof for ventilation and the rest of the Chimenea under cover from the elements and dirt.

Size: In order for it to double as a BBQ Grill, you will need a fairly big Chiminea with a large opening and space for a cooking grate. These Chimineas need to have a large body to hold big chunks of charcoal and large logs sufficient for cooking.

Profiles: Some clay models lets you access the cooking grate by removing the top half of the Chimineas. Others allow you to slot the cooking grate and remove when not required or come with a mechanism to mount and swing the cooking grate, moving it into place for cooking or swing out for easy cleaning. There is also a BBQ-hybrid chiminea with focus on accessibility and bigger cooking grill as well as side tables for preparing food.

Accessories: Tools and accessories are equally important when considering a Chiminea. Does it come with an optional frying pan, can I get replacement cooking grate, will it take a pizza stone to turn the Chiminea into pizza oven and is there a suitable rain cover for the unit. You might also want to think about heat resistant gloves, poker, chimney cleaner, fire raking tool, pizza spatula and cast iron frying pan with extra long handles.

Remember, chimineas are like a fireplace, so keep children away from it when in use. The surrounding and surfaces are hot when in use. We recommend a chiminea guard if there are children about.

It is also worth noting that metal chimeneas will rust. How much they rust is dependant on whether they are left outside in all weathers, how much they are used, how they are looked after. You can keep them in the shed or cover it up with rain covers when not in use. It can also be re-painted using the right type of paint.

Top 12 Best Chimineas with BBQ Grill

So what is the best chiminea for cooking as well as outdoor heating? To make choosing easier, we have marked the height and size fn each chiminea in our list below:

1. Red Ember Outdoor Fireplace with Smokestack – EXTRA LARGE
2. Tia Chimenea 137cm with BBQ Grill – EXTRA LARGE
3. Clay Pizza 85cm Chiminea with BBQ Grill – SMALL
4. La Hacienda Black Steel 89cm Chimenea With Pull Out Cooking Grill  – MEDIUM 
5. La Hacienda Bronze Cast Iron/Steel Mix 105cm Chiminea with Swing Out Grill BBQ – LARGE
6. Toledo Cast Iron 129cm Extra Large Black Chimenea with Swivel BBQ Grill – EXTRA LARGE
7. Oxford Large Bronze Cast Iron/Steel Mix 120cm Chimenea with Swing Out Grill BBQ – EXTRA LARGE
8. La Hacienda Extra Large Steel 134cm Chiminea ‘Rancho’ Patio Heater with BBQ Grill – EXTRA LARGE
9. Oxford Leisure Black Cast Iron/Steel Mix 85cm Chiminea High with Swing Out Grill – MEDIUM [La Hacienda]
10. La Hacienda 136cm XL Murcia Steel Chiminea with Grill  – EXTRA LARGE
11. Mafrelia Extra Large Cast Iron 128cm Chiminea with Swivel BBQ Grill – EXTRA LARGE
12. La Hacienda Bronze Sierra Cast Iron 95cm Chiminea + BBQ Grill – LARGE

Let’s take a closer look at each of these chimeneas. Please note that size of images do not represent the different size of Chimeneas. For actual size, see dimensions.

1. Red Ember Outdoor Fireplace with Smokestack – EXTRA LARGE

A rare find, this outdoor fireplace with smokestack and grill not only looks the part, but performs well too. Granted it is not your typical Chiminea but more like a rectangular outdoor fireplace with plenty of room for big logs on the firebowl.

The big wire mesh door opens wide for ease of access to both the firebowl and the cooking grate. Use the cooking grate for the occasional BBQ. The tall smokestack direct all smoke up and safely away from users. Finally, the whole fireplace is raised from the ground with four cast iron legs keeping the heat off the ground.

• Overall Dimensions: 20L x 25W x 48H inches
• Firebowl Dimensions: 23.5L x 17W x 8.5D inch
• Firebowl with rack for logs
• Removable food-safe cooking grate

 

2. Tia Chimenea 137cm with BBQ Grill – EXTRA LARGE

The Tia Chimenea looks like it came out of a western movie, but don’t be put off by the odd look, it is a grill first and a wood burner or heater second. Unlike all the other Chiminea in our list, you have the option of cooking on the stop top, with the heat directed on the reversible griddle pan. The chim-stove as it is called warms up quickly and lets you cook over the cast iron griddle like you would on any pan.

If you would rather cook your food in direct wood or coal fire then there is a swivel BBQ grill like ones found in other chimeneas listed below. Using the provided tong, you can swing the grill out to drop or pick up your food before pushing it back it to continue cooking.

The cast iron legs are bolted to the chimenea, other features include a hinged mesh door with latch, an opening air vent, a charcoal grill and a lid for the top of the funnel. The Tia measures 137cm high while the Chim Stove attachment is 64 x 42 cm and 17cm high.

 

3. Clay Pizza 85cm Chiminea with BBQ Grill – SMALL

This clay chimenea is handmade using traditional methods. It comes with a metal stand and rain lid and features a sun design. The chimenea also features BBQ grill and Pizza stone for up to 10-inch pizza for grilling food or baking pizza. The grill and stone can be removed to use the chimenea as a patio heater. The unit is 85cm high including stand and measures 38cm in diameter. The clay chimenea comes with curing instructions.

 

4. La Hacienda Black Steel 89cm Chimenea With Pull Out Cooking Grill – MEDIUM

The La Hacienda measures 89cm high and 40cm wide. It is made solely from steel painted black with heat resistant paint. It has a strong and durable construction with a pull out grill to cook food. A perfect and attractive design that looks good on a small patio.

Also: La Hacienda Murcia Medium Steel 89cm Chiminea with BBQ Grill – MEDIUM

 

5. La Hacienda Bronze Cast Iron/Steel Mix 105cm Chiminea with Swing Out Grill BBQ – LARGE

Here is a more ornate and larger chimenea from La Hacienda. The bronze finished cast iron and steel chimenea measures 105 cm high and 42cm wide. The body is made from cast iron while the flue or chimney is steel. It houses an iron swing out grill which can be removed when not cooking food.

 

6. Toledo Cast Iron 129cm Extra Large Black Chimenea with Swivel BBQ Grill – EXTRA LARGE

The Toledo is a large chimenea measuring 129 cm high and 45 cm wide. Made from 100% cast iron (both bowl and funnel), it features a swivel cast iron BBQ grill, decorative legs, hinged mesh door and latch, opening air vent, charcoal grill and lid.

 

7. Oxford Large Bronze Cast Iron/Steel Mix 120cm Chimenea with Swing Out Grill BBQ – EXTRA LARGE

This 120cm tall cast iron and steel mixed chiminea measures 45cm wide. The body is made from cast iron while the flue or chimney is made from steel. Finished in bronze using heat resistant paint, the chiminea features a cast iron swing out grill for cooking that can easily be removed when used as a patio heater.

 

8. La Hacienda Extra Large Steel 134cm Chiminea ‘Rancho’ Patio Heater with BBQ Grill – EXTRA LARGE

The La Hacienda Rancho is made from steel in black heat resistant paint finish. It is a big chiminea towering at 134cm high and measuring 48cm wide. It adopts a more modern look with smooth lines and almost minimalistic funnel design. Given that it is made completely of steel, it is also lighter at only 11kg but sturdy. It comes with a BBQ grill for cooking.

 

9. Oxford Leisure Black Cast Iron/Steel Mix 85cm Chiminea with Swing Out Grill – MEDIUM [La Hacienda]

A medium chiminea, the Oxford Leisure chiminea is made from cast iron and steel finished in black. It has a swing out cast iron grill for cooking. The cooking grill is removal to use the chiminea as a wood burner or heater. This Oxford Leisure unit measures 85cm high and 40cm wide.

 

10. La Hacienda 136cm XL Murcia Steel Chiminea with Grill – EXTRA LARGE

At 136cm tall, this extra large steel wood burner chiminea patio heater with removable BBQ grill is finished in black heat resistant paint. The width of the unit is 48cm and the BBQ grill slides out for easy access.

 

11. Mafrelia Extra Large Cast Iron 128cm Chiminea with Swivel BBQ Grill – EXTRA LARGE

With an ornate floral design on the flue or chimney, this cast iron chiminea stands out from the rest. It measures 129cm high and 45 cm in diameter. Features include hinged mesh door, swivel cast iron grill with balcony, rain lid, heat resistant paint finish and steel tong to add fuel or move BBQ grill.

 

12. La Hacienda Bronze Sierra Cast Iron 95cm Chiminea + BBQ Grill – LARGE

The Sierra Bronze Cast Iron Medium/Large Chimenea is a fully cast iron Chimenea suitable for all types of fuel and capable of handling large fires. The Sierra measures 95cm tall and 40cm wide. It comes with a with slide out BBQ grill and a steel mesh door.

 

Other Clay Chimineas

Here are some clay Chimineas for those looking for a more rustic, spanish or mexican styled chimineas with grill.