What Is a Chiminea and How Is It Used?

Chimineas are charming, hand-decorated terra-cotta outdoor fireplaces. While chimineas can be used as garden art on patios for an authentic rustic or Southwestern look, they can also function as fire features in outdoor rooms. Chimineas have a long tradition both as a decorative and functional outdoor fireplace, and they're a beautiful, rustic alternative to fire pits. Chimineas are perfect in yards where you're short on space, and here's what you need to know before you choose one.

What Is a Chiminea?

Chiminea or chimenea is the Spanish word for chimney and is pronounced che-meh-NEH-yah, and the spellings are interchangeable. It is thought to have originated in Mexico centuries ago as a cooking and heating vessel. In its form today, it is a fire vessel that is loaded in the front and the smoke escapes through the top.

A chiminea is the same concept as an old-fashioned potbelly stove, a cast-iron wood-burning stove. In Eastern European countries, a similar type of stove called a kotao, is fed with wood and used for cooking many popular dishes. Large, round cooking pans are placed on the kotao.

Chiminea History

Traditionally, a chiminea is made of clay and designed as a wide-bottom vase. It has a narrow, vertical chimney to direct smoke and a wide mouth on its side for the firepit. The chiminea's design allows it to be used in the rain without the water extinguishing its flame.

Unlike a broader, more open firepit, a chiminea is contained. Aromatic woods like cedar, hickory, mesquite, or pinon wood are popular choices, which will blow smoke up and out. After igniting, chimineas can thoroughly burn in 15 minutes, giving off a great deal of heat. The fire can be controlled like any wood-burning outdoor firepit or fireplace.

Chiminea Styles and Materials

Chimineas are usually made out of either clay or metal, and the metal is typically cast iron or steel. Each material has its own advantages and disadvantages. Clay and terracotta have a stunning, traditional look that has been time-tested for centuries. They do best with burning wood since the material can't handle high temperatures, and, typically, clay or terracotta chimineas are available in smaller sizes.

Cast iron can handle high temperatures, which is useful if you want to burn coal in your chiminea. These are often larger so they're useful for cooking. However, don't try to move around a cast iron chiminea—they are often so heavy it would take multiple people to move them.

Steel can also handle the high heat that cast iron can, but it doesn't have the excessively heavy weight.

Most chimineas will use wood or charcoal as fuel, with wood burning at lower temperatures and charcoal at higher temperatures. While it's not as common, there are gas chimineas and conversion kits available to turn a chiminea into a gas fire pit.

What to Look for Before You Buy

• Overall shape and design: Is it crooked or misshapen? Is the chimney too thick or thin? Whether you're using it solely as a fire pit or for cooking will impact the right shape. A thicker chiminea with a bigger oven is better for cooking.
• Materials: Not only do clay, terracotta, and metal chimineas have a different look, but they also have different ideal uses. Metal can withstand higher burning temperatures, which mean they can be made in larger sizes. This makes metal ideal for cooking. Meanwhile, clay and terracotta have an elegant look for landscaping.
• Size: Is there plenty of space in the fire pit to fit standard-size pieces of wood? If not, you'll have to chop or special order chips, chunks, or smaller pieces of wood.
• Location: Do you live in a zone that bans wood-burning fireplaces indoors and outdoors? Look for a model that runs on gas or liquid propane.

Where to Put a Chiminea

For safety reasons, place the chiminea where you can see it from anywhere inside your home but makes sure it's at least 10 to 20 feet away from the house. A chiminea should be located so that the predominant wind patterns carry smoke away from the house. Set the chiminea straight and vertically so the funnel-like chimney works properly. This positioning ensures sooting occurs inside the fire chamber.

Place your chiminea on fire-safe surfaces like concrete, brick, or stone patios. If you need to create a space on a wood deck or terrace, place fire-safe pavers across a small area to serve as a platform or patio hearth. Make sure there aren't eaves, a patio roof, or another type of overhead cover that could catch on fire. Additionally, never extinguish a chiminea with water unless absolutely necessary. The abrupt change in temperature can crack clay and terracotta or damage metal. Always extinguish it with sand when possible.

Ideally, the wood should burn down to ashes in your chiminea. If necessary, the flames can be doused with buckets of water, or low embers can be doused by using a shovel (not a garden trowel) and turning the sand/gravel mixture at the bottom of the pit.

Chiminea vs. Fire Pit

Chimineas are often seen as an alternative to fire pits. They have more decorative appeal and, in many cases, do a better job of funneling smoke away from those sitting around it. Here are a few of the differences.

Caring for Your Chiminea

Depending on the material, chimineas can be heavy and prone to cracking. Before using your new chiminea, apply an acrylic finish or sealer, and reapply every six to eight weeks during seasons of use. This will protect it from water and moisture.

Buy a chiminea cover to keep it from cracking. In inclement weather store the chiminea in a shed, basement, or garage, along with other patio furniture.

Put sand, lava rock, fire glass, or pea gravel at the bottom of the chiminea fire pit to help clean out ashes. The sand-ash mixture can be put into a bucket, hosed off, set out to dry, and returned to the pit. You can also rake out the ashes and turn over the sand or gravel for a clean chiminea.