What's best to burn in my new(ish) chiminea?

[Andy_R]

I'd not thought about laminate flooring even though I have odd bits in the shed. As it's more plastic than wood, I reckon it would smoke nastily!



Yep, first few fires were gentle ones.. I've taken my old rucksack to the nearby woods and gathered a fair bit of dead wood so far and will arrange pick up some hardwood from a local carpenter/builder when I see him.
And as for railway sleepers, I imagine the creosote in them would cause yet more EU legislation to be passed...

Haha, it's not the creosote, its the diesel and engine oil, and if they're really old sleepers, coal dust. Put them in a chimenea and watch the flames leap 12 feet from the top of it. OK in a cast iron chimenea (ours) not ok in a terracotta one (yours)

 

[Brains]

Start with straw in a new chimnea, or one being used for the first time in the season.
If you cant get straw, then newspaper is good, but makes a lot of ash
As others have said, ensure you have a deep bed of sand in the bottom before you start, otherwise your chimnea wont make the end of the season
(We were given ours as a wedding present 15 years ago, still used every summer)

 

[slowmotion]

Guinea pigs.

For a truly First World morsel, you need to cook them burning Ocote. Here's a blurb.....

We now have 1kg bags of Ocote Natural firelighters in stock. Ocote is wood from the Montezuma pine, a fast-growing pine native to Mexico and Central America. Ocote is a pale colour and burns extremely well due to the unusually flammable resin distinct to this type of conifer. Due to high demand, the Montezuma pine is grown commercially in many places, but these sticks are bought fairly from poor communities in the Guatemalan highlands.

Phew! You can snack on those little critters without a twinge of guilt.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I would not suggest pine wood for your grilling of small mammals. Our scoutmaster said it was bad to cook over. (45 years ago)

 

[PeteXXX]

Am I permitted. to toast marshmammals on the end of a pointy stick or would I have to become American first?

 

[Gravity Aided]

We probably learned that from the British, so I see no need for converting. Unless you like baseball or loud people on the Tv.