Country living and outdoor fireplaces go hand in hand. And so, while it will probably be several years before we’ll be living at “the farm,” we decided at the outset that we should at least plan where our picnic area will be and work out a suitable fireplace for it.
It sounded easy. Syracuse is surrounded by city, county, and state parks, no two of which are fireplaces alike. Our file of clippings and pamphlets also bulged with all kinds of designs, plain and fancy.
But after checking both these sources of ideas, we found neither gave us just what we wanted. Our fireplace had to be usable.
It had to be practicable for a one-man lunch (I generally spend all day Saturday at the farm), but- it also had to be large enough to cook for “the gang” later on.
The foot-wide-two-feet-deep affair so often seen in magazines and the underslung models usually found in public parks were both out as far as we were concerned. They either burned your stomach or broke your back.
Then I remembered the several times I’d enjoyed an outdoor supper meeting of the Men’s Garden Club at Guy Cowan’s, and I recalled his fiery criticisms of most of the outdoor fireplaces he’d seen. So obviously, the sensible first step would be to drive out to Guy’s and ask for his advice.
Seeking Advice From R. Guy Cowan
Perhaps I’d better explain that R. Guy Cowan is a design consultant for the Onondaga Pottery Company and has spent many vacations hunting, fishing, and canoeing through the Canadian woods.
It was only natural, therefore, that, given his outdoor experiences, his fireplace would be practicable. Also, thanks to his artistic sense, it would be well-proportioned and properly suited to the grounds.
“The real authorities on cooking over an outdoor fire,” said Mr. Cowan, “are the men who live out of doors over long periods.
The Indian, the hunting guide, and the camp cook have all developed efficient and practical methods for constructing fireplaces and using wood as fuel.
The Principles of a Workable Fireplace
But how often do you see a backyard fireplace that doesn’t violate just about all the best principles of outdoor cooking? And isn’t that especially curious when you realize how many men have had at least some training in outdoor living?
“The professional guide,” Mr. Cowan went on, “will lay a couple of 6- or 8-inch logs parallel, leaving a few inches of space between them, or make a double row of stones 6” or 8” inches high, and then with a handful of dry hardwood sticks he’ll cook a complete meal for a fair-sized party.
“So whether you want an elaborate architectural design or a simple place to cook a meal, the first principle for a workable, thrifty fireplace is to have two low walls of firebrick, parallel, not more than three bricks high, long enough to hold all the pots and pans you may need at one time, and just far enough apart to hold these utensils conveniently.
Sketching The Design
“Some of the construction here is hidden by stonework,” Mr. Cowan continued, “so let me sketch it out for you while I explain how I built my fireplace.”
Then, he began rapidly sketching the lower drawing in the group of three sketches at the bottom of this page. We’ll call this Figure 1. It’s not of blueprint exactness, but it’s clear enough.
You will notice in Figure 1 that this is the fundamental working part of the fireplace. It could be on the ground, on legs, or a part- of any architectural structure.
It has the advantage that you can use any part of it. The same cooking area, if square, would require as large a fire to cook one dish or four.
Chimneys, ledges, stonework, warming ovens, and wood storage space are all optional and not essential to the actual preparation of a meal.
“There, you see, my fireplace is 4 feet long,” Mr. Cowan resumed, “and it’s 12 inches wide from the inside of the front wall to the inside of the back wall, and the walls are three bricks high, which, with cement between the bricks, makes the height about 8” inches. I use 12″ by 16″ inches grills, so they just cover the top.
“A fire can be built in one end or in the middle to take care of one grill, or the whole length may be used to accommodate the coffee pot, a kettle of salt potatoes, and several large steaks, with room to spare. On a hot day, I’m not exposed to the heat of the fire; it takes only a quarter of the wood our park fireplaces require, and it’s possible to have an even cooking fire under the whole area.
“Look at the sketch again, and you’ll see that I’ve applied the principle I told you about—two Ioav walls to hold the pots and pans over a bed of hot coals. The rest of the structure is simply dressed to fit the terrace. Pour me another cup of coffee, and I’ll sketch the whole thing for you.”
Mr. Cowan then went about sketching Figures 2 and 3. Notice from Figure 2 that the fireplace is part of a system of dry stone Avails and terraces. It’s at one end of a flagstone terrace 40 feet long and 12 feet Avide; the hack porch and kitchen door are at the other end.
The fireplace opening is 4′ feet long and 25″ inches high. The fire bricks laid across the front of the opening are 8″ inches high. Across the back of the fireplace, at the same height as the top of the firebrick, is a 1 by 1-inch angle iron.
This supports the back edge of a grill, an iron plate, or pieces of strap iron. All these can be changed to suit the requirements of cooking. Hooks of various lengths on which to hang pots hang down through the chimney.
The overall length of the structure is 12′ feet, giving two good ledges at each end to hold pots of flowers and utensils. The bottom of the fireplace is 23″ inches above the terrace. The chimney is the full length of the fireplace. Figure 3 is a cross-section of the fireplace.
Building and Using The Fireplace
As Mr. Cowan was sketching, he also explained how to build and use the fireplace and the fire.
“Watch a guide build a fire,” he said, “or think back to the days when wood was the universal fuel, and you had to keep the wood box filled. The guide builds his fire right on the ground, and the old-fashioned wood-burning stoves were not equipped with grates either.
Unlike coal, wood should burn from the top and not with a draft drawn up through it. The gaseous part that makes the flame and smoke is quickly burned oil, leaving a good bed of charcoal and hot ashes. So be sure not to put a grate in your fireplace.
“Secondly, don’t build it too deeply. You saw how little wood it took to cook this supper. Well, that’s because my fireplace is only three bricks deep, just enough for a good bed of hot coals, near enough to the grill to heat what’s on it. You cook over hot coals, not over a blazing fire.
“Next,” he went on, “leave the front partly closed, depending on how many drafts you need. Look at this first sketch, and you’ll see how I’ve left four openings where I can put loose bricks to control the draft (see Figure 1).
You’re not trying to cook yourself, as you would be if the whole front were open, and if too much air comes in the front, the cooking will be uneven, too cool in front, and too hot in the back.
“And you saw how I built the fire. First, I covered the bottom of the fireplace with hardwood sticks 2″ or 3” inches in diameter. Then I put on some crumpled paper next to the kindling and several layers of hardwood.
It pays to take time to build up your kindling and firewood in log cabin fashion, using short, thin cross pieces and longer pieces lengthwise. When the fire has been burning briskly for some minutes, knock all the wood down into a compact fire.
This will give you a bed of glowing charcoal lasting for an hour or more. The larger pieces of wood that were put on the bottom will all turn to charcoal. Cooked those steaks all right, didn’t I?
“Well, here are the sketches,” he said, “and I hope you enjoy your fireplace as much as I do mine. But I’m pretty sure you will. Guess I don’t have to say that you’ll use firebrick to line it with and that you’ll have it high enough so that you won’t have to stoop down to do your cooking.”
44659 by Louis E. Tarr