I ordered a new toy, and it arrived in the mail this weekend: the Tuscan fireplace grill from Spitjack. Every time I build a fire in the fireplace, I think "man I wish I could cook over this". I never found a way to do it that a) wasn't potentially destructive to the fireplace, and b) didn't look like a cheap piece of garbage (see reviews of Rome's hearth grill on Amazon).
I took the risk with the Spitjack. It arrived virtually completely assembled. I think the packaging could be improved: the box was only taped down the center, and was bulging outwards when leaned upright (a potential escape route for the baggie of hardware inside). Also, the wood-grip handles had clearly taken a beating, as they were just floating around inside the box.
According to the few photos of this out on the web, this used to be made of cast iron, but is now made of stainless. I was worried it might be flimsy, but this thing is solid. It has three rack levels, though I suspect the bottom level is too low to be useful in a fireplace. I also plan to only cook lean meats, otherwise grease may build up in the flue. Apologies for the sideways photos.
The grate sits tilted back, so the juices run down the bars and drip into the tray. We'll have to see how well that works in practice.
Three cast iron skillets, to simulate a dutch oven/etc. It didn't blink an eye with this load.
I'm going to break it in tonight. More thoughts & photos to follow.
I took the risk with the Spitjack. It arrived virtually completely assembled. I think the packaging could be improved: the box was only taped down the center, and was bulging outwards when leaned upright (a potential escape route for the baggie of hardware inside). Also, the wood-grip handles had clearly taken a beating, as they were just floating around inside the box.
According to the few photos of this out on the web, this used to be made of cast iron, but is now made of stainless. I was worried it might be flimsy, but this thing is solid. It has three rack levels, though I suspect the bottom level is too low to be useful in a fireplace. I also plan to only cook lean meats, otherwise grease may build up in the flue. Apologies for the sideways photos.
The grate sits tilted back, so the juices run down the bars and drip into the tray. We'll have to see how well that works in practice.
Three cast iron skillets, to simulate a dutch oven/etc. It didn't blink an eye with this load.
I'm going to break it in tonight. More thoughts & photos to follow.