Firebox In the DUIC. (the Utrecht internet newspaper)

By: Charlie van Dijk

Everything has already been said with the name 'Firebox'. The steel outdoor kitchens are Utrecht's answer to a South American tradition of grilling and being together. Jos Cremer, the brain behind the Firebox, also knows his stuff. He explains how he designed the Firebox and what his plans are for it.

Roast large pieces of meat on a long skewer or on a grid of one by two meters. The fire: as hot as possible. And then eat with a large group of people around the fire. The Firebox is inspired by churrasco , a Brazilian barbecue. Churrasco stands for 'grilled meat' in a very general sense, but just like the term 'barbecue', it has a high conviviality factor.

That's where Jos came up with the idea to promote Dutch churrasco. “It's actually a bit of Brazil in the polder. It's really about the experience at the Vuurbak. You are together, you eat together. You all stand together around the fire. In that respect, the food culture in the Netherlands was very poor until recently.”

100 kilos

Jos has the first model of the Firebox prominently displayed in his Utrecht backyard, with a grill construction and a worktop mounted on it. “All this together weighs around 100 kilos, so I'm not just going to push it aside,” he laughs.

The grill stands on high legs, but still looks a lot more robust than an average tripod barbecue. That's because it is made entirely of steel, says Cremer. “That has to be the case.” He gives a big punch to the side of the box, but it doesn't budge.

“Imagine a party with children running around and then something falls over. You don't want that.” The container itself looks a lot like a trough. “That fits better into the Dutch landscape,” Jos explains with a laugh.

Further development

The Firebox comes standard with a plancha , which is a metal grill plate, and a height-adjustable grid. But the grill is getting more and more modular options. Jos is also still developing the design further.

For example, barbecue collective Vuurbaas makes full use of the Firebox, and provides ample feedback in return. Based on the feedback from these and other professionals and amateurs, Cremer is working on the second model of the Firebox.

“Model two of the Firebox will be higher, deeper and wider. I continue to improve and develop the design. I want to produce a series of no more than twenty Fireboxes per model. For the subsequent model, I want to look again at how I can adjust, etc..”

Bring your own

Cremer produces the Firebox and runs the webshop of the same name with items for the (outdoor) kitchen. He also has a big dream of setting up a foundation that aims to bring people together.

“I would like to organize bring your own events, where guests all bring something and prepare the food together. Cooking together and 'playing' together can help to learn to respect each other more. I'm convinced of that."