A combustion cooker with an integrated and optionally removable thermoelectric generator and methods for making and using the same. The combustion cooker can include a fire basket that comprises a bottom region and a lateral region that is coupled with the bottom region and that defines a central combustion chamber. Being disposed about a periphery of the fire basket, the thermoelectric generator can include a cold side heat sink and a hot side heat sink. The cold side heat sink can be cooled via exterior air available outside the housing; whereas, the hot side heat sink can be in direct thermal communication with the periphery of the fire basket. Thereby, the thermoelectric generator advantageously can generate electrical power based upon a thermal differential between the cold side heat sink and the hot side heat sink.