A cylindrically symmetric metric with two degrees of freedom is considered in connection with Einstein's field equations corresponding to a perfect fluid distribution with heat flow. A class of cylindrically symmetric cosmological models with heat flux is derived. The models have non-zero expansion, shear and acceleration. The heat flux and non-geodetic nature of the stream lines are intimately related with the inhomogeneity. An explicit expression for the temperature distribution in the models is also obtained. A homogeneous stiff-fluid model is derived as a particular case. All the models of our class have a big bang singularity at t = 0 at which all physical and kinematical parameters diverge.