The three Finest Fireplace Pits of 2025, Examined & Reviewed

Certainly one of my first evaluations for Severe Eats was for the Solo Range Bonfire. Earlier than that, constructing a fireplace scared me, however I dug down deep, placed on a courageous face, and constructed a fireplace worthy of the Beacons of Gondor (fellow LOTR nerds will get it). A few years and lots of fires later, I can get one going sooner than you may say “burn, child, burn.”

So, I lately jumped on the probability to check a full lineup of fireside pits. There are two common kinds: barrel-shaped, smokeless hearth pits just like the Solo Range, and extra conventional, shallow, bowl-shaped ones. I examined each, turning my yard right into a (contained) inferno to search out the perfect pits for enjoyable with buddies or cooking up sizzling canine.

The Winners, at a Look

Smokeless hearth pits burn clear and sizzling for a very long time, and the Solo Range is without doubt one of the finest. It’s extremely simple to arrange and ignites rapidly. If you happen to’re nervous about beginning a fireplace like I as soon as was, this hearth pit will provide you with the boldness to do it repeatedly. Paired with the grill hub, it’s simple to cook dinner on, too. The hefty forged iron grill grate bought depraved sizzling and produced deep char marks on sizzling canine and brief ribs.

Establishing the Breeo was so simple as slotting within the grill grate. Constructing a fireplace was additionally simple and quick: Simply add some hearth starter and logs, and lightweight it up. The grill grate may be lowered or raised to fine-tune the temperature, which is good for meals that have to be rapidly seared, like Korean-style galbi ribs.

If a hoop of rocks is inadequate on your campfire setup, contemplate this moveable hearth pit from Breeo. It has a carrying bag, a built-in deal with, and is comparatively light-weight at 31 kilos. Plus, it has extendable legs that hold it elevated from the bottom, so you may set it up wherever. The compact dimension concentrated the warmth, cooking meals quick and leading to a deep sear.

The Checks

• Setup Take a look at: I timed how lengthy it took to assemble every hearth pit. I famous if the method was simple or exacting. 
• Fireplace Lighting Take a look at: I constructed a fireplace in every hearth pit, timing how lengthy it took to catch and burn steadily.
• Scorching Canine Take a look at: After getting the hearth constructed and letting it burn right into a mattress of sizzling embers, I cooked a few sizzling canine over every hearth pit. I famous how lengthy it took and if the new canine bought a very good sear.
• Meal Take a look at (Winners Solely): I used my favourite hearth pits to cook dinner a easy meal of galbi ribs, charred bok choy, and grilled pineapple. 
• Cleansing and Storage Checks: After letting the hearth pits cool, I swept out the ash and moved them into my storage, evaluating how simple it was to do each.

What We Discovered

The Finest Fireplace Pits Had been Straightforward to Set Up

A fireplace pit isn’t a gasoline grill, so it ought to be simple to place collectively. However the conventional, bowl-shaped hearth pits had me shut to ripping my hair out as I chased down {hardware} and looked for a screwdriver. It took me upward of an hour to assemble the Pit Boss—there was an annoying assist ring that needed to be put collectively in simply the best order, or else it wouldn’t connect to the legs. 

However, smokeless hearth pits, just like the Breeo ones and the Solo Range Bonfire, had been blissfully simple to arrange: I may kind of unbox them and lightweight a fireplace. It took a couple of minutes to fit within the grill grate on the Breeo fashions, however I didn’t want screws or a screwdriver to do it. These hearth pits let me spend much less time assembling and extra time having fun with the heat of the hearth. 

Stainless Metal, Smokeless Fireplace Pits Had been Straightforward to Gentle and Use

Straightforward lighting was one other win for smokeless hearth pits. Each the Breeo pits and Solo Range took round eight minutes to get a constant hearth going. Shallow, conventional hearth pits had been extra finicky. And if it’s breezy, overlook it. The wind picked up after I tried to begin a fireplace within the Bali hearth pit, and the wooden wouldn’t ignite. That is possible as a result of shallow, open bowl building—whilst you need airflow to get a fireplace going, it’s robust to get the spark to catch when the infant flame retains getting extinguished by a gust of wind. The smokeless hearth pits had been completely totally different: They had been barrel-shaped, insulated, and had vents on the backside, permitting air to convect up via the partitions to gasoline the hearth whereas nonetheless defending the budding flame. 

How Do Smokeless Fireplace Pits Work?

Whereas conventional hearth pits are shallow metallic tubs, smokeless hearth pits are extra complicated. They’re double-walled with vents on the backside and prime that direct airflow and assist construct warmth. Solo Range explains that the first burn is when the logs catch hearth, and a secondary burn happens inside the double partitions when the smoke particulates burn off. Per the Solo Range web site: “As your flames enhance in temperature, so do your hearth pit’s partitions. In flip, the temperature of the air pulled from the decrease vent holes additionally will increase, and as we all know, sizzling air rises. As quickly because the air is superheated, it strikes to the highest and rapidly shoots out of the hearth pit’s higher vent holes. That is the place the secondary burn happens: the ultra-hot air hits the flame’s smoke, and makes use of it as gasoline, burning it up and contributing to the warmth of your flame.” This building meant that the fires bought and stayed sizzling, in contrast to the broader hearth pits, which struggled to construct a roaring hearth.

Gear You Must Use a Fireplace Pit

First, you’ll desire a protected spot to mild it up. Ideally, a stone patio or a number of blocks of concrete. Positive, you may simply place a pit on the grass, however each Breeo and Solo Range warn that it’ll possible injury your garden. Decks are dangerous (hearth and wooden combine a bit too effectively), so I’d keep away from them. 

To get the hearth going, seize a number of items of fireside starter, kiln-dried firewood, and an igniter—it is a nice excuse to interrupt out your kitchen torch! You possibly can get the hearth going with a lighter, however torches are sooner and simpler. I prefer to construct a small pyramid with three items of starter, then layer the firewood like a hashtag or pile it in a pyramid. Then, mild it up. 

It’s a good suggestion to have a poker or some hearth tongs to maneuver issues round and break up embers, too. I’d additionally hold a stack of firewood close by in case it’s essential to bolster the warmth, in addition to a pair of heatproof grill gloves to maintain your fingers cool when including a log. Lastly, an ash scoop (or a shovel) is helpful for cleansing up the hearth pit as soon as it’s utterly cooled. 

If You Need to Prepare dinner on a Fireplace Pit, Get a Smokeless One

When it got here to getting a sizzling mattress of embers for cooking, the smokeless hearth pits received out. I examined the Solo Range and the Barebones Cowboy hearth pit aspect by aspect, and the Solo Range blew the Barebones away by way of velocity, warmth, and effectivity. It took about an hour to get the Solo Range to ignite, kind a sizzling mattress of coals, and cook dinner some sizzling canine. The Barebones, in the meantime, took practically an hour and a half simply to burn all the way down to a sizzling mattress of coals. Then, I needed to look forward to the grill grate to heat up earlier than I may sear the new canine, which cooked very slowly as a result of the coals weren’t that sizzling. I’d’ve been hungry and barely aggravated if this had been my dinner plan. 

The Standards: What to Search for in a Fireplace Pit

The most effective hearth pits had been simple to assemble. I didn’t need to spend my time tightening screws—I needed to get a fireplace going. They need to even be effectively ventilated and in a position to get a gentle hearth burning rapidly. In my assessments, smokeless hearth pits carried out the perfect. They’re simple to arrange, ignite quickly, and construct a gentle, intense warmth. Whereas they aren’t utterly smokeless—there might be a number of wisps right here and there—you’ll spend much less time inhaling smoke than you’ll with a basin-shaped hearth pit.

Our Favourite Fireplace Pits

What we preferred: The Solo Range is extremely simple to arrange and use. It took me lower than two minutes to assemble it, if you happen to can name putting an ash pan and base plate within it “meeting.” Constructing a fireplace was painless, and it took three minutes to catch and begin burning. 

The important thing to the Solo Range’s success lies in its double partitions and air flow, which create a sizzling burn with minimal smoke. The fireplace will final hours, and it’s tremendous simple to have a tendency: Simply transfer some logs round, add a number of when the flames get low, and your hearth will final the night time. It’s additionally sturdy: I’ve had a Solo Range Bonfire for a number of years, and it’s nonetheless in nice form, even after rain publicity. 

If you happen to’re into live-fire cooking, the grill hub makes it simple: Simply set it on prime of the range, let it preheat for 10 to fifteen minutes, and it’s able to go. Scorching canine cooked up plump and taut with deep char marks. The galbi brief ribs cooked on the Solo Range had been additionally by far the perfect I made, because of the forged iron grill grate, which seared char marks on the meat. 

What we didn’t like: Though I believe the worth of the hearth pit is cheap, if you wish to cook dinner on it, the grill hub is pricey.

Key Specs

• Weight: 23.3 kilos
• Sizes: 15 (Ranger), 19.5 (Bonfire), 27 (Yukon), and 30 inches (Canyon)
• Internal opening diameter: 17.5 inches
• Outer diameter: 19.5 inches
• Supplies: Chrome steel
• Guarantee: Lifetime

What we preferred: Just like the Solo Range, the Breeo is simple to arrange and has twin partitions that create loads of warmth sans loads of smoke. It took lower than 10 minutes to construct a crackling hearth that lasted hours with feeding. The legs on the underside made it really feel protected to arrange on grass, although I’d nonetheless suggest putting it on some bricks or different heatproof materials. The broad opening made it simple so as to add logs, too. 

The Breeo was additionally nice for cooking. The grill grate may be moved up and down, and its diamond sample is broad sufficient to let warmth via however slim sufficient to forestall meals from falling into the flames. 

What we didn’t like: It’s costly and a very good 24 kilos heavier than the Solo Range Bonfire. Seize a pair of grill gloves when adjusting the grate—the metallic deal with will get sizzling. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 47 kilos (19-inch hearth pit)
• Sizes: 19, 24, and 30 inches
• Internal opening diameter: 17 inches
• Outer diameter: 22 inches
• Supplies: Chrome steel
• Guarantee: 5 years

What we preferred: Bought as a transportable hearth pit, this 31-pound, compact providing was simple to pack up and transfer, because of a deal with on the aspect. It has legs that slide out, so you may set it up anyplace, and the bundle features a carrying case. Like its greater sibling, the Breeo Y-Sequence ignited rapidly and burned sizzling—two necessities of a very good hearth pit. Although petite, it nonetheless threw off sufficient warmth to maintain me heat on a cool spring night. 

And, like the opposite smokeless hearth pits, it was nice for cooking. A thick unfold of embers glowed after about 50 minutes, which was fairly quick. Scorching canine and galbi ribs bought glistening, darkish brown grill marks, and bok choy was properly charred. The grill grate is massive sufficient to grill sufficient meals for 2 to a few folks. 

What we didn’t like: This smaller hearth pit bundle is costlier than the usual Breeo bundle, which is puzzling. One of many legs on my mannequin arrived dented, and I needed to hit it with a hammer to get it to increase. Whereas it’s moveable, it’s heavier than the Solo Range.

Key Specs

• Weight: 31 kilos
• Sizes: 21 inches 
• Internal opening diameter: 15 inches
• Outer diameter: 21 inches
• Supplies: Chrome steel
• Guarantee: 5 years

The Competitors

• Pit Boss Cowboy Fireplace Pit: This fireplace pit took over an hour—and a bajillion screws—to assemble. The bowl-style pit wasn’t as fast to mild or warmth up because the smokeless choices and burned slowly, releasing a relentless trickle of smoke. It’s additionally foolish large. 
• Barebones Cowboy Fireplace Pit 23-Inch: This fireplace pit was simple to assemble, so it had that going for it. Like the opposite bowl-shaped hearth pits, it took a very long time to get a fireplace going, and it burned slowly. It was tough to regulate the grill grate mid-cook; the deal with needed to be unscrewed to slip the grill grate down, which led to a couple sizzling canine making a break for the flames. It additionally took about an hour and a half to lastly burn right into a handful of sizzling embers for cooking—far too lengthy.  
• BALI OUTDOORS Fireplace Pit: Like the opposite bowl-style hearth pits, this was one sluggish to ignite and burn. It took 45 minutes to assemble, solely to provide middling outcomes. 

FAQs

What are you able to cook dinner on a fireplace pit?

You’ll be able to cook dinner a great deal of meals on a fireplace pit when you’ve got the best instruments, together with a grill grate and a few sturdy forged iron or carbon metal pans. I’d suggest beginning with one thing easy, like sizzling canine, to get a really feel for the method. When you’ve gotten the hold of it, discover cooking kebabs, galbi ribs, and even nachos or brownies. 

How do you clear a fireplace pit?

As soon as the ashes are utterly cool, use an ash shovel to scoop them out right into a bucket. That’s it! 

What’s the easiest way to retailer a fireplace pit?

When you can depart a fireplace pit outdoors, uncovered and uncovered to the weather, it may rust, so placing a canopy or tarp on it when it’s not in use is a good suggestion. Not solely will it forestall rust, but it surely’ll additionally hold particles from gathering inside. Simply ensure that it’s utterly cooled earlier than you cowl it. 

Why We’re the Specialists 

• Grace Kelly is a senior editor at Severe Eats, the place she’s been reviewing kitchen gear for 3 years. 
• Certainly one of her first evaluations for the positioning was of the Solo Range Bonfire. 
• For this evaluation, Grace examined six hearth pits by assembling, lighting a fireplace, and cooking on them.