The three Finest Fireplace Pits of 2025, Examined & Reviewed

Certainly one of my first opinions for Severe Eats was for the Solo Range Bonfire. Earlier than that, constructing a hearth scared me, however I dug down deep, placed on a courageous face, and constructed a hearth 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’ll be able to say “burn, child, burn.”

So, I just lately jumped on the likelihood to check a full lineup of fireside pits. There are two widespread kinds: barrel-shaped, smokeless fireplace 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 seek out one of the best pits for enjoyable with pals or cooking up scorching canines.

The Winners, at a Look

Smokeless fireplace pits burn clear and scorching for a very long time, and the Solo Range is likely one of the greatest. It’s extremely straightforward to arrange and ignites rapidly. Should you’re nervous about beginning a hearth like I as soon as was, this hearth pit provides you with the arrogance to do it many times. Paired with the grill hub, it’s straightforward to cook dinner on, too. The hefty forged iron grill grate obtained depraved scorching and produced deep char marks on scorching canines and brief ribs.

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

If a hoop of rocks is inadequate to your campfire setup, take into account this transportable fireplace 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 preserve it elevated from the bottom, so you’ll be able to set it up wherever. The compact measurement concentrated the warmth, cooking meals quick and leading to a deep sear.

The Checks

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

What We Realized

The Finest Fireplace Pits Had been Straightforward to Set Up

A hearth pit isn’t a fuel grill, so it must be straightforward to place collectively. However the conventional, bowl-shaped fireplace 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 proper order, or else it wouldn’t connect to the legs. 

However, smokeless fireplace pits, just like the Breeo ones and the Solo Range Bonfire, had been blissfully straightforward to arrange: I might roughly unbox them and light-weight a hearth. 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 fireplace pits let me spend much less time assembling and extra time having fun with the heat of the fireplace. 

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

Straightforward lighting was one other win for smokeless fireplace pits. Each the Breeo pits and Solo Range took round eight minutes to get a constant fireplace going. Shallow, conventional fireplace pits had been extra finicky. And if it’s breezy, neglect it. The wind picked up after I tried to begin a hearth within the Bali fireplace 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 hearth going, it’s robust to get the spark to catch when the child flame retains getting extinguished by a gust of wind. The smokeless fireplace pits had been completely completely different: They had been barrel-shaped, insulated, and had vents on the backside, permitting air to convect up via the partitions to gasoline the fireplace whereas nonetheless defending the budding flame. 

How Do Smokeless Fireplace Pits Work?

Whereas conventional fireplace pits are shallow metallic tubs, smokeless fireplace pits are extra complicated. They’re double-walled with vents on the backside and high that direct airflow and assist construct warmth. Solo Range explains that the first burn is when the logs catch fireplace, and a secondary burn happens throughout the double partitions when the smoke particulates burn off. Per the Solo Range web site: “As your flames enhance in temperature, so do your fireplace pit’s partitions. In flip, the temperature of the air pulled from the decrease vent holes additionally will increase, and as we all know, scorching air rises. As quickly because the air is superheated, it strikes to the highest and rapidly shoots out of the fireplace 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 obtained and stayed scorching, in contrast to the broader fireplace pits, which struggled to construct a roaring fireplace.

Gear You Must Use a Fireplace Pit

First, you’ll need a secure spot to mild it up. Ideally, a stone patio or just a few blocks of concrete. Positive, you’ll be able to simply place a pit on the grass, however each Breeo and Solo Range warn that it’s going to possible injury your garden. Decks are dangerous (fireplace and wooden combine a bit too nicely), so I’d keep away from them. 

To get the fireplace going, seize just a few items of fireside starter, kiln-dried firewood, and an igniter—it is a nice excuse to interrupt out your kitchen torch! You might get the fireplace going with a lighter, however torches are sooner and simpler. I wish 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 fireplace tongs to maneuver issues round and break up embers, too. I’d additionally preserve 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 fireplace pit as soon as it’s fully cooled. 

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

When it got here to getting a scorching mattress of embers for cooking, the smokeless fireplace pits gained out. I examined the Solo Range and the Barebones Cowboy fireplace pit facet by facet, and the Solo Range blew the Barebones away when it comes to pace, warmth, and effectivity. It took about an hour to get the Solo Range to ignite, type a scorching mattress of coals, and cook dinner some scorching canines. The Barebones, in the meantime, took almost an hour and a half simply to burn right down to a scorching mattress of coals. Then, I needed to look ahead to the grill grate to heat up earlier than I might sear the new canines, which cooked very slowly as a result of the coals weren’t that scorching. I might’ve been hungry and barely aggravated if this had been my dinner plan. 

The Standards: What to Search for in a Fireplace Pit

The perfect fireplace pits had been straightforward to assemble. I didn’t wish to spend my time tightening screws—I needed to get a hearth going. They need to even be nicely ventilated and in a position to get a gradual fireplace burning rapidly. In my exams, smokeless fireplace pits carried out one of the best. They’re straightforward to arrange, ignite quickly, and construct a gradual, intense warmth. Whereas they aren’t fully smokeless—there shall be just a few wisps right here and there—you’ll spend much less time inhaling smoke than you’ll with a basin-shaped fireplace pit.

Our Favourite Fireplace Pits

What we favored: The Solo Range is extremely straightforward to arrange and use. It took me lower than two minutes to assemble it, if you happen to can name inserting an ash pan and base plate within it “meeting.” Constructing a hearth 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 scorching burn with minimal smoke. The fireplace will final hours, and it’s tremendous straightforward to have a tendency: Simply transfer some logs round, add just a few when the flames get low, and your fireplace will final the night time. It’s additionally sturdy: I’ve had a Solo Range Bonfire for just a few years, and it’s nonetheless in nice form, even after rain publicity. 

Should you’re into live-fire cooking, the grill hub makes it straightforward: Simply set it on high of the range, let it preheat for 10 to fifteen minutes, and it’s able to go. Sizzling canines cooked up plump and taut with deep char marks. The galbi brief ribs cooked on the Solo Range had been additionally by far one of the best I made, due to the forged iron grill grate, which seared char marks on the meat. 

What we didn’t like: Though I believe the value of the fireplace 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)
• Inside opening diameter: 17.5 inches
• Outer diameter: 19.5 inches
• Supplies: Chrome steel
• Guarantee: Lifetime

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

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

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

Key Specs

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

What we favored: Offered as a transportable fireplace pit, this 31-pound, compact providing was straightforward to pack up and transfer, due to a deal with on the facet. It has legs that slide out, so you’ll be able to set it up wherever, and the bundle consists of a carrying case. Like its larger sibling, the Breeo Y-Sequence ignited rapidly and burned scorching—two necessities of a superb fireplace pit. Although petite, it nonetheless threw off sufficient warmth to maintain me heat on a cool spring night. 

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

What we didn’t like: This smaller fireplace 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 transportable, it’s heavier than the Solo Range.

Key Specs

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

The Competitors

• Pit Boss Cowboy Fireplace Pit: This hearth 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 massive. 
• Barebones Cowboy Fireplace Pit 23-Inch: This hearth pit was straightforward to assemble, so it had that going for it. Like the opposite bowl-shaped fireplace pits, it took a very long time to get a hearth going, and it burned slowly. It was troublesome to regulate the grill grate mid-cook; the deal with needed to be unscrewed to slip the grill grate down, which led to some scorching canines making a break for the flames. It additionally took about an hour and a half to lastly burn right into a handful of scorching embers for cooking—far too lengthy.  
• BALI OUTDOORS Fireplace Pit: Like the opposite bowl-style fireplace pits, this was one sluggish to ignite and burn. It took 45 minutes to assemble, solely to present middling outcomes. 

FAQs

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

You possibly can cook dinner a great deal of meals on a hearth pit when you have the proper instruments, together with a grill grate and a few sturdy forged iron or carbon metal pans. I’d advocate beginning with one thing easy, like scorching canines, to get a really feel for the method. When you’ve gotten the cling of it, discover cooking kebabs, galbi ribs, and even nachos or brownies. 

How do you clear a hearth pit?

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

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

Whilst you can depart a hearth pit exterior, uncovered and uncovered to the weather, it might 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 preserve particles from accumulating inside. Simply be certain that it’s fully 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 opinions for the positioning was of the Solo Range Bonfire. 
• For this evaluate, Grace examined six fireplace pits by assembling, lighting a hearth, and cooking on them.