Is there anything more outdoorsy than cooking over an open fire?
Well, maybe tearing the meat right off the freshly killed bones, then cooking it over an open fire….but we aren’t touching that topic today.
But a cooking method that’s right up there with smoking meat in terms of awesomeness is cooking over an open fire.
Plenty of people do this while camping, but they’re using cast iron pots or old frying pans, not letting the fire do the real work for them.
Today, we’re going to change that and help you pick one of the best fire pit grills to get your fire-roasted goodness going, ASAP.
These are a great choice if you’re already a fan of Hibachi style or Korean style grills, but want a (much) larger cooking area.
Get stoked, because we’re about to go all-in.
Table of Contents
Can you grill on a fire pit?
This is the first question everyone asks.
Here’s the easy answer: is there fire? Yes. Does fire cook things? Yes.
So the clear answer is YES, you can grill on a fire pit.
The specific setup is up to you, and that’s what we’re to help you build.
The two ways to cook on a fire pit are this:
- But a cooking-ready fire pit grill setup, or
- Buying a fire pit grill grate that fits over/with your existing fire pit.
We’ll help you pick the right choice for you, either style. Below you’ll find the top 4 choices for each style, reviewed.
4 Best Fire Pit Grills for 2021
- Finether Outdoor Square Fire Pit with BBQ Grill GrateProduct Name
- 4.5Rating
- Painted Steel, Mesh, + Stainless Steel Grilling GrateMaterials
- Mesh Screen Cover, Fire PokerAccessories Included
- 24 inches x 24 inchesGrate Dimensions
- $$Price
- Kingso 2-in-1 Outdoor Heavy Duty Fire Pit with Cooking GrateProduct Name
- 4.5Rating
- Heavy Duty Painted Steel, Mesh, + Ceramic Grilling GrateMaterials
- Mesh Screen Cover, Fire PokerAccessories Included
- 30 inchesGrate Dimensions
- $$Price
- Bali Outdoors Wood Burning Fire Pit with Cooking GrillProduct Name
- 4.6Rating
- Heavy Duty Painted Steel, MeshMaterials
- Log Rack, Fire PokerAccessories Included
- 18 inchesGrate Dimensions
- $$Price
1. Kingso 2-in-1 Outdoor Heavy Duty Fire Pit with Cooking Grate
- 2-IN-1 Outdoor Fire Pit - The Multi Functional Fire Pit 30 from KINGSO is an excellent choice for outdoor heating and grilling. Made for dual-purpose use, the unique design includes a cooking grate for convenient grilling and a mesh screen for safety. The diamond-shaped mesh holes provide better air circulation for a longer-lasting burning. Large capacity fire bowl can hold enough firewood
- Removable Cooking Grate - The cooking grate made of ceramic has the characteristics of harmless, stick-resistant, healthy, easy to clean, and anti-rust. It is a material specially used for barbecue. The barbecue grill swivels a full 360 degrees and the height can easily be adjusted for perfectly toasted or grilled treats over the fire. The grill can also be removed and placed directly on the fire pit outdoor. The edge of the grate prevent food from falling during cooking
- Safe & Reliable - This patio fire pit comes with a spark screen and a fire poker to protect you and loved ones from potentially dangerous flying embers. The seamless ring-shaped handle makes the movement of the firepit portable, while also preventing family members from being scalded. There is a detachable and easy-to-clean heat shield at the bottom of the fire bowl, the ash will not fall directly on the ground or the lawn; prevent the fall of sparks, avoid fire, and protect the environment
- Built to Last - The long lasting heavy duty gauge steel and mesh cauldron are treated with a high temp paint for long-lasting use. With weather resistant, large load-bearing capacity, long-lasting durability and rustproof features, this fire pit wood burning has low maintenance costs. The 4 legs are symmetrically distributed to maintain the best stability, so that the backyard fire pit is not easy to shake during use
- Easy Assembly - The outside firepit package comes with installation operating instruction and tools. No need to purchase additional installation tools. Thanks to the manageable number of individual parts, this wood burning fire pit is easy to assemble and can be set up in 15 minutes. TIPS: You can purchase a suitable protective cover to extend the life of the wood fire pit (not included). You can search for B08B3K14TL on Amazon to buy a specialized KINGSO 36 inch fire pit cover
Here is a round, standalone fire pit with a built-in grilling grate. Where this grill shines, despite being a slightly smaller size, is in the adjustable height on the grilling grate.
Also, the grate covers over the entire fire fairly symmetrically, which makes for a nice even grilling surface.
The cooking grate is ceramic, which makes for excellent heat transfer and consistency, as well as a readily cleaned surface. We like that this grate is removable, so you don’t have to have some awkward side thing in the way when you’re just roasting marshmallows over the fire with the kids!
Check Price on Amazon2. Finether Outdoor Square Fire Pit with BBQ Grill Grate
- CAPABLE FOR BIGGER FIRES: the large capacity and excellent ventilation of our fire pit enables it to create larger fires for your outdoor activity; we also provide a log grate to enable airflow for more robust fires
- STURDY AND DURABLE: the fire bowl sits on the strong black steel base and legs that ensure its sturdiness; all parts are coated with high-temperature paint that resists to heat and rust for outdoor durability
- OPTIMIZED SAFETY: the mesh lid with lifting hoop will prevent sparks or embers from flying to keep you safe from potential risks; we also give you a 16.9” fire poker to let you adjust the log safely
- EASY TO ASSEMBLE AND MAINTAIN: with the instruction, our fire pit can be quickly assembled in 20 min; 3 drainage holes at the bottom prevent the rusting after you flush the fire bowl with water
- CENTERPIECE FOR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: the celestial-inspired star and moon cutouts add a romantic feeling to your campfire; place the grill grate on the fire bowl and you’re ready to roast marshmallows and make s’mores
Here is a square wood fire pit option, for those who like a different geometry in their backyard space.
Or maybe you’ve just got a really small backyard and having even a fire pit, a small gas grill, and charcoal grill won’t all fit, so here’s your next best option.
We love how seamlessly everything fits together in this fire pit, for a solid cooking experience similar to the typical rectangular grilling surface. You can store it all in one compact package, at just about 2 feet in every direction.
The celestial pattern on the sides adds a nice touch for some unique ambiance during your grilling session.
Check Price on Amazon3. Bali Outdoors Wood Burning Fire Pit with Cooking Grill
- 【Multi-Functional Design】This wood burning fire pit is exclusive to BALI OUTDOORS, please identify the brand logo when you buy. Grill swivels 360 degrees, make Swing it left or right possible. Grill adjusts up and down, fixed by screws
- 【Humanized Design】The Black round fire pit designed with outer ledge around the central fire area allowing for convenient access to drinks and roasting supplies
- 【Sturdy Base Construction】 Features a circular steel ring fixed on the four legs, making this fire pit more stable
- 【Unique Log Rack】 Collapsible triangle frame rack to hold logs for better ventilation, provides plenty space for a Raging fire. The poker and log rack are included
- 【Safe and Secuce】 This fire bbq grill with large enough cooking grill area, safe to cook on it
- 【Easy Assembly and Approximately Measure Dimension】32inch × 24inch
- 【Please Noted】Dont move the heating grill by hand, use a poker to move
This made in the USA fire pit grill combo is a nice choice for smaller spaces, which is pretty important for an intimate backyard fire pit area!
That said, you’re not likely to cook many multi-serving meals with this fire pit grill, since it’s not the biggest grate out there. The fire pit itself is only about 30 by 12 inches, so it’s fairly small.
But for the typical preference of having a nice backyard fire pit that you can sometimes cook over, without having your arm tire from holding a roasting fork, we love this design. The cooking grate that simply swivels out of the way, so there’s no setting it in the dirt and losing it in the dark! #win
Check Price on Amazon4. Pop-Up Portable Fire Pit
- The Pop-Up Fire Pit is the first truly Portable, Full-sized Fire Pit & Grill. The Pop-Up Fire Pit & Grill packs into two separate bags that are smaller than a tent. This combo package weighs just 16 lbs., but opens to an outstanding 24x 24 fire pit with a Tri-folding Grill on top. Large enough to keep the whole party warm and fed! With the added heat shield you can have fires on any surface without worrying about damaging the ground.
- CAMPFIRE & GRILL - Cook your favorite meals over charcoal and then remove the grill grates, throw on some logs and enjoy your food Fireside.
- DUAL BAG DESIGN - The Pop-Up Fire Pit and Grill Grates come in their own separate bags. This ensures that after use your greasy grill grates are stored separately from the rest of your gear.
- KITCHEN GRADE COOKING - 4mm Food-Grade Stainless Steel Bars make up the 370sq inches of cooking area of the grill. Open Design means cooking with pots and/or pans is easy! Weight capacity up to 85lbs.
- FIRESIDE GUARANTEE - While limited in its lifespan, the Fire Mesh comes with our unique 50 fire/1yr minimum guarantee. Heat and weight will stretch your Fire Mesh over time. Replacements can be purchased for $19.95 and will renew your warranty. Lifetime Guarantee On Frame and Ember Guards.
While this isn’t going to be the first choice for a backyard fixture, this just might be the ideal camping accessory!
This is as easy to set up as a quad chair but just as functional as all the other fire pits in this list!
Here’s what makes this fire pit super cool and super unique: a folding fire pit stand, a heat shield, and a tri-folding grilling grate.
Yes, you can have your fire and (almost) take it with you, too! This grate holds up to 75 pounds, so when you’re planning on tailgating with a big crowd this is (probably) going to do the job, no matter how many hours you’re out there!
The stainless steel grate can be counted on to provide 370 sq inches of easy-to-clean cooking space, so you can plan on getting your grill on for a long time with this setup!
Check Price on Amazon4 Best Fire Pit Grill Grates for 2021
- onlyfire BBQ Solid Stainless Steel Cooking Grate, 36-InchProduct Name
- 4.5Rating
- Stainless SteelMaterials
- 36 inchesGrate Dimensions
- $$Price
- Sunnydaze X-Marks Fire Pit Cooking GrateProduct Name
- 4.6Rating
- Heavy Duty Painted SteelMaterials
- Multiple OptionsGrate Dimensions
- $$Price
- Titan Great Outdoors Adjustable Swivel Grill Fire Pit Grate + Griddle PlateProduct Name
- 4.4Rating
- Powder-Coated Steel, Rolled SteelMaterials
- 60 inches tall, 18 inches square (griddle), 24 inches square (grill grate)Grate Dimensions
- $$Price
1. Sunnydaze X-Marks Fire Pit Cooking Grate
- Outdoor campfire: 30 inch diameter without handles; 33.7 inch with handles; weighs 10 pounds.
- Durable design: Grill features features durable 3mm thick steel construction with high-temperature heat resistant paint finish; Grill can hold up to 25 pounds of food when evenly dispersed over the grill
- Enhanced flavor: The best food is cooked over a natural fire. The black mesh pattern naturally creates x marks in your steak or meals. Grill grate is a must for any backyard barbecue or camping excursion.
- Camp grill over fire: Requires no assembly. Fits on or in the bowl of your firepit, giving you the freedom to cook multiple kinds of food.
- 1 year warranty: Sunnydaze Decor backs its products with a 1-year manufacturers warranty
This is a solid option for a fire pit grill insert if you tend to do a lot of smaller size grilling, like grilling vegetables or more delicate meat cuts like cutlets, tenderloins, or fish. In comparison to the wider, straight grate spacing like our second option, this will help prevent smaller size pieces from dropping down into the fire!
Another thing we like about this grate is the painted steel construction, which just provides a nice look to your custom made fire pit grill.
The fact that this comes in a variety of sizes makes this almost the perfect fit for every fire pit imaginable!
Having the handles off to the side make removal after cooking easy, if desired. If you size this grate properly and have a lower, slower cooking fire, you may still find them safe to touch when cooking is done!
Check Price on Amazon2. onlyfire BBQ Solid Stainless Steel Cooking Grate, 36-Inch
- Dimensions: 36 inchs diameter, large cooking space. durable stainless steel
- Perfect replacement part for charcoal or gas grill
- Used for picnic, camping, outdoor cooking, turn your fire pit into a grill
- Two steel handles makes it easy removal from fire
- Double-check the dimensions of your existing grates before ordering
This is a nice option for a large fire pit size, especially classic round built-in/block style fire pits, but do double-check that this will fit across your fire pit!
If you have a very shallow basin-style fire pit, this may not be your best option since you won’t be able to get a very hot fire going in the small space between pit bottom and grate. If you can’t get a solid, hot fire going, you’ll be waiting ages to finish cooking your meal!
With stainless steel construction, you’ll enjoy good durability and easy cleaning when the cooking is done.
The handles are attached to the grate for quick removal, but being metal, towards the cooking area, and over a fire note that they’ll obviously be pretty hot when cooking is done!
Check Price on Amazon3. Titan Great Outdoors Adjustable Swivel Grill Fire Pit Grate + Griddle Plate
- Very Durable: The grate and griddle have a solid steel construction, high temperature finish, and powder coating. The stake is made from thick, solid, cold rolled steel that will securely hold the grate and griddle.
- Easy to Use: Slide griddle or grate over pole and lower to grill over open fires or fire rings. Lift by handles to remove for easy cleaning.
- Well Designed: The 5 long spiral handles and heavy grill surface make it easy to change the height. The heavy gauge steel retains its heat for faster and better cooking.
- Safe: The spiral handles are designed to stay cool even when the grate or the griddle are directly over the fire.
- Guarantee: Titan supports all its grill products with a 1year manufacturers warranty, so contact our customer service department with any questions.
This adjustable fire pit grill grate might be one of our favorite options, due to the dual cooking surfaces, but it loses a few points for needing to be staked into the ground (not great for patio fire pits), and for having a much smaller cooking area than our first two options.
That said, if you’re simply looking for a grate that works over either an open fire or your camping charcoal grill, this is the one to get! With solid steel construction and a powder coated finish, you can expect this to last you quite some time!
This is a great tool for a superior open-fire cooking configuration! Cook meat on the lower level and toast buns on the griddle, or fry up some eggs for breakfast on the top while the sausages sizzle away on the bottom layer. We love that this works as a traditional grill surface or a fire pit flat top grill surface.
Check Price on Amazon4. Zormy Folding Camping Grilling Grate
- Material: This folding camping grill rack is made of iron with a layer of paint on the surface, which is durable and heat resistant. Note: dont put food directly on the table to bake.
- Campfire Grill Size: The camping grill unfold size is 23.6”x15.5x8.7, which can accommodate multiple pots and pans.
- Multi-use : The camping grill features a steel mesh grill top, in addition to the ordinary camping table, it can also be placed on open fire to heat food.
- More cooking options: The campfire grill can work as grill gate as well as burning stove supporting. You can use it for open fire cooking, or at an adventure into the great outdoors.
- Easy to use: The foldable grill is easy to use,just open it and put two legs down. Perfect for BBQs, picnics, camping or a night on the patio, backpacking, outdoor parties, traveling, beach,wild with your friends and families.
We love the smaller size of this fire grate for a portable grilling experience. At just about 2 feet long by just under 1.5 feet wide, this is a nice, durable fire pit grill grate in a compact package.
With legs that fold flat for storage, you also get the added flexibility of using this grate over any style fire pit or even over an open fire built directly on the ground!
The steel mesh top provides those picture-perfect grill marks every time, and prevents smaller foods from dropping through.
As another great idea, if you’re camping and happen to have a flat-top grill or griddle-grill combo, you could try using the griddle panel on top of this guy for a legit, backwoods, open-fire breakfast!
Check Price on AmazonFire Pit Grills Buying Guide
Sizes/Dimensions
Most of the sizes you find are going to be smaller, as standalone backyard fire pits often are.
Where you’ll be able to get yourself set up with a custom larger fire pit grill, is in having your own custom-built fire pit in the backyard and choosing a larger grilling grate accessory to go with it.
Style
Are you looking for a fire pit grill to be an all-in-one, often used backyard fixture? Or do you prefer the idea of throwing back a few brews with the bros and you’ll grill a steak once in a while?
For the frequently used statement cooking setup, get yourself the all-in-one fire pit with a grilling grate built in or included in some way.
If you want more flexibility, the staked grate or folding table-shaped grate on this list might be a better configuration for you.
Material
Look for durable steel or similar for your fire pit, to be able to withstand the heat of a direct flame and the fire burning hot right against the metal.
Function
Everything on this list will let you grill some hot dogs for the kids over an open fire.
But when you’re deciding on style, you’ll also be deciding how functional your open-fire cooking setup is. The fire pit grill combos will give you multiple uses, but likely no griddle plate. The mutli-level staked option, with both griddle and grill, won’t work on your beautiful stamped concrete back patio.
Consider the functions of the grilling grate itself (and if that works with your dream setup) before purchasing.
Fuel Type
All options on this list are wood-based (although some could be used with a charcoal fuel source as well). The idea of cooking directly into a propane fire is often frowned upon, which is why you won’t find any propane fire pit grills on this list.
Fire Pit Grills – FAQ
Can you use charcoal for a fire pit?
Yes. Charcoal burns as a hot but fairly flameless fire, much less dramatic than a wood burning fire. If the fire pit can withstand an open wood-burning flame, it can handle a charcoal fire.
Can you grill on a propane fire pit?
While you could use some of the add-on fire pit grill grates above with a propane fire pit, it’s not recommended.
Burning directly over a propane flame (which is a little bit different than cooking over a propane grill) is not recommended, and grease dripping off the food can make for clogs and a forever not-quite-right fire pit from then on.
What wood should I use to cook in a fire pit grill?
I mean, wood is wood, so just run with it, right?
In a pinch, sure. But if you’re going to really make this fire pit grill a true culinary masterpiece of an experience, then you’re going to get the tastiest flavor for your meat by choosing the same wood as for your best smoking wood choices.
What can I grill over a fire pit?
If you need fire pit grill ideas, you’re lacking imagination. Anything you can grill on a traditional grill, you can grill over your fire pit!
Check out our grilling recipes section for some inspiration, if you’re really stuck!
Final Thoughts On Fire Pit Grills
While this is a far less common method of grilling, it’s a pretty awesome way to get that outdoorsy, camping-under-the-stars feel of cooking right within your backyard.
If you’re the type to prefer the more upscale look look of a stately metal standalone fire pit, you’ll want to opt for the Kingso 2-in-1 Outdoor Heavy Duty Fire Pit with Cooking Grate. This will give you the best of both worlds for a relaxing fire or a functional cooking station.
If you’d like to customize your cooking experience a little bit more, and have the option of cooking over your backyard fire pit OR on your open ground fire at the camp site, you’ll probably prefer the option of the Sunnydaze X-Marks Fire Pit Cooking Grate. This will rest atop most standalone fire pits (either freestanding or built-ins), and can be rigged up on a hanging stand to hang over an open campfire.
Happy cooking, you pyros!
