Swing Arm, Grill Top or Built-In Grate: The Best Fire Pit Grill

Some of the best carne asada never sees a gas grill. In northern Mexico and across Texas, families cook arrachera and cebollitas over a wood fire in the backyard, and a fire pit with a cooking grate does the same job: the fire you sit around after dinner is the fire you cooked dinner on. Wood coals run hot, give the meat a smoky edge, and leave room at the edge of the grate to warm tortillas.

Not every fire pit is built to cook on, though. Some come with a flimsy grate that sits too close to the flames; others are excellent fire pits that need a separate grill attachment. This guide covers both: fire pits sold with a grate, grill tops and grates made for a specific pit, and swing-arm grates that stake into the ground beside any fire. For each we list the fuel, diameter, grate size, adjustment, material, weight and warranty as the maker or the Amazon listing states them, and write “Not stated” where neither gives a figure.

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Quick verdict: which fire pit grill to buy

The table below shows our five standout picks, one for each kind of outdoor cook. All eight are reviewed in full after it.

Five fire pit grills side by side

Fuel, grate size and adjustment for our five standout picks, as each maker or Amazon listing states them.

Product images from Amazon. Specifications as stated by each maker or Amazon listing; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best fire pit grill

These eight cover the three ways to cook over a fire pit: a pit sold with its own grate, a grill top made for one brand of pit, and a free-standing grate that works over any fire. If you mainly want a fire pit for warmth and only grill now and then, start with our guide to the best fire pit, which covers the wider field.

How to choose a fire pit grill

A fire pit is a heater first and a grill second, so the details that matter for cooking are easy to miss. These five decide whether you will actually cook on it.

1. Built-in grate, brand add-on or free-standing grate

A pit sold with a grate, such as the Hykolity, Sunnydaze or Bali, is the cheapest complete setup. A brand add-on, such as Breeo’s Outpost or Solo Stove’s grill top, fits one maker’s pits exactly and usually costs more. A free-standing grate, swing-arm or on legs, works over any fire and stores small, but needs soil or a wide fire area to stand in.

2. Grate height and adjustment

Over wood, the heat changes as the fire burns. A grate you can raise, lower or swing aside lets you follow it: low for searing carne asada, high for chicken that needs time, swung out to load and unload. A fixed grate works too, but then you control heat by spreading the coals, so look for a pit wide enough to hold a hot side and a cooler side.

3. Grate size and shape

Measure the grate, not the pit. A 35-inch pit may carry an 18-inch grate. For four people, a grate around 18 inches is enough for steak and vegetables; for more, look at two grates or a 24-inch swing-arm. Rectangular grates hold long cuts and rows of cebollitas better than round ones.

4. Grate material

Stainless steel, on the Breeo, Stanbroil and Cosmic grates, resists rust and is easy to scrub. Cast iron, on the Solo Stove top, holds the most heat and leaves the darkest marks but needs oiling like a skillet. Chrome-plated and plated steel grates are cheaper and work well, but the plating can wear with hard scraping.

5. Fuel and the bowl

Every pit here burns wood. Cook over coals, not flames: wait until the logs have burned down. A charcoal pan, like the Hykolity’s, lets you grill over briquettes for steadier heat. Deep bowls and screens contain sparks; drainage holes, or a cover, keep rain from rusting the bowl.

How we picked these eight fire pit grills

We started from what a kitchen needs from a cooking fire: a grate close enough to the coals to sear, a way to move food toward and away from the heat, room for meat and vegetables at once, and parts that survive outdoors. We then looked at fire pits with grates, brand-made grill attachments and free-standing grates sold on Amazon in the United States and showing as in stock when we checked, and confirmed each specification on the maker’s page or the brand’s Amazon listing. Where a listing is thin or inconsistent, as with the Bali’s missing grate size or the Solo Stove listing’s mixed-up bullet points, we say so. We left out models showing very low stock, including Pleasant Hearth’s fire pits with cooking grids and Ash and Ember’s 38-inch swivel-grate pit, and generic listings with no identifiable maker. We have not cooked on these fire pits for this guide, and we did not rely on outside reviews for it; the picks come from the makers, the listings and our own kitchen’s view of what cooking over fire requires.

Fire pit safety before you cook

Follow the manual that comes with your fire pit, and check local rules: some cities and counties restrict open burning or ban it during dry, windy weather. On top of that, these points come from the U.S. Fire Administration’s outdoor fire safety page and the USDA Forest Service’s Smokey Bear campfire safety guide:

• Outdoors and away from the house. USFA says to use fire pits and outdoor fireplaces outdoors, at least 10 feet away from your home or anything that can burn.
• Use a screen. USFA advises a metal screen over wood-burning fires to keep sparks from floating out; when you cook with the screen off, keep an eye on sparks.
• Watch it. USFA says to watch children closely when the fire pit is in use, and the Forest Service guide says to keep young children and pets away and never leave a fire unattended.
• No flammable liquids. The Forest Service guide says not to use any type of flammable liquid to start your fire, and not to light one when it is windy.
• Put it out completely. USFA says to put out fires before you leave the backyard. The Forest Service method is drown, stir, drown again, then hold your bare hand just above the wet ashes to check for heat: “If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave.”
• Coals and ashes. USFA advises putting cooled grill coals in a metal can with a lid.

Cooking carne asada over a fire pit

Here is how a kitchen would cook a Mexican meal over a fire pit grill.

• Burn down to coals. Light the fire well before you cook, and grill over glowing coals rather than tall flames. Push more coals to one side for a hot zone and leave the other side thinner.
• Carne asada: sear marinated skirt or flap steak low over the hot side, then rest it and slice across the grain. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s safe minimum internal temperature chart lists 145°F for beef steaks with a rest of at least three minutes; check with a thermometer.
• Chicken and burgers: FSIS lists 165°F for poultry and 160°F for ground meat, so pollo asado and burgers need the cooler side, or a raised grate, to cook through without burning.
• Fajitas and beans: set a cast iron skillet on the grate for peppers and onions, or a Dutch oven of charro beans over the cooler side. Our best camp Dutch oven guide covers pots made for coals, and how to eat fajitas explains the build at the table.
• Tortillas: warm them for a few seconds a side at the edge of the grate, or on a comal set on the grate; see the best comal for tortillas.

Fire pit grill questions, answered

What is the best fire pit with a grill?

For a pit you will cook on often, the Breeo X Series 24 Grilling Bundle, because its stainless steel Outpost Grill adjusts in height and swings 360 degrees. For less money, the Hykolity 35-inch pit comes with two swiveling grates and a charcoal pan.

Is a fire pit and grill combo better than a separate grill?

It depends how often you grill. A fire pit with a grate is great for weekend cookouts and gatherings, but it takes time to burn wood down to coals and gives you less control than a charcoal grill with a lid and vents. If you grill every week, our guide to the best charcoal grill is the better starting point.

Can I add a grill to the fire pit I already own?

Yes. If your pit is a Breeo or Solo Stove, buy the maker’s own grill attachment. For any other pit, a swing-arm grate like the Stanbroil stakes into the ground beside it, and a legged grate like the Camp Chef Lumberjack stands over a wide fire.

Can I use charcoal in a wood-burning fire pit?

Some makers allow it; Hykolity includes a charcoal pan for that purpose. Check your manual first. Whatever you burn, do it outdoors only: the Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that burning charcoal gives off carbon monoxide and must never be burned inside homes, vehicles or tents.

Do I need to season a fire pit grate?

Cast iron grates, like the Solo Stove grill top, need the same care as a cast iron pan: dry after use and oil lightly. Stainless steel and plated grates only need scrubbing with a grill brush while warm.

Our final pick for cooking over fire

Buy the Breeo X Series 24 Grilling Bundle if you want a fire pit that is also a real grill, with a stainless grate you can raise, lower and swing. Choose the Hykolity 35-inch pit for the most cooking kit for the money, the Sunnydaze Northland for long cuts on a rectangular grate, the Solo Stove Grill Top if you already own a Yukon, and the Stanbroil swing-arm to cook over a fire you already have. Whatever you choose, cook over coals, keep the fire 10 feet from the house and put it out completely.

For a fire pit chosen mainly for warmth, see our best fire pit guide, and for a dedicated grill, the best charcoal grill. Or let us do the cooking: see the menu or call to order.