Fire Pit BBQs

What is a fire pit BBQ?

It's a fire pit made to double as a BBQ. The pit holds a wood or charcoal fire, and a metal grate sits above it, either on its own legs, on a swing arm fixed to the side, or on a pole in the middle. You light the fire, let it burn down to hot embers, then swing the BBQ rack over and cook.

On a normal BBQ the fire is hidden in a box. Here it's the point of the evening: you cook while it's hot, push the grate aside, add a couple of logs and sit round the flames for the rest of the night. That's why so many UK shops now sell their fire pits and BBQs as one range.

Types of BBQ fire pit

Bowls with a swing arm BBQ rack

The most common kind, and most of the grid above. A steel pit on three or four legs, with a BBQ rack on a swing arm that turns 360 degrees. Swing it over the fire to cook, swing it off to stop food burning or to throw on more wood. Better ones let you raise and lower the grate too, which is how you control the temperature on a log fire: high for sausages, low for searing a steak. The SUNOUTLY 32in, the Titan Great Outdoors fire ring and the Bali Outdoors 47in all work this way. British makers such as FirepitsUK build the same idea in heavier steel, from the Plain Jane with one swing arm rack to large pits with four.

3-in-1 pits: fire, grill and table

Pits such as the Panovue FT-96501, the EcoNook OutVue 30.5in and the Verdeluxe 96185G come with a lid as well as a grill. Lid on, it's a low table. Lid off with the spark screen on, a fire pit. Screen off with the grate in, a BBQ grill. The Verdeluxe 32631A is a simpler 2 in 1: a fire pit and BBQ grill without the lid. The PrimeZone 42in, Panovue FT-96501 and Verdeluxe 96185G have two grates, so you can BBQ meat on one and vegetables on the other. For more with a flat top, see our fire pit tables.

Kadai fire bowls

The Kadai is a deep, round Indian bowl, traditionally hand-made from riveted steel, sitting on a stand with a grill laid across the top. It throws out a lot of warmth, takes big logs and looks good with age as the steel darkens. Kadai also sells a Plancha Kadai, with a flat steel plate in place of the rack for eggs, fish and smash burgers on the patio.

Chimineas and square pits

A chiminea keeps the fire in a chamber with a flue, so the smoke goes up and away from your face; the BBQ grate sits inside. Square cast iron pits like the Morsø Ignis are heavy and stay hot for a long time after the flames die, which is good for slow cooking on the embers.

Portable BBQ fire pits

Folding pits pack flat for a car boot. The Winnerwell Portable Grill Firepit is AISI304 stainless steel with secondary combustion for a cleaner burn and a removable grill, and the Explorer Bear Takibi folds into a carry bag. Good for outdoor cooking at a campsite or the beach as well as the garden. Our steel fire pits include more stainless designs.

How the fire pit BBQs here compare

From our own product data. Sizes are the bowl or body width as listed by the maker.

How to choose one

• BBQ grate size against pit size. A big pit with a small grate means you can only cook in one spot. Two grates, or one that covers most of the pit, let you BBQ for six or eight at once.
• Height adjustment. You can't turn a log fire down, so raising and lowering the rack is your temperature control. A swing arm with a locking collar does this best.
• Cooking height. Low bowls like the Fire Beauty (25.4cm) are lovely to sit round but mean bending over the BBQ. Taller pits around 60cm, and raised Kadai stands, are kinder on your back.
• Material. Cast iron grates hold heat and give good sear marks but need oiling to stop rust. Stainless is lighter and needs less care. Powder-coated pits are fine for a few seasons; keep a cover on them.
• Ash and rain. An ash pan or drainage hole makes clearing up quicker and stops rainwater pooling.

If size matters more than cooking, our 32 inch fire pits and 40 inch fire pits pages list pits by width, and our large fire pit and chairs sets add the seats.

Cooking on a fire pit BBQ

1. Use dry wood. Kiln-dried hardwood such as oak or beech burns hot with little smoke. In England, firewood sold in small amounts has to be "Ready to Burn" certified, with a moisture content of 20% or less. Damp logs smoke and won't give good embers.
2. Burn it down. Light the fire with kindling, build it up with logs, then wait until the flames die back and you have a bed of glowing coals. Flames scorch food; embers cook it.
3. Use the swing arm. Start with the rack high, lower it for searing, and swing it off if fat flares up.
4. Top up for longer cooks. A layer of lumpwood charcoal over the embers keeps a BBQ going for chicken or a joint.
5. Back to a fire. Once the food is off, add logs for an outdoor fire and toast marshmallows on the last of the flames.

Cook burgers, sausages and chicken until they're steaming hot all the way through, with no pink meat and clear juices, as the Food Standards Agency advises. Keep raw and cooked meat on different plates. The NHS page on food poisoning lists what to look out for.

Safety, smoke and the neighbours

• Stand the pit on the patio, gravel or bare soil, at least three metres from fences, sheds, trees and the house.
• On decking, use a heat-proof mat or pavers underneath. Embers can drop through mesh sides, so a raised pit is safer than a low bowl.
• Never use petrol or meths to light it, and never burn treated or painted timber.
• Keep children and pets back, and keep a bucket of water or sand nearby.
• Leave the embers to go cold, ideally overnight, before you empty it.
• Don't cook or burn charcoal under a gazebo roof, in a tent or in a garage: the fumes include carbon monoxide.

There's no law against having a fire in your garden, but smoke that keeps blowing into neighbours' houses can be treated as a nuisance by the council, as GOV.UK explains. Most towns and cities are also smoke control areas, which cover the smoke from chimneys rather than outdoor fires. Dry logs help with both. If smoke is your main worry, look at our smokeless fire pits, which use a double wall to burn the smoke off, or gas fire pits, which don't smoke at all but aren't made for grilling.

BBQ fire pit FAQs

Can you cook on any fire pit?

You can if you add a grill grate or tripod, but a pit made for it is easier. The grate is the right size, sits at a sensible height and swings out of the way. The pits here all come with one.

Wood or charcoal for a BBQ?

Logs give you the flames, the smoky flavour and the fire to sit round afterwards. Charcoal burns steadier. Many people light logs, BBQ on the embers and add charcoal later. Most pits here take both.

How long before I can start the BBQ?

Usually 30 to 45 minutes from lighting, depending on the logs and the wind. Wait until the flames have died back and the logs are glowing.

How do I clean the BBQ grate?

Brush it while it's still warm with a wire brush. Rub a cast iron grate with a little cooking oil afterwards to keep rust off. Keep a cover on between uses.

What size do I need?

A 60-80cm pit is plenty for a family BBQ. For six or more, a 32in to 42in pit with two grates cooks enough at once. For tight spaces see our small fire pits, and for classic shapes our round fire pits.