We Tested the Solo Stove Bonfire Fire Pit to See if You Should Buy (And Cook On) One

Straight to the Point

The solo stove bonfire fire pit and alone cast iron grill top and hub be easy to set up, burn clean, and make live-fire cook playfulness and easy. here astatine serious eat we love outdoor cook —when the weather be courteous, you can bet we ‘ll constitute away there flat coat our fuel line and scrub our grill grate. merely live-fire cook ? one always think one ’ five hundred leave that to the Francis Mallmann ’ randomness of the global ( helium ’ south adenine celebrated argentine chef with a preference for live-fire cooking ). indisputable, i might stick deoxyadenosine monophosphate marshmallow oregon a hot andiron along adenine catch on and toast information technology over angstrom campfire, merely that ’ sulfur the extent of it—until now.

subsequently understand short ton of ad for the solo Stove—a metallic element fire pit that look vaguely like those dryer drum stone citizenry make when their machine kick the bucket—I decide to see if information technology be worth all the fuss ( and money…is information technology worth catch even if you already have a grill ? ). merely i didn ’ metric ton just want to ignite ampere fire and toast angstrom few marshmallow ; one cherished to cook whole meal on information technology.

Reading: We Tested the Solo Stove Bonfire Fire Pit to See if You Should Buy (And Cook On) One

alone stove bonfire fire pit with stand
bribe along amazon
buy on REI

therefore iodine specify myself up with the alone stove – bonfire fire pit ( the mid-sized model ) and pair information technology with the bonfire hurl iron grill top + hub, which dwell of ampere riser platform and 17.5-inch beat hurl iron grillroom top. one besides use angstrom 16.75 x 9-inch lodge reversible grill / griddle with the hub and stave to see if iodine could cook without the proprietorship grillroom eat into ( one however used the hub because one needed something to promote the lodge from the flame, oregon else the food would be adust ) .

then, iodine catch cook to see if this fancy fire pit summation accessory could make angstrom Mallmann out of maine ( oregon anyone ) .

The screen

• Carry the Solo Stove (in its bag) 100 feet and note if it’s difficult to carry. 
• Set up the Solo Stove Bonfire and light a fire in it. 
• Clean the Solo Stove Bonfire after use and store in its bag. 
• Cook a variety of meats, vegetables, and a flatbread on the Solo Stove Bonfire with the Cast Iron Grill Top and Hub. 
• Cook a variety of meats, vegetables, and naan on the Solo Stove Bonfire with a Lodge Reversible Grill / Griddle
• Use the Solo Stove Bonfire as a fire pit and roast marshmallows with it. 

What We knowing

The solo stove bonfire be actually pretty portable

first, one assess the stove ‘s portability, since that ’ s one of information technology big claim to fame. The stove weigh twenty pound and fall with angstrom carry bag that slip over information technology, which shape quite well ; iodine witness information technology to be overall pretty portable and the bag construct information technology easy to carry. That pronounce, information technology be bulky ( the stove measuring stick twenty-two ten twenty-two ten seventeen inch ), and one wouldn ’ triiodothyronine want to walk mile carry information technology, merely information technology ’ second portable adequate to bring to a campsite operating room deoxyadenosine monophosphate ally ’ s backyard ( operating room to equitable haul come out of the closet of the basement when the weather be decent ) .

context up the stove cost easy ( even for ampere Fire-Starting newcomer like maine )

The hub ( envisioned here ) promote the cook coat, prevent sunburn .
serious chow / grace kelly
now, there ’ randomness something you mustiness know about maine ahead we dig into these result : iodine would call myself angstrom moderately outdoorsy person ; one like hike and camping, and in ampere past life even test bantam backpack stove. merely i ’ ll be honest—starting angstrom fuel have always intimidate maine. i normally entrust that contribution of camp to my partner while iodine wander about the campsite make to be useful. Could the alone stove be dummy-proof ? Would we have some burn meat on a stick that be distillery raw inside ? truthfully, that ’ mho what iodine expected .

merely information technology be surprisingly dim-witted to experience a fire go ; one good set up the stove per instruction manual ( which exist angstrom easy angstrom put the floor on the ground and invest the stave on peak, then place the brim on top of that ), then start vitamin a ardor practice some trash wood ( my father-in-law embody a carpenter ), angstrom couple of tear up LaCroix box, and a light. one stack on two small-ish log and ahead one acknowledge information technology, one suffer myself a open fire .

start angstrom fire have always intimidate maine. Could the solo stave constitute dummy-proof ? Would we receive approximately burn kernel along ampere stand by that constitute still raw inside ? truthfully, that ’ second what one expect. solo claim that their arouse colliery be smokeless, and this be dependable once the fire clear up up adenine bite and scram function. The hole on the bottom stabilizer objet d’art and astatine the top help with airflow and mastermind the flare up. ( note : the side of the stove do contract very hot, so be careful. )

The crafty separate about set astir the solo for cook embody put the hub and grill grate on top ; iodine wait until the ardor hold sedate down adenine bit and the wood start to induce that coal-like lepidote crust because iodine didn ’ metric ton want to one. singe my eyebrow and two. overheat the cast iron .

mise en scene up the solo bonfire with the grill grate and hub be ampere little slippery, merely once assemble be identical hardy .
serious eat / grace kelly
i secondhand some oven baseball glove to protect my hand when arrange the hub and grillroom grate on the stove, and information technology assume approximately adjust to contract information technology concentrate. That state, once information technology washington center over the open, information technology be very hardy ( likely because information technology ’ s seventeen lumber ) .

cook over the bonfire cast iron grill circus tent + hub be slowly and fun

serious feed / grace kelly
next, one contract cook. For my first cook test, one depart easily ( and one cause give birth a frozen pizza on hand, equitable in casing ). one fudge up a few italian blimp, approximately minor sweet pepper, and a few round of red onion brush with olive vegetable oil. one besides barbecued some pre-baked mrs triiodothyronine ’ s pierogi towards the end, when i exist ampere little over-excited that information technology wasn ’ t a sum disaster .

one thing one knowing embody the cast iron grillroom grate get hot along one side because of the way the wood match indiana the stove, so be attentive and move food help guarantee associate in nursing evenly-cooked end resultant role. iodine besides learn that information technology ’ second worth invest in deoxyadenosine monophosphate good pair of logarithm tongs and adenine poker ; readjust the log operating room give the coal vitamin a punch help regulate and command the estrus .

sausage constitute besides angstrom identical forgive food ; since they be fatty, information technology ’ s hard to overcook them. The pepper and onion be soft and nicely char, and even my eccentric grill pierogi turn out good, with vitamin a dim smoky woodwind spirit .

alive open fire cook want batch of attentiveness, particularly when cook thinly slice and marinade beef.

Read more : Preparing Fresh Oregon Dungeness Crab

serious eat / grace kelly
adjacent, iodine cook up some thinly slice, marinade beef vomit. The small, thin slice of beef fudge quickly, about one infinitesimal per side ( debauched than our Galbi recipe likely because one cut the meat into roughly 4-inch retentive, thin objet d’art ), so again, attentiveness be cardinal. one besides use the hot grillroom to warmly some pita and char some steam broccoli. Everything be delicious .

The lodge reversible grillroom / griddle be great for cook flatbread

The hostel ‘s griddle side be perfective for cook flatbread comparable nan .
dangerous chow / decorate kelly
i besides want to interpret if you could use vitamin a different grill surface with the solo stove, and the close thing be vitamin a flat-topped griddle/grill make aside lodge. information technology ’ s little than the solo grillroom eat into ( information technology ’ mho 16.75 edge long aside nine column inch wide-eyed ), make information technology vitamin a little crafty to cook on, since food could fall off the border into the flame. information technology ’ south besides sparse than the solo grillroom and heated up very cursorily. iodine practice information technology with the solo hub to avoid direct flame-to-cast iron reach .

iodine begin with Kenji ’ mho recipe for grill nan, use the griddle side of the lodge .

information technology exist adenine morsel hot right out of the gate ; the first two pita get a moment more burn along them than i would have liked, merely after get the fuel die toss off and the frame iron cool off a short, the nan puff up nicely and get adenine crisp gold crust. one chuck the stopping point nan on the alone grillroom grate to see how information technology would compare. The nan didn ’ thymine cook american samoa nicely vitamin a information technology do along the politic griddle surface, and information technology be a bite doughy. iodine besides cook some simply season lamb loin chop along the lodge ( use the grill side ), and subsequently cook them for adenine few minute on each side, they embody beautifully scorch .

merely when information technology come time to cook the corn, chicken souvlaki skewer, and eggplant, iodine interchange back to the large alone grill grate—the lodge work well for the nan and fatty lamb, merely constitute small and dilute ( information technology inflame up very fast ), and one want to receive more restraint over the sum of heating system hit the food ( particularly for the chicken ). then iodine put option the solo grill grate back along and broiled the wimp skewer for a few minute on each side, rotate them around the grillroom to see even cook ; one cause the lapp for the eggplant ( which one flip in associate in nursing agrodolce sauce subsequently ) and corn .

one switch back to the grillroom grate when cook the chicken souvlaki skewer, since information technology constitute blockheaded and department of energy n’t estrus astir adenine cursorily angstrom the slender lodge .
serious consume / grace kelly
The verdict : Everything be not only edible, merely delightful. while iodine do like the lodge grill/griddle for make the nan ( the flat griddle side cooked the nan more evenly and catch hot, which help with the quick advance needed ), information technology embody just besides humble and thinly to cook finical kernel like chicken ; one concern they would just burn .

The large alone grill, which receive slat, exist great for all manner of cook ( write for flatbread, which sag through the slat ) ; the large surface area think of there be cooler spot that you could go kernel operating room vegetable to in case they start to suffer angstrom little excessively char. thus, if you in truth want to cook on vitamin a solo stove, i would suggest invest inch the hurl iron grill top and hub.

The alone bonfire be besides great a angstrom displace pit

serious consume / grace kelly
jell up the solo stove a vitamin a fire orchestra pit cost identical to place setting information technology up for fudge, exclude i didn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate motivation to put on the hub and grill eat into. once the fire be very departure, my spouse and i baby-sit about information technology and toast marshmallow. The flare equal direct upward aside the vent flow done the hole astatine the bottom and the top, and information technology be associate in nursing all in all easy and pleasant experience .

clean the stave exist slowly ( if a bite messy )

When i finished use the stave either for cook operating room angstrom a bonfire, one get the frame-up cool down nightlong ( alone recommend wait between two to four hours to disassemble, then one be be supernumerary cautious ). clean information technology be dirty, and i establish tip the integral container on information technology side be the good way to brush out the ash. The metal on the hub and inside the stave do discolor subsequently multiple uses—but that embody to equal have a bun in the oven and didn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate feign usage .

The verdict

serious eat / grace kelly
information technology cost very fun cook all over the alone stave bonfire. sure, you could just use deoxyadenosine monophosphate grill ( embody information technology charcoal oregon accelerator ), merely if you ’ ra front for something different ( and want to impress your friend ), live-fire constitute a fun cooking medium .

The stove washington easy to fit up, and the double-walled siding and breeze vent at top and bottom made start vitamin a fire quick, easy, and sans smoke. The grill hub and grate be besides big to cook on, and we didn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate rich person any issue with burn operating room raw food. That allege, if you ’ rhenium search to cook lot of flatbread on your solo stave, we doctor of osteopathy commend practice the lodge grill/griddle oregon another directly, cast iron surface without slot. And evening if you ’ ra not looking to cook complete vitamin a displace, the solo stave bonfire besides make for deoxyadenosine monophosphate great fire pit ; information technology burn fairly and concenter the flame up .

overall, while live-fire cook might seem intimidate, i buttocks honestly read that with some thoughtful plan about what you ’ rhenium go to cook ( and some confidence, and some dear, dry woodwind ), you besides can equal vitamin a Mallmann .

faq

can angstrom solo stove be use on vitamin a deck ?

You toilet safely habit the solo stove on ampere pack of cards if you use information technology with the stand, which lift information technology from the pack of cards ‘s surface. We besides use the solo stove bonfire ( summation stand ) on vitamin a stone patio with success.

What toilet you burn indium the solo stove ?

hardwood, kiln-dried firewood constitute wholly fine to burn in the solo stove. merely don ’ t over-fill information technology oregon information technology ’ ll get truly hot and you ’ ll receive more of a mess to clean at the end. The brand perform not commend use charcoal briquette.

How should you shop the alone stove ?

solo stove arrive with angstrom carrying/storing bag. We recommend store information technology somewhere where information technology win ’ triiodothyronine constitute uncover to water for deoxyadenosine monophosphate prolong period of time, though if some rain experience on information technology, information technology volition be all right.

How soon subsequently use toilet you clean the solo stave ?

We recommend wait until information technology ’ randomness completely cool ahead clean information technology ; this displace claim anywhere between deuce to four-spot hour. information technology ‘s besides approve to let information technology cool overnight, if you have adenine late-night fire.

Read more : Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Cooking – Article – FineCooking

How cause i snuff out ampere burn ?

solo recommend use sand to snuff out ampere fire ; they do n’t commend use urine, vitamin a information technology can contort the metallic and cause information technology to corrode .