Top 5 Best Campfire Grill Grates

The 5 Best Campfire Grill Grates

If you want an authentic roughing-it feeling while camping, you need the best campfire grill grate to help you cook over the open fire. Campfire grill grates are a classic camping necessity that help you cook directly over an open flame or fire pit with just the basics—no unnecessary pots and pans here. If you’re looking for a good campfire grill grate, read on and let our campfire grill grate reviews & ratings guide you in your decision.

The 5 Top Campfire Grill Grates

It can be difficult to choose the best campfire grill grate with how many cooking grates there are on the market these days. If you aren’t sure which features are the best for a fire pit grill grate, this is the article for you. Keep reading to learn more about the top 5 best campfire grill grates and what makes them all great options for your next camping trip.

* Ratings are determined using our specialized rating system.

Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue BBQ Open Fire Grill Grate

The Raichlen Best of Barbecue Iron Tuscan BBQ Grill is the best campfire grill grate as it is an all-around classic open fire pit grill grate that is affordable, sturdy and features a simple free-standing design. The legs easily screw on and off directly onto the campfire grill grate, giving this grilling rack an approximate 4.5” of height off the ground when the legs are secure. The screw-on legs make for a quick set up before cooking, and easy takedown and cleaning afterward.

The Steven Richlen grill also features a durable cast iron construction that can withstand even the hottest temperatures from the direct heat of the campfire. So with this campfire grill grate, there is never a need to worry about any the grate’s surface warping. The cooking surface is more extensive measuring 14” x 14” making for a large cook space when grilling for an average-sized family or group.

Titan Campfire Swivel Campfire Grill Grate with Spike Pole

The Titan Campfire Swivel Cooking Grate with Spike Pole is a reliable all-around product that has a stake mounted design, adjustable height, and a swivel campfire grill grate. The attached handle provides some flexibility with the open fire grill grate while cooking. Most importantly, it is also a safety feature, as you don’t have to worry about burning your hands while maneuvering the grate over the fire. 

The Titan Great Outdoors open fire grill grate features a stake mounted design, which personally is the design model I prefer most. I prefer a stake mounted design because height adjustment is a standard feature, and many in this model design can be swiveled away from the fire if needed. The swivel feature can be beneficial when cooking various types of meats and veggies all together, for instance. 

The last feature about this fire pit grill grate that makes it unique and sets it apart from the other cooking grates is that it can make for a camp table when not in use as a grill. This grate overall provides the most flexibility and largest grate surface area to work with, ideal for cooking for larger groups. 

Rome’s 129 Pioneer Large Camp Grill Grate

The Rome’s 129 Pioneer Large Camp Grill is extremely affordable, the least expensive of the five. It features a standard stationary grate designed to be placed directly over the campfire. The cooking grate also features an extended length on one side, giving it a longer length on one side and a large surface area to cook on at 18” X 36”. WIth its simple design, you don’t even need to move it off the fire before making s’mores.

This grate is made from chrome-plated steel and features heavy-duty steel bar construction. The Rome Industries Pioneer Camp Grill is an all-around essential fire pit grill grate that is easy to clean and conveniently fits over any standard sized fire pit. 

New Coghlan’s Adjustable Height Galvanized Camp Fire Cooking Grate

The New Coghlan’s Adjustable Height Galvanized Camp Fire Cooking Tripod is affordably priced and features a thick steel tripod design with adjustable grill plate height for temperature control. The benefits of choosing the sturdy tripod design of this model are that it can easily be folded up for storage and travel purposes. Furthermore, the adjustable grill plate height offers the most range with height, speaking in terms of distance from the fire.

One key point to consider with this campfire grill grate is the 17” diameter of the circular grilling rack does not allow ample space for cooking items involving more than one pan, or cooking instrument at a time. Also, the grill plate may swing or move around more swiftly in a tripod design.

A unique feature of this grate is the tripod design model can also be used as a lantern hanger when not being used to grill.

Camp Chef Lumberjack Over Fire Grill Grate

The Camp Chef Lumberjack Over Fire Grill 36″ is affordably priced and features a durable steel freestanding model compact design. This grate also features legs that fold up, making it a convenient option for easy mobility while traveling. An added benefit of this campfire cooking grate is the large surface area of the grate can fit two 14” sized frying pans with room left to spare. 

I was curious about the durability of this fire pit grill grate, so I put it to the test during our last camp cookout. I noticed the grate does tend to warp after it’s been used several times. Typically, I would only see this happening when the grate stayed over the fire once it’s been started for a significant amount of time. I would suggest removing the grate immediately upon using after cooking to avoid this from happening. Also, keep in mind because this is a freestanding model, there are no height adjustment capabilities to control the temperature for cooking variations.

Important Campfire Grill Grate Features to Consider

As you have read in the reviews, the best campfire grill grates have a few variations in their mounting style: freestanding, tripod, and stake mounted. The mounting style of the grate provides slightly different features and benefits for the user. You may find it helpful to compare the mounting style and associated features first when selecting the best campfire grill grate to cook over an open flame. Here are the fundamental differences below:

Freestanding Design Model

The freestanding mounting style is undoubtedly the sturdiest if you are looking for the best campfire grill grate in that respect. Keep in mind with the freestanding mounting style, the grate remains stationary, so there isn’t any height adjustment capabilities or ability to swivel the grate away from the fire. 

Tripod Design Model

If you want the most flexibility when it comes to a height adjustment, the tripod design model may be your best campfire grill grate choice. My only concern with this model to consider is the swaying of the tripod grate since it hangs. I prefer to use the tripod design when I’m merely heating a tea or camping coffee percolator. The tripod design is also great when the camping trip only involves a few people, such as a couple, or if you were going on a solo trip. 

Stake Mounted Design Model

The stake mounted design model is my go-to grate when I am cooking for larger camp groups. You may want to consider this your best campfire grill grate choice in this case as well. This model has been particularly useful when I am preparing a wider variety of food choices for the group as well.

Why Use a Campfire Grill Grate?

When you’re camping, there are a lot of different options for cooking. You can bring a number of different cooking options instead of a campfire, so what makes campfire grill grates so great?

I’ve used every camping cooking method known to man (and several still unknown to man that I’m keeping secret until the world is ready for them), and campfire grill grates stand out to me because of how simple they are. You don’t need propane or electricity to use them—all you need is your campfire, firewood stand, and safely harvested firewood. Campfire safety becomes easier when you have the right equipment, and this is an essential piece. The only cooking method I can think of that’s easier is pre-packaging hobo packs at home and tossing them into the fire to cook.

Campfire grill grates are a personal favorite cooking method of mine because they make cleanup so much easier. If I’m throwing dinner on a grate, I don’t have to worry about scrubbing down my cooking equipment like you’d use on a camping grill. Of course, you can still use fire starters, pots, pans, and marshmallow roasting sticks with a campfire grill grate when you build a campfire, so they’re versatile, too! And if a camping grill grate isn’t right for you, you can use a campfire tripod or campfire rotisseries instead.

Conclusion

Of all the different campfire grill grates I tasted for this review, my favorite was the Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue Iron Tuscan BBQ Grill. While it isn’t the largest campfire grill grate available, it has detachable legs that make it easier to carry and is made from cast iron—two things I love. This is the perfect grate for smaller camping parties or people who don’t plan on cooking a lot. If you’re going camping and want to try out the best campfire grill grate, I recommend this one wholeheartedly.

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