Why Cooking In an Outdoor Fire Is Great — But a Smokelis Fire Pit Is Trusted By The Best

There’s something primal, grounding, and downright satisfying about cooking over an fire. It strips everything back. No knobs, no timers — just raw flame and your own instinct. Whether it’s searing a steak, roasting vegetables, or slow-cooking a lamb leg, fire unlocks flavour in a way that gas grills simply can’t match.

But here’s the problem: Sure, you can cook over an outdoor fire — and with enough attachments, swing-arm grills, slide in racks, ember-makers and careful planning, you might even get a decent meal out of it.

But let’s be honest: all that gear is just a way of making the best of a fundamentally flawed setup.

You’re cooking inside a box where the entire coalbed is a fixed distance away, you can't stand/work over the top of the food, and your only real method of control is swinging the grate in and out. It’s slow, unpredictable, and completely unforgiving. And if you're aiming for anything beyond sausages and marshmallows, the experience can become frustrating fast.

Good luck doing a smash burger, flipping a steak every 40 seconds, doing a reverse sear with a tomahawk that needs 100 degrees or more of heat differential or working a griddle for eggs and bacon. You’re reaching in from the side, not standing over your fire like a real chef or pitmaster.

One thing outdoor fires are outrageously good at as far as cooking goes, is Pizza - if your one has a pizza oven accessory. Due to the nature of an outdoor fire box being so close to that of a traditional pizza oven.

But if you're serious about live-fire cooking, the real question is:

Why wrestle with an open outdoor fire when you can master it with a purpose-built fire pit designed for flavor, control, and clean-burning performance?

Outdoor Fires vs. Fire Pits: What's the Real Difference?

Feature	Traditional Outdoor Fire	Smokelis Fire Pit
Smoke Control	Wild and unpredictable - can ruin food almost in an instant	Secondary combustion = ultra-low smoke = controlled flavour profile
Heat Efficiency	Amazing - but usually too much	Direct underside heat - that can be deflected, controlled and optimised for practically any cook
Cooking Consistency	Hot spots and guesswork on cooking temps	Tons of radiant heat beneath the food for consistent cooking temperatures
Food Control	Can't see what is going on without taking food off the heat	Can leave cook untouched or adjust it easily without disturbing anything else

Introducing Smokelis: Amazing Heat and Outdoor Ambience - The Fire Pit Used By Award-Winning Live-Fire Cooking Purists

This isn’t some gimmicky patio ornament or import knockoff. The Smokelis fire pit is engineered for one thing: Outrageously great cooking experiences.

🔥 Award-winning design. Built in New Zealand by craftsmen who live and breathe fire, Smokelis pits are a favourite of chefs, pitmasters, and grilling purists.

🔥 Unmatched combustion system. Our unique secondary combustion chamber delivers a hotter, cleaner burn — reducing smoke and unlocking deeper, more controllable flavor profiles.

🔥 Dialed-in cooking zones. Adjustable grill heights, slide-on hot plates, and our signature Rack system let you control your sear, low & slow, and roast temps like a pro.

🔥 Accessories that aren’t an afterthought. From our chef-trusted grilling racks to our solid steel hot plates, every accessory was built to handle serious cooking — not just look pretty on Instagram.

Clean Flame. Bold Flavor. Total Control.

The truth is, an outdoor fireplace will always have its charm. But when it comes to turning flame into flavor, Smokelis doesn’t just outperform traditional outdoor fires — it redefines the outdoor cooking experience completely.

If you love enjoying fire outdoors, cooking over flame, and you know how much control matters, and you demand performance, and want seriously impressive results to enjoy with your guests - you’re ready for Smokelis.

Ready to Level Up Your Outdoor Fire Game And Stack The Odds In Your Favour For Outstanding Flavour?

[Explore the Smokelis Fire Pit →]

Or check out our free video gallery, for fire-side tips, and expert tricks for cooking over clean flame.[Watch now →]