What Oil to Use on a Fire Pit or Campfire Plate
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Cooking over a fire pit is not the same as cooking on a gas barbecue, and the oil that works fine on a patio grill will often smoke, burn and turn bitter over hardwood coals. Open-flame heat is hotter, less even, and far less predictable — and your oil is the first thing to fail when it spikes.
This guide covers which oils hold up on a spare tyre fire pit, campfire plate or open grill, which ones to keep for finishing, and how to stop flare-ups and carbon build-up on your cooking plate.
Why Fire Pit Cooking Is Harder on Oil
On a gas barbecue you set a dial and the temperature holds. Over a fire pit, you are cooking on whatever the fire is doing at that moment. Three things make it harder on oil:
Radiant heat spikes. A bed of hardwood coals radiates far more heat than most people expect, and a steel plate sitting directly above it can run well past the smoke point of common cooking oils.
Uneven heat across the plate. Coals are never spread perfectly. One end of your hot plate can be significantly hotter than the other, so an oil that is fine at one end is smoking at the other.
Open flame and wind. Excess oil dripping into flame causes flare-ups. Wind pushes those flames across the plate. Neither happens on a closed gas barbecue.
The practical consequence: for fire pit cooking you need heat stability first, flavour second. That is the opposite of how most people choose cooking oil at home.
Smoke Points: The Numbers That Matter Over a Fire
The smoke point is the temperature at which an oil begins to break down, smoke and turn bitter. Over a fire pit, assume your plate is hotter than you think.
Avocado oil (refined): ~270°C — the most heat-stable common option. Best choice for searing over coals.
Rice bran oil: ~250°C — excellent on a hot plate, neutral flavour, widely available.
Peanut oil: ~230°C — handles high heat well, mild nutty character.
Canola oil: ~230°C — cheap, neutral, the reliable everyday choice at camp.
Regular olive oil: ~220°C — marginal over open flame.
Extra virgin olive oil: ~190°C — will smoke and turn bitter on a fire pit plate. Keep it for finishing.
👉 The rule for fire pit cooking: if the oil's smoke point starts with a 1, it does not go near the flame.
The Best Oils for Fire Pit and Campfire Cooking
Refined avocado oil — the searing oil
If you are cooking steak, chops or anything that wants a hard sear over coals, refined avocado oil is the most forgiving option available. It tolerates the radiant heat spikes that ruin lesser oils, and it stays clean-tasting.
Worth knowing: refined and extra virgin avocado oil are not interchangeable. We cover the difference in detail in our refined vs extra virgin avocado oil guide.
Rice bran or canola — the everyday camp oils
For general camp cooking — eggs, bacon, onions, vegetables, anything on the flat plate — rice bran or canola will do everything you need without the cost of avocado oil. Both are neutral, both handle a hot plate, and both are easy to replace anywhere in Australia.
Extra virgin olive oil — finishing only
EVOO is a genuinely good oil used in the right place, and the right place is after the food comes off the fire. Drizzle it over grilled vegetables or a rested steak. Put it on a hot plate over coals and it will smoke, taste bitter, and leave residue you will be scrubbing later.
Hot Plate vs Grill Plate: Different Surfaces, Different Approach
How you apply oil depends on which surface you are cooking on.
On a flat hot plate: oil the plate, not the food. A thin, even film applied with a brush or a folded paper towel is enough. Too much oil pools, runs to the low side of the plate, and eventually finds the flame.
On an open grill plate: oil the food, not the grate. Anything you brush onto open bars drips straight through into the coals. Lightly coating the meat gives you the non-stick effect without feeding the fire.
On a 2-in-1 plate: treat each half by its own rule — oil the flat side, oil the food over the grill side. The 2-in-1 Hot Plate & Grill lets you run both at once, which is exactly when this matters.
Preventing Flare-Ups Over an Open Fire
Flare-ups are the fire pit problem that gas barbecues largely avoid, and oil is usually the cause.
Use less oil than feels right — a thin film, not a pour.
Apply it with a brush or spray bottle rather than tipping it from the bottle.
Keep a section of your plate over lower heat so you can move food sideways when fat starts rendering hard.
Never add oil to a plate that is already sitting over open flame.
Let the fire burn down to coals before cooking. Flames lick; coals radiate. Coals are what you want.
Cleaning Up: Why the Right Oil Saves You Work
Oil that exceeds its smoke point polymerises into a sticky carbon layer that is genuinely hard to shift. Using a heat-stable oil is the single easiest way to reduce cleaning time after a cook.
Wipe the plate down while it is still warm, before residue sets. Our guide to cleaning and storing your fire pit plates covers the full routine, including what to use on grade 430 stainless.
Quick Reference for Camp
Searing steak over coals: refined avocado oil
Breakfast on the hot plate: canola or rice bran
Vegetables over the grill: canola, brushed onto the food
Finishing a cooked steak or veg: extra virgin olive oil
Anything over open flame rather than coals: the most heat-stable oil you have, used sparingly
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best oil for cooking on a fire pit?
Refined avocado oil for high-heat searing, and rice bran or canola for everyday camp cooking. All three stay stable at the temperatures a steel plate reaches over hardwood coals.
Can I use olive oil on a fire pit plate?
Extra virgin olive oil will smoke and turn bitter over open-flame heat. Use it as a finishing oil after cooking instead. Regular (non-virgin) olive oil is more tolerant but still marginal over coals.
Why does my food taste bitter when I cook over a fire?
Usually the oil has passed its smoke point and broken down. Switching to a higher smoke point oil and letting the fire burn down to coals before cooking fixes it in most cases.
How do I stop flare-ups on a fire pit?
Use less oil, apply it to the food rather than the grate when cooking over open bars, and cook over coals rather than flame. Keep a cooler zone on the plate to move food to when fat renders.
Do I need to season a stainless steel fire pit plate?
No. Unlike cast iron, grade 430 stainless does not require seasoning. A light film of oil before cooking is enough to stop food sticking.
The Right Plate Matters As Much As the Right Oil
High smoke-point oils only reach their potential on a plate built for real heat. The patented Tyre Fire® spare-tyre fire pit and its heavy stainless hot plates, grills and campfire plates are engineered for high-temp searing over open flame — grade 430 stainless, bolted not spot-welded, and they store right on the pit. Built by a Perth family. Free shipping Australia-wide.