Tabletop Firepit Night

Start outside, with nothing above you. Find a stable nonflammable surface: a concrete patio, a stone step, a metal table with the umbrella pulled out, or bare ground. Check that no awning, branch or ceiling hangs overhead. Assemble the firepit following its manual, then add only the fuel the manual names.

Light the firepit the way its instructions say, then step back and let the flame settle for a few minutes until it's steady and about the size of a dinner plate. Put your bucket of water or extinguisher within arm's reach. Now pull the chairs in close, so everyone can reach the fire while seated.

Set up a prep surface next to the fire, like a cutting board or tray. Break the chocolate bars into squares ahead of time so nobody fumbles with a hot marshmallow in one hand. Lay out graham crackers, marshmallows, and your add-ins: sea salt, chopped pecans, banana slices, whatever sounded fun at the store.

Here's the one skill of the night. Skewer a marshmallow, hold it a few inches above the flame, not in it, and rotate it slowly. Give it a couple of minutes. When the whole surface turns even gold, the inside has gone liquid. Press it between chocolate and crackers and squeeze until the chocolate goes soft.

Everyone builds one invented s'more using at least one add-in. Salted dark chocolate. Banana and pecan. Whatever sounds terrible but might be brilliant. Try warming the crackers near the flame for about ten seconds first, they get toasty and crisp. Then pass them around, taste every one, and vote out loud on the table's favorite.

Extinguish the fire with your firepit's cover or shutoff, then leave it exactly where it is. The metal stays hot for 30 minutes or longer, so no packing up yet. Use that time for the last of the chocolate and the easy post-fire conversation, then pack the cooled firepit away.