Hey all,
For the last few months my wife and I have been in the process of an international move many years in the making. We've finally made it and are now living in the semi-desert highlands of Mexico, bouncing around in rentals - we bought a house but it needs lots of work and will be a little while until it's ready. The house will have a rooftop patio, and though it gets very hot here during mid-day, the evenings are very pleasant and for the first time in my life I'll be able to cook outside year-round in consistent conditions. It was an adventure BBQing in the 4 seasons, but I won't miss the temp swings that threw off a pizza cook or made a slab of meat late to the table.
Now for the problem statement: in my infinite wisdom, I unloaded most of my gear and brought down only the very portable stuff, that being a Blackstone tabletop griddle and Ooni Karu 16. Big mistake! Much of the specific gear I assumed would be readily available is actually not, and what is costs much more - a Weber Kettle 22" premium for example is about $350 today. Many brands don't appear to be available at all and shipping from the states + customs clearance is expensive. I've gradually accepted that I'll be taking a bath for that error in judgement.
But with every mistake comes an opportunity: I can basically remake my cooking setup from scratch, WOO! Here's a draft design of the aforementioned patio (gear represented here were simply suggestions by the designer). It'll have about 15 feet of linear space between two skylights for cooking gear and counter. That's much more than I'm used to, and I'm salivating a bit already at the possibilities.
I was pretty haphazard before with my purchases, and while I didn't collect a ton of stuff, I'm not sure I pieced together a complimentary set. I know that I want to be able to grill, griddle, bake and smoke like before. I may keep using the Ooni and the tabletop griddle, but it isn't a requirement to keep them, especially as the Ooni is hard to work if you don't have access to the rear (which I won't unless I stick it on a rolling cart). If possible I would like to get everything either on the counter or cut into this setup, so I have a clean looking patio for once. It'd be okay to break the countertop up so I could fit a freestanding piece in like a cabinet smoker, though with something like a Kettle I'd prob just cut a hole in the counter and sink it in.
My top 7 outdoor dishes of the last decade (and what I've used to cook them) have been:
- Grill smoked whole chicken (Kettle / SNS)
- Pizza (Ooni)
- Pork and beef ribs (Kettle or vertical cabinet)
- Burgers (griddle)
- Salmon (kettle or griddle) and
- Turkey parts (vertical cabinet)
- Pancakes (not the smoker)
Less often were steak cuts like skirt or flank but I have a feeling those will happen much more often as they are east to find and look great here.
Okay, so: if you had to assemble 3-4 pieces of equipment that could cover these bases, what would you choose? What more would you want to know? I don't want to offer too much of my own leanings and aim to keep an open mind. Feel free to identify specific make and model or just a type of equipment, all ideas are welcome.
Thanks as always, I find this group's advice so helpful, whether I've asked a question or followed along somebody else's thread. Take care!
For the last few months my wife and I have been in the process of an international move many years in the making. We've finally made it and are now living in the semi-desert highlands of Mexico, bouncing around in rentals - we bought a house but it needs lots of work and will be a little while until it's ready. The house will have a rooftop patio, and though it gets very hot here during mid-day, the evenings are very pleasant and for the first time in my life I'll be able to cook outside year-round in consistent conditions. It was an adventure BBQing in the 4 seasons, but I won't miss the temp swings that threw off a pizza cook or made a slab of meat late to the table.
Now for the problem statement: in my infinite wisdom, I unloaded most of my gear and brought down only the very portable stuff, that being a Blackstone tabletop griddle and Ooni Karu 16. Big mistake! Much of the specific gear I assumed would be readily available is actually not, and what is costs much more - a Weber Kettle 22" premium for example is about $350 today. Many brands don't appear to be available at all and shipping from the states + customs clearance is expensive. I've gradually accepted that I'll be taking a bath for that error in judgement.
But with every mistake comes an opportunity: I can basically remake my cooking setup from scratch, WOO! Here's a draft design of the aforementioned patio (gear represented here were simply suggestions by the designer). It'll have about 15 feet of linear space between two skylights for cooking gear and counter. That's much more than I'm used to, and I'm salivating a bit already at the possibilities.
I was pretty haphazard before with my purchases, and while I didn't collect a ton of stuff, I'm not sure I pieced together a complimentary set. I know that I want to be able to grill, griddle, bake and smoke like before. I may keep using the Ooni and the tabletop griddle, but it isn't a requirement to keep them, especially as the Ooni is hard to work if you don't have access to the rear (which I won't unless I stick it on a rolling cart). If possible I would like to get everything either on the counter or cut into this setup, so I have a clean looking patio for once. It'd be okay to break the countertop up so I could fit a freestanding piece in like a cabinet smoker, though with something like a Kettle I'd prob just cut a hole in the counter and sink it in.
My top 7 outdoor dishes of the last decade (and what I've used to cook them) have been:
- Grill smoked whole chicken (Kettle / SNS)
- Pizza (Ooni)
- Pork and beef ribs (Kettle or vertical cabinet)
- Burgers (griddle)
- Salmon (kettle or griddle) and
- Turkey parts (vertical cabinet)
- Pancakes (not the smoker)
Less often were steak cuts like skirt or flank but I have a feeling those will happen much more often as they are east to find and look great here.
Okay, so: if you had to assemble 3-4 pieces of equipment that could cover these bases, what would you choose? What more would you want to know? I don't want to offer too much of my own leanings and aim to keep an open mind. Feel free to identify specific make and model or just a type of equipment, all ideas are welcome.
Thanks as always, I find this group's advice so helpful, whether I've asked a question or followed along somebody else's thread. Take care!
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