Not sure if this is the proper forum or if it should go under equipment recommendations, but I'm in the process of building a new house including outdoor pool and summer kitchen. Here's a picture from one of the contractors for a proposed area. Anything I'm missing or should be looking out for? My thought was that I wanted a sink, at least one refrigerator (one for meat, one for beverages?), a green egg (or something similar), and then a griddle. I feel like I could get what I'd need out of a grill with an egg, and I like using the griddle to make breakfast items, but especially smashburgers.
I am no architect so take this with a grain of salt. But I would flip it around so that the sink and fridge are against the wall and grills on the exposed side. That way when you are working on the counter or at the sink, you will not be bombarded with smoke from the grills. Smoke will be able to escape on the open side. Just a thought......
Don't put your BGE or similar in a corner like that. Your want it out so that breezes can blow the smoke away from your cooking area or a fan can diburse them. I would put the cooking items, egg and grill, plus charcoal storage on an outside island and the sink and more storage on the inside wing. You will want storage for wood chips or chunks, utensils, Fireboard and cables, drip pans, storage for different accessories for each cooker, etc., etc.
Take your time with your lay out and think of the good and the bad of each item. I finished my lay out on graph paper last summer and was going to build over the winter when I broke my hip in November. You can print 1/4 inch per foot graph paper off the web.
Holey jumpin with a view like that my cooking would be burned to crisp all the time.
NO help on your planning but I am going to sit down and re-evaluate my life....
I of course love smoked meats of all kinds, but also like quick cooks like chicken portions, pork tenderloins, steak and fish. Really into cooking of all kinds.
My outdoor kitchen has a Lone Star Grillz Adjustable and it is wonderful. There also is a Pit Boss 5 Burner Ultimate Griddle.
There is an outdoor fire pit that has grilling capability and limited Santa Maria-style grill raising and lowering.
Piling on about swapping places to put egg in more open space and to get sink/fridge(s) closer to wall where utilities are easier to access anyway. I'd also lobby for LOTS more storage and counter space. Think outdoor buffet line. See Spinaker posts on adding a landing surface near the egg for hot items.
My outdoor kitchen has been in the making for a couple of years now. Every time I see a new build like this envy is my first reaction. It's exciting building a new home, good luck and build as much as you can realistically afford. Things I compromised on when I build mine are still haunting me to this day !! Good luck and let us see how it turned out !!
I see that you put a bar level counter on the outside edge, facing the pool. If you swap the grills to that side, as others are suggesting, I know that will not be possible. I have to agree with the others though, that you want the grills out away from the house if at all possible, but it doesn't allow for the bar/serving level if you do that. Tough decision.
As far as built in grills and griddles....
I agree that a good Kamado will work for charcoal grilling and smoking needs. Just don't go too small on this - the "large" big green egg is only 18" in diameter, and is small in my opinion. I would look hard at the Primo grills, as they are oblong, and seem to work better for smoking bigger cuts of meat.
For a gas built in, Attjack has a Blaze grill that he built in and seems to like a lot. I know you said you want a griddle, but I am thinking a good gasser can double as a griddle if you add the right grates to it (Grillgrates or the Grillgrate griddle panels, a Little Griddle, etc). A griddle doesn't double as a grill though. Sometimes, the convenience of a gas grill is great for quick cooks, in my opinion, and that is why I have both, even though I prefer grilling over charcoal if I have time.
I would browse bbqguys.com and see what their options are on built in gas grills, charcoal grills, and kamados. They do have some nice built in flat top grills if you want to go that route.
Jumping back into this as I'm getting closer to having to make a decision on going with the builder contractor as house is being built, or doing this post-build. I'm really torn on what to get as I primarily (75-80%) use my smoker or portable griddle when I'm outdoors. The other 20% of the time is a small charcoal grill I bought for $50 for burgers and dogs. I do agree though that a nicely kept gas grill will always be handy.
(cont) I'll take a look at the Primos. And also, am told it will be hard to have a vent put in if I want cookers on the wall-side of the house, so I'll probably have to have those facing pool and removing counter-top option. Anyone out there have two fridges? I was thinking one for beverages and one for meat storage/brining/etc.
etronsman I would post your new questions as separate messages in this thread, to get more exposure. I got notice since it was a comment on my reply. If you really use mostly a smoker and a griddle, then it may be sufficient to build in a griddle and a kamado or other grill that can double as a smoker. Or heck, just do counter tops and use your counter top griddle or smoker...
18†anything is small as far as an outdoor kitchen goes, biggest is best in your case. Yup, smoke and aroma & grease splatter on the outside, that way you won’t have to clean yer white house as much. That’s about as much as you need fer advice from me. Otherwise, you’d end up havin a log cabin in the woods. Sumthin tells me yer not aimin for that.
I of course love smoked meats of all kinds, but also like quick cooks like chicken portions, pork tenderloins, steak and fish. Really into cooking of all kinds.
My outdoor kitchen has a Lone Star Grillz Adjustable and it is wonderful. There also is a Pit Boss 5 Burner Ultimate Griddle.
There is an outdoor fire pit that has grilling capability and limited Santa Maria-style grill raising and lowering.
And then there's the cooker I've been jealous of lately. There is a built-in version of the Lone Star Grillz Adjustable Charcoal Grill and Smoker that would give you the option of just about any cooking configuration you want from offset smoking to direct high temp grilling. See the posts from AZ Fogey on his version of this on wheels. I would definitely go that route if doing an outdoor kitchen new build. Space on that baby would not be an issue.
etronsman - I'm completely in agreement with Jim White . Of course some might accuse me of being prejudiced. Seriously though, the pit is 48" wide and I'm just about positive that it would fit into standard counter depth, and you will not need to buy two cookers because the Adjustable pretty much can do anything. No need for a gas hook-up and no worries about ceramics. As with any built-in, the cut-out will need to be lined because the exterior of the pit does get hot.
etronsman - Just thought about something else you need to consider. These pits are very heavy, whether we're talking about a Kamado or almost anything from Lone Star Grillz. You have to have a way to dolly them into your back yard because most delivery companies will, at most, put your new pit in your garage, and that's out of the kindness of the driver's heart. Since you're building, think about putting a nice, wide cement walkway running from your driveway to the back yard.
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