Santa Maria built-in

[mflick333]

Hello, I'm at the very beginning of designing my outdoor kitchen. I'm not too interested in most of the common amenities (gas grills, dish washers, stoves, etc). I already own a Gozney Dome and Camp Chef pellet smoker that I plan to keep nearby but my dream for the kitchen part is to have a Santa Maria grill built-in. I performed some initial searches and from what I found prices are starting around $4k for a 36in surface.

I'd appreciate any direction/wisdom folks here have about reputable sources for these grills and considerations I should be making. For those who keep their Santa Marias outdoors, what's the risk of the mechanical mechanisms (wheel, etc) getting rusted/corroded over time? I live in the mid atlantic so it would see everything from hot and humid days to snowfall. I can cover the grill when not in use but I can't move it indoors nor will it be under a roof. Are these grills difficult to maintain/clean?

Appreciate any critiques/suggestions, I've never had an outdoor kitchen setup before so would love to learn from others anything I should be avoiding and/or prioritizing. Thanks in advance.

Cheers!

[WI Bubba]

Welcome from Wisconsin. Glad you could join!

I don't know diddly about Santa Maria grills, but I'm sure someone who does will be along shortly.

[ecowper]

This is the one I always drool over :-)

https://grillsandcookers.com/products/braten-1000-masonry

[ecowper]

TripleB yep and there is a free standing version with both direct firebox and offset firebox :-)

[TripleB]

ecowper Yes, I saw that. Never saw that before either. But I would probably steer away from that combo.

[Donw]

My LSG Santa Maria has a full cover which I bought from them. Normally it sits out without cover from Spring to Fall unless a big weather event is in the forecast and I throw a big rectangular heavy canvas over it on which I use Carabiners wrap around the sides and hold in place for easy on and off. In Winter I fully cover with the LSG cover. Too bad they don’t make a built-in because mine hasn’t shown any rust in over 5 years sitting outside exposed.

[dpearce]

Don't have one, either, but I noticed Meadow Creek came out with a fire pit/santa maria grill option. Seems to be a little more affordable than most traditionally made ones:

https://www.meadowcreekbbq.com/catalog/santa-maria-grills/smfp34-santa-maria-fire-pit/

[TripleB]

theroc Roc, this is your area of expertise. Chime in.

[Ace]

Welcome to the Pit.

[Donw]

I mentioned my LSG above and no issues with it outside but unfortunately they don’t make a built-in.

However, there are cover manufacturers who can make almost any cover reasonably priced. I have used Covers&All to make covers for all my outdoor cookers, tables, and even a really big granite top table that even has a built-in waterfall in one of its walls. And, they can manufacture in things like heavy duty Velcro strips to ease the on and off process. I only buy their heaviest duty fabric and those have lasted a minimum of 8 years now.

https://www.coversandall.com/santa-maria-grill-cover-p

[ecowper]

I get outdoor furniture covers from covers and all, also!

[RonB]

I can't help, ut welcome to The Pit.

[RiverJeff]

Welcome from Nebraska! Help is here!

[theroc]

We live in Southern California where the weather is pretty mild, but we do leave our Santa Maria grill outside all the time. We just use a simple tarp to cover it, secured with some large clips. Ours is a Buckaroo Chunkwood Grill from Lompoc, CA. The grate hoist mechanism is very simple and I doubt it would be fouled by severe weather. We love the grill, but I don't think they make a built-in model. A quick phone call to them would be a way to find out for sure. The grill has a number of nice features like a fire brick bottom and the blower system that really helps when starting your fires.

Good luck, and you will love cooking on any Santa Maria grill. There is nothing like live fire cooking.

[Uncle Bob]

Shipping cost and perhaps distance to view the product in person might matter to you so here's one the will work with you on customization and does a quality build: LIVE FIRE - TMG PITS

[DavidNorcross]

Welcome from Virginia!

[briano52]

I just built my dream home with my dream outdoor kitchen a couple of years ago. It came out great, but I learned a few things along the way that I am happy to share:

• Sink: I put in a large sink with hot water. This has become an indispensable amenity for me. No more taking greasy and dirty grill grates into the kitchen in the house. (I don't know why but my SO really got upset over me washing grill grates in the house). The hot water hookup costs a few bucks, but I find it necessary and use it a lot. A large with commercial style pull-down sprayer is very nice. A very worthwhile splurge. Get a sink large enough for your largest grill grates and racks. Include a disposal for the sink.
• Counter finish: I went with a red colored concrete. It is functional but quickly faded. I would use a granite or some other stone like-finish next time.
• I put in a dishwasher. The only outdoor rated dishwasher I could find was an Asko. Pretty expensive and it doesn't get used all that often. Not sure I would do that again. Also, my kitchen indoor is just few steps from the patio with the outdoor kitchen. The extra dishwasher does get used on holidays and allows me to get most dishes and glasses in dishwasher before bedtime. Don't have to face them in the morning.
• Garbage and recycling bins in a pullout drawer mounted under the counter get used a lot.
• Warming drawer. Very handy although I don't like the controls on my Twin Eagles warmer. I would look at another brand next time. My inside kitchen has a Miele warming drawer that I really like a lot. All my indoor appliances are Miele except for my SubZero reefer.
• Gas grill: I went with a 36" Twin Eagles. It has been wonderful. The high heat sear burner is great for steaks. The 36" size is large enough for a big crowd but doesn't take up more space than necessary. I have 7 outdoor cookers and use charcoal and wood more often than the gas grill, but the gasser is very handy for weeknights or when you don't have a lot of time. Twin Eagles grills are very good and quite expensive. But then with the tariffs on metals, all of the high-end grills have gone up in price quite a bit. My Twin Eagles is all stainless steel. It cooks and looks like the day it was new. There are a number of high-end gas grills out there so maybe shop around to see what you like in your budget.
• Electrical outlets on the counter are very handy.
• Put in more drawers and doors to the under-counter storage than you think you will need. You will find a way to fill them up.
• Pizza/wood fired oven: Mine sits on the countertop and that works well. I would buy a litter bigger one next time. Bigger is easier to maintain the heat in and can cook to pizzas two at once. Mine is an Alfa 5 Minuti. I am happy with the brand; I would just get the next size up if I did it again. I see you have a Gozney. I haven't cooked on one but they get good reports. Wood versus gas doesn't make much difference in pizza. The pizza pie is only in the oven for a few minutes and doesn't take up much if any smoke flavor.
• Santa Maria Grill: I don't have one. I prefer cooking on a charcoal or wood grill that has a lid. Easier to control heat and keep things moister than on a Santa Maria. But I understand the allure of the Santa Maria which has a lot of fans.
• My cookers: the ones that get the most use are my Weber kettle performer, MAK pellet grill and my KAT vault cooker. Each have their own strong areas and tending/watching requirements. The Weber kettle is extremely versatile and can grill and smoke with the best cookers. Grilling is its best application. For me, smoking on the vault or the MAK is easier and handles more volume of meat.

I hope these observations are helpful. If you are like me, you will probably live with your outdoor kitchen for a long time so doing some pre-build homework is worthwhile. It was for me.

[Johnny Booth]

Odds and Ends…..
If this kitchen is exposed to weather, the materials are key.
Will any part of the kitchen be covered? Does local code allow building a ceiling over a Santa Maria grill? Hood?
Consider concrete for the counters. Granite will wear in sun/rain/ice. Other man-made ‘inside’ products may not perform.
For the cabinets. Non-flammable materials are best for safety and codes.

+1 on the plumbing. Hot and cold. The largest single bowl stainless sink you can find. No disposal
+1 on electrical and lighting over every counter and cooking surface. I have small spotlights that can rotate.

Take it from a stick-burner:
You will drop hot coals, sauces, grease etc. everywhere and onto whatever surfaces you have.
Cleaning black coals, ash, and grease will be common. Have a means to easily clean and dispose of this stuff.
Splitting wood and kindling is messy. Decide if this is something you want to do in the kitchen area, or how far you will haul it when needed.
Ease of Cleaning will be important with any live fire.
Have a hose-bib nearby, great for washing down and for emergency fire control.

Welcome to The Pit. 😎

[briano52]

Very good advice. Except I would not put in a sink in an outdoor kitchen without a disposal. I use it all the time. I have electric under my counter for the grill, dishwasher, outlets and the warming drawer. Why not have a disposal? They are the cheapest appliance in the whole kitchen. Choice of counter tops is a tough one. I am not sure. I used polish concrete and is OK but not great looking.

[Johnny Booth]

The grease cools and solidifies as it goes through the pipe. In my world, animal waste goes in the trash, plant waste goes in the composter. Grey water only in the kitchen drains. Unless a person has plumbing skills, a grease clog is going to cost about $500 for the emergency call-out, plus labor. 😉

[briano52]

Good points made about the shortcomings of a disposal. But, I pour any grease in the trash bin, and any solids go there too. 40+ years of living with a disposal and not a single clog that I needed a plumber for or needed to run a snake. I do know how to work a snake and have done it many times for family and neighbors, but not for me. YMMV.

[mflick333]

Wow, Thanks for the incredible responses, definitely more than expected! I knew I was somewhere on the Dunning Kruger curve about knowing what I was doing and all of your help confirmed it!

One of my major takeaways is that I should seriously consider sheltering my cooking area/equipment. I had planned on a sheltered area aside from the kitchen so now I'll need to make some rearrangements with the plan. If anyone has roof suggestions based on their experiences I'd love to hear them.

As someone who cooks a lot indoors as well I'm always thinking about how difficult cleaning will be so being able to spray everything down with a hose has a lot of appeal. I was wondering if anyone had any other tips for making cleaning as easy as possible - especially around the grill and ash disposal. I was hoping to clean off grill grates etc in the sink but it sounds like that runs a risk of clogging the pipes.

So far here's my draft list of materials being considered:

36" Santa Maria (https://sunterraoutdoor.com/product/...rg-36dsibrb-2/)
Gozney Dome (already own)
Drop-in gas burner from Alfresco or Blaze grills
Sink (TBD hot/cold)
Kettle grill cutout (figured it would be useful to have a traditional kettle that's easy to replace)
Camp Chef Woodwind pellet smoker (already own - wouldn't be built-in)
Honed granite or concrete counter top
Scattering of outlets and lighting
Small under counter refrigerator (any suggestions?)

Thanks again for all the responses - this forum's great!

[Uncle Bob]

If you have gas fuel line to the cook area you might want to consider a quick connect fitting inline that's easily accessible for attaching any future, none built in gas fueled tool/appliance/attachment.

[Panhead John]

mflick333 When I first joined here 5 years ago, that was my experience too….quick and helpful advice from lots of friendly folks. It’s that way all…the…time!