outdoor kitchens

[Stonehauler]

Hey all, got a question on equipment. I am thinking of putting in an outdoor kitchen, but the biggest question I have is this. Should I build a big old-fashioned brick BBQ or just use individual components?

My ultimate plan (still saving) is to demo the 20yo deck, and put a patio in. On one side, I plan on putting all my cooking implements. Not sure if I will put it inside a pavilion or not (HOA would probably throw a fit). On the patio, I plan on either putting in an island style enclosure for equipment, or a massive brick BBQ with a smoker, some high powered burners for a outdoor homebrew setup, running water (hot and cold) maybe room for a griddle I can drop in, and have my grill placed right next to it, and room to erect a pit if I wanted to do it. (Yes Kahlua pig is great, but I am not digging up my yard, so it will be a brick pit if I do it)

So if you COULD do it, which would you rather have, individual components, or big brick monstrosity? Thoughts, opinions, wishes, and dreams all welcome.

 

[larry4406]

I’m noodling out one of these as well. Still a dream.

My planning involves use of the cookers I have, so individual components.

I mainly want a covered roof and a walled off space for a wind break.

If dream comes true, it will also have a sink with hot & cold as well as a pizza oven.

My planning involves use of a portion of an existing stone patio.

 

[cowboyupbbq]

I’ve built a couple. Individual components. Big masonry pits are hard to move when the wind is blowing.

 

[Pife]

My outdoor cooking area is a large, covered porch I can park my smoker trailer under. It's directly out my kitchen door. A roof and windbreaks are the critical items. I can cook no matter what the weather.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

I would go with individual components. You can always do a brick pit if you want. Hope you post pics as you build it

 

[BDAABAT]

Hi Ed. I guess the answer depends on what you want to cook, how you want to cook, and what your dream really is.

The configuration would likely be different if you wanted to cook (say) whole hogs or something else that required a lot of space vs. if you wanted to have a lot of space for entertaining vs. if you wanted to perfect making pizza on a regular basis or whatever.

So...what do you want to cook?

Bruce

 

[Stonehauler]

So...what do you want to cook?

Bruce

I cook most everything.

I am originally from the space between Chicago and Milwaukee, so living out here in Delaware, I can cook outdoors most of the time compared to back there. There might be 10 days every yea we would not cook out in during the winter, and honestly, most of the time it's the rain that stops us from cooking on the grill. (if you can't take a joke like a 2 inch rainfall, don't like in Delaware)

It's usually just me and the wife, no others that we entertain, but we typically cook

We do lots of stuff. I am a homebrewer in addition to a griller and BBQ hopeful. I cook shoulders and brisket, but I want to smoke beef and pork ribs, standing rib roasts for special occasions like Thanksgiving (much better than turkey IMO). I would like to cook stir fries (my current indoor burner CAN do it, but as well as I would like) outside as well. As we are both originally from the Chicago area, we do love pizza, but have not had a satisfactory experience with any kind of stone/cast iron stone in our oven and currently just cook ours directly on the oven rack with no pan or stone. It makes the crust a bit crisper

 

[mike243]

I say build the water system so it can be blown out and not freeze and bust, a outdoor spigot and a water safe hose is the easiest, a 110v water heater like in a camper that can be propane is the easiest thing for hot water. Sounds like a fun project.

 

[cowboyupbbq]

Finishing my 4th of July cook in a 2” rain helped with the decision to cover my first one. +1 on hot and cold running water-well worth the investment. Fridge is nice-just have to spend $$ to get an outdoor model.

 

[BDAABAT]

Hi Ed. Sounds very reasonable! I'm in Maryland...I totally understand. :mrgreen:

Am very fortunate to have purchased a home that had an old, aluminum awning on the back of the house that's just outside the kitchen. It's ugly as sin, but it means I get to cook nearly all of the time. The only time I don't cook is when it's super windy (like this past weekend).

So, with those cooking needs/desires, the question is: Would you be happy making what you want from a big, built-in brick BBQ? Or, would you be happy using individual components?

If there isn't a major preference one way or another, might be helpful to look at costs for going down either path. If one path is more expensive than the other, might choose to go the less expensive route. That way, you can spend a bit less than planned and use "savings" for something else...like a dedicated pizza oven, a tandoor, a griddle, an outdoor fryer, etc.!

Bruce

 

[SmokeOCD]

I looked at building a brick barrel roof smoker/pig roaster/pizza oven, drew it up, costed out everything, glad I didn't do it in the end. If you're not doing whole pigs - go modular and you can replace/upgrade a forno bravo pizza oven a lot easier than a custom brick and mortar structure. Then a really nice smoker can take care of the rest of your needs. And for brewing/woking maybe a 140,000 BTU HellFire™ burner from Blichman. (not sure how fancy your brewing setup is)

 

[BackYardRob]

Greetings from Lewes! You only have two limitations - your HOA and your imagination. I recommend a lounge chair, your favorite tunes, a cocktail and whatever it is you like to smoke. Just think of what you want to get from your area and it will come. I do recommend no permanent stuff so you can change your mind here and there to make it suit you. Mine took 4 years but it's perfect. Wish I could share pics. Best of luck!!

 

[larry4406]

Stonehauler


Scroll thru this thread to get some ideas. Unfortunately, many pictures are gone but there are still plenty to help you get some ideas. I know it was helpful for me.
https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108239

 

[Headgear]

I am in the process. This will be what I like, will be pretty convenient, and how much I want to spend. At this point in my life, I smoke and grill most everything. For me, having appliances and water outside would not be too advantageous, considering tearing up the landscaping or saw-cutting the patio, etc.

Here is my nightmare: Two years ago, I sold some farm equipment and bought a beautiful Forno Bravo pizza oven. It is outstanding... then we went on a very low-carb diet which has worked wonders. I feel like a kid again, but NO PIZZA! So there it sits. Damn!

It turns out that things with wheels are better, at least for me. So I have a stick burner, a pellet smoker, and a kamado, all with wheels. But when I do a cook, I end up running in the house to get something, roughly twenty times, lol. So I am closing in the west wall of our shelter which will block a lot of the wind, block the evening sun when it is hot, and make useful an area where I don't put furniture or smokers/grills because of the weather. (it's basically a 22' long by 12' wide sidewalk now) So we are going to build 16 feet of base cabinets with drawers, shelves, countertops, and a big old TV above. This is the one immobile thing that I don't see being a waste down the road.

I learned the hard way to make everything as mobile as possible, and if I had it to do over, I would make another space for any permanent things, off of the patio. My vote is for individual items but consider making them mobile. But of course, everyone is different and has different circumstances. Enjoy whatever it is that you decide, and good luck to you.

 

[BDAABAT]

@ David: love your layout! Looks like a wonderful spot to hang and make some tasty treats. The Shirley and the Forno Bravo oven are beautiful!

RE: pizza. I understand. After having a pizza oven for years, I discovered that my fasting blood glucose had inched up along with my circumference. Removed carbs, started exercising more, and remarkably, the weight came off and the blood sugar went down :wink:. This was ~ 6 years ago and I've managed to maintain the lower fasting blood glucose/A1C despite eating really, really well.

My wife is still in carb land and REALLY enjoys pizza. She doesn't really enjoy eating animal protein, which limits the things that she enjoys which I make regularly from our outdoor cook area.

The result: I still make pizza for her pretty regularly (although, if pressed, she would likely say its not enough. For her, there's almost no such thing as enough pizza!). I generally only partake 4 times a year. Despite those quarterly indulgences, the objective measures have been stable.

NOTE: this isn't anything other than me sharing my experience. YMMV.

Also, interesting hearing your experience with the desire/suggestion to be able to move things around. I hadn't thought about it before, but that makes a huge amount of sense. From my experience, it's been very helpful to be able to move the oven, griddle, and grills in order to either clean them or clean the cook area.

Bruce

 

[Headgear]

@ David: love your layout! Looks like a wonderful spot to hang and make some tasty treats. The Shirley and the Forno Bravo oven are beautiful!

RE: pizza. I understand. After having a pizza oven for years, I discovered that my fasting blood glucose had inched up along with my circumference. Removed carbs, started exercising more, and remarkably, the weight came off and the blood sugar went down :wink:. This was ~ 6 years ago and I've managed to maintain the lower fasting blood glucose/A1C despite eating really, really well.

My wife is still in carb land and REALLY enjoys pizza. She doesn't really enjoy eating animal protein, which limits the things that she enjoys which I make regularly from our outdoor cook area.

The result: I still make pizza for her pretty regularly (although, if pressed, she would likely say its not enough. For her, there's almost no such thing as enough pizza!). I generally only partake 4 times a year. Despite those quarterly indulgences, the objective measures have been stable.

NOTE: this isn't anything other than me sharing my experience. YMMV.

Also, interesting hearing your experience with the desire/suggestion to be able to move things around. I hadn't thought about it before, but that makes a huge amount of sense. From my experience, it's been very helpful to be able to move the oven, griddle, and grills in order to either clean them or clean the cook area.

Bruce

Thanks, Bruce I have had a similar experience with the Ketovior diet that I am doing. My wife Shirley also. We have been on it for roughly 14 months and lost 40 lbs, which is enough. I am 5'-6" and weigh 140 to 145. Drastically reducing carbs and increasing animal fat consumption is absolutely amazing. Thank God for Dr Ken Berry and Dr Annnette Bozworth. We love learning from both of them!

I can't say enough about smokers, grills and such being mobile. We have a griddle that we even roll into the basement so it never rusts. The 2300 lb. pizza oven is the only problem. I got the Shirley with the mobile base, golf cart wheels, and a 2" ball coupler so I can hook it to my JD Gator and drag it out to the field or barnyard and pressure wash the grates, fill the tires, or whatever. Mobility = less work and mess and I love it! I know that not everyone has the same circumstances, but if you can make it happen, I would definitely consider it.