Help me design an outdoor kitchen!

[EbS-P]

I have been tossing the idea of an outdoor kitchen around for a while. No no the kind you would see on you favorite home improvement show where the grill would cost more than some cars.

I want a simple, Portable around my patio (possibly portable enough to take parts camping ) Wood/charcoal and propane fired kitchen. Needs to be sized to cook for 10-15.

What features would you want? One long grill/counter/sink and range table or movable individual components? A pizza will probably be added at some point. But that’s down the road.

It appears that the off the self solutions are really expensive.

Or many I want something like this.


I’m having difficulty deciding on the primitive (think cowboy Kent Wralins) or or new aged like the first video. Haven’t cooked a lot outside but I really do like the experience.

This is where I’m coming from and once loaded with food, fire regulation and refueling is impossible. this was all for one meal.

Evan

 

[EatenByLimestone]

How do you feel about pellets?

 

[EbS-P]

Ehhh. I’ve got a very nice charcoal grill for smoking and it does well for many things. Several cords of fire wood for the stoves.

So I’m going to rule pellets out. Just to not have have to store another bag

 

[EatenByLimestone]

So strictly cordwood fuel?

 

[EbS-P]

So strictly cordwood fuel?

I’m uniformed to other than pellet grills/smokers. Was leaning cord wood/charcoal for the major cooking with a two burner propane just because it seemed easy but maybe the propane is not even necessary.

I bought that cowboy/ grill fire pit 10 years ago and bought a 1/2 cord of pecan hickory and oak thinking I really wanted to cook everything wood fired. It’s much better with charcoal than wood for cooking. No way to tend the fire.

Part of this is I need to to figure out camp cooking at home. What I need and what I can get by without. I envision a custom built camp kitchen that stores nicely in a 5x8 travel trailer and deploys quickly. First design would be for the patio and see if it could pull double as a camp kitchen.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I think sizing it for 10-15 people at once is going to be the hard part.

You may want to figure out what type of cooking you want to do with small stoves and then try to scale it up. Otherwise you may go all out and then find you don’t like the style.

One thing you may want to look into is a small smoking/grilling unit on the side to precook and then a larger unit to finish everything off for the guests. Kind of like a restaurant doing prep work ahead of time and then reheating when a customer orders the food.

 

[PaulOinMA]

I picked up a 1940s book at a library book sale on outdoor barbeques from Sunset books. Looks like they still do them.

sunset books outdoor kitchen - Google Shopping

www.google.com

 

[EbS-P]

It’s an awkward size but we are 7 and eat like 10. Just a regular night with my parents and sister means We cook 3 pounds of pasta if it’s a pasta night.

I’m thinking this is is a custom diy build. Nesting tables on casters. 6’ long firebrick base. a 2’x4’ grilling grate (two 2’x2’) on racks like height adjustable fridge shelves and a burning rack big enough for 4 splits maybe more. Smaller table with sink to fit and prep area to roll under the grilling table. And a final third smaller table that could function and a place to put coals for a Dutch oven or two.

Thinking metal frames. Trying to decide if metal studs are good enough or if I need to go heavier duty. Grill table could easily be 300# of firebrick.

 

[EbS-P]

I like this. It’s not difficult Constrction. Here in the south everything rusts. But steel welds easy.

 

[GrumpyDad]

I like this. It’s not difficult Constrction. Here in the south everything rusts. But steel welds easy.

I never understood those grills. Why burn wood to create coals when you can just buy charcoal?

 

[EbS-P]

Wood is cheap or free. More primal???? Good charcoal is $1.50 per pound.

FOGO Super Premium (Gold Bag) Lump Charcoal - 35LBS

Whyyou'lllove it burns longer Because all of the lump charcoal pieces measured over 4 inches in length you’ll experience increased overall burn time which is ideal for low and slow cooking and means your lump charcoal won’t be done before your meat is done. AWARD-WINNING FLAVOR Other lump...

www.fogocharcoal.com

Lump Charcoal 20-lb Lump Charcoal https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kamado-Joe-Lump-Charcoal-20-lb-Lump-Charcoal/1000349395

And you could always use charcoal

 

[GrumpyDad]

Wood is cheap or free. More primal???? Good charcoal is $1.50 per pound.

FOGO Super Premium (Gold Bag) Lump Charcoal - 35LBS

Whyyou'lllove it burns longer Because all of the lump charcoal pieces measured over 4 inches in length you’ll experience increased overall burn time which is ideal for low and slow cooking and means your lump charcoal won’t be done before your meat is done. AWARD-WINNING FLAVOR Other lump...

www.fogocharcoal.com

Lump Charcoal 20-lb Lump Charcoal https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kamado-Joe-Lump-Charcoal-20-lb-Lump-Charcoal/1000349395

And you could always use charcoal

I would love to see a small one in action, and I guess it's much better to use something like that if you want to cook with wood and are planning on cooking a large quantity of food. The only thing I use fire for cooking right now is 1.smores 2. cast iron sandwiches that never seem to work out 3. a Lomo al Trapo. Google the latter if you dont know what that is. Pretty interesting.

 

[EbS-P]

I regularly cook for 10-12 (3x a week) so we have leftovers enough for another meal. Any small family get togethers it’s cooking for 15. A party may be 30.

And in all honesty once I price this build out it may be cheaper to get a second 24” kamado at $1200. But a cheap build could be done. I’m do have a retaining wall that I might just build a semi permanent grill on. Concrete pad couple courses of bricks for the back and sides. The tree is dying and the wall is crackling

 

[EbS-P]

Honestly I think they use the metal studs because they frame out like a regular cabinet or wall. Hang cement board and then finish however. I gave up and finished my basement instead. If I did it it would be block with a polished concrete top that I would pour and polish myself. I don’t need a show piece I just need functionality, durability for the humid climate.

 

[Poindexter]

I do love cooking on hardwood coals. I have a small parrilla made out of a 48" job site toolbox and it is lovely. If smoldering chunks of wood on hot charcoal is mittens, cooking with glowing chunks of hardwood and no charcoal is gloves.

I have been sticking with flexibility and like it. I run a pair of medium sized Webber kettles, an ugly drum smoker and the parrilla, though I rarely cook for more than 3-4 adults. I can fit a 14# turkey in a medium Webber kettle.

I have built a few outdoor worksurfaces. Southern Yellow Pine should last pretty good out in the weather without breaking the bank, but will be pretty heavy to tote around. The biggest one I have made was 24x72 inches and it is too big most of the time. I will remake similar, but the next go round I will do a 24x24 inch work surface between the two Webbers, then a 24x48 worksurface between the off Webber and the ugly drum. What scraps I have in the moment will decide the table size for near the parrilla.

For camping I would spend the money on a grate/griddle system that can either have its own legs, or come off the legs and sit on rocks ringing the campfire. Then put in a small concrete pad at the house and get practicing. You might check out Chef Walter Staib. He had a show on PBS for a couple decades, I liked the first 3-4 seasons the best. I think the show was "a taste of history." The last recipe of season one, the West Indies Pepper Pot soup I can make now without having to look up the recipe, it is easy and good.

When I get to watching Chef Walter I think about one long table behind me and all the cookers side by side by side in front of me, but that doesn't really suit my working style.

Lodge makes a cast iron griddle about 12x20 inches, I have one of those, it is similar to other lodge product. I have not found a cast iron grate I love, though the homestores carry a few as replacement grates for some of the gas grills.

If you aren't using duct tape or baling wire somewhere to hold your gear together you aren't really doing BBQ I think. Just throw something together and get cooking. Make the next one better based on experience.

 

[bigealta]

I was just at a party that had one of these. Can cook for probably 30-40 people easily. But wow it is expensive.

 

[sneefy]

I never understood those grills. Why burn wood to create coals when you can just buy charcoal?

Wood tastes different. Especially if you use an aromatic wood like hickory logs, it imparts a nice flavor. Sort of self-smoking on a surface level.

Charcoal has flavor, but the aromatics in the wood are gone in bagged charcoal, be it lump, or especially briquettes.