Nothing beats the taste of a steak fresh off the barbecue. If flipping meats and entertaining your friends is your calling, building an outdoor kitchen is an excellent investment.
Meet Your Needs
The most beautiful outdoor kitchen will fall flat if it does not meet your needs. Choose a space and define your budget first. Make a list of what you want, prioritize it, and make design, material and appliance choices that answer your needs.
Ask yourself:
- Do I want to do prep work?
- How many people do I want to feed?
- Do I want to prep things like sauces, deep fried or smoked foods?
- Do I want to store tools, dishes or other equipment outside?
- Is a sink essential?
- Will I be eating and entertaining outdoors?
- Do I want chilled drinks or ice available without having to buy ice?
- Do I want a full kitchen look, or do I to use the space for other things when I am not cooking?
Choosing Your Barbecue
Every outdoor kitchen revolves around the barbecue itself, and picking one can be the hardest choice you make. Decide on the type of barbecue you want before pick extra features. You can find some great barbecues with a wide range of great features on websites such as Bayside BBQs & Outdoor Centre
Charcoal
Charcoal barbecues, when loaded with natural wood charcoal, produce the robust, smoky flavor that all barbecuers pursue. They burn hotter than their gas-powered counterparts, making them perfect for searing meat. On the other hand, it is difficult to control your heat levels. They are also more time consuming to use and maintain, and while the initial investment is lower than gas, quality charcoal is expensive.
Gas/Propane
Gas burns cleaner, faster and more cheaply than charcoal. If you tie the barbecue into your home's gas lines, you will never run out of fuel. Gas barbecues allow for maximum control of your heat levels. Unfortunately, they are a bigger initial investment than charcoal barbecues, and even the models with built-in smoke boxes cannot promise the rich flavor that charcoal provides.
Use your list of priorities and questions to choose from the plethora of extra options. Always buy the most reliable, durable barbecue you can afford.
Keep It Gleaming
The first step of outdoor kitchen maintenance is to pick easy-to-clean materials in the first place. Stone countertops, stainless steel barbecue grates and teak furniture are more expensive up front but save you hours of maintenance and frustration.
For your barbecue, avoid caustic cleaners and instead rely on your steel brush and steel wool. Move with the grain of stainless steel grates. Use a hard brush to clean any burners and remove greasy build-up. Any grill that is not kept beneath a canopy will need to be covered when not in use.
Designing your outdoor kitchen to be easy to clean and use will guarantee that you enjoy your time outside. Go for quality over quantity, utility over looks and get out there and enjoy yourself.
Photo sources:
Stirlingstoneworks on Flicker
