Outdoor kitchen - what do I REALLY need?

[adm]

All,

So after a bit of hemming and hawing about this, I thought I'd ask the group....

I have been working on my OD kitchen plans for a while. I had thought I would need a good WFO, a charcoal grill/BBQ and a good sized prep area, plus sink etc, etc...

Anyway, the crux of it comes down to this:

What do I really need a charcoal BBQ for if I have a WFO ?

As a bit of background, I do quite a lot of low 'n' slow smoking - ribs, briskets etc. Plus I also do quite a bit of grilling for steaks, kebabs, burgers etc. I currently have two Weber kettle BBQs and a Weber Smoky Mountain water smoker. All get used regularly. I was thinking about upgrading to a large Big Green Egg or Kamado (just missed out on one last year) ceramic BBQ/smoker, but with a WFO, those would be pretty much redundant.

Most of my cooking is done with the lid on the kettles for almost everything - so in fact they are behaving as ovens anyway. The exception is really only high heat grilling for steak and burgers.

I am coming around to the opinion that almost everything I cook can be done well in a WFO. Steaks seem to be pretty easy to do either directly on the floor or on a grill set above the coals (and the WFO will give me that 7-800F temperature I am looking for for these). Probably the same for burgers and most other stuff.

So. I am still committed to having a charcoal grill area for times I don't want to fire up the oven, but my original concept was to have the WFO, plus a large Big Green Egg built into the same kitchen. Now I think I don't need the Egg, but should keep a simple tray type charcoal grill area in the design to do burgers, kebabs, etc, etc that doesn't need the full WFO treatment. This is bit strange for me as I have always hated uncovered charcoal grills and always preferred the kettle type so I can cook with the lid down....however the WFO can do this so why duplicate?

For (hot) smoking of ribs and stuff, how do you do that on a WFO? With my current smoker you kind of start low and just keep it slow....seems to me with a WFO you tend to start really hot and then use retained heat overnight for slow cooking?

Should I keep a charcoal grill area? Should I incorporate a separate hot smoker?

Questions, questions...

Thanks for any advice you guys can share.

Alasdair

[jwyno]

Hi Alasdair

I cant comment on the smoking element but in regards a charcoal grill area, have you thought about a Tuscan Grill inside the WFO?

I cant find them now but have seen other posts regarding these but this would allow you to just drop the Tuscan Grill inside the WFO when you wanted to use it and also give the option of leaving the door of the WFO open or closed like a kettle or Green Egg.

THis would mean as long as your entrance was big enough to take the size of Tuscan grill you found, you would not have to overly worry about actually including this in your design or plans.

Maybe others can find the links to the Tuscan Grill posts but a quick entry into Google would return a few hits.

Good luck
James

[adm]

Thanks James,

A Tuscan Grill inside the oven was exactly what I was thinking about. I just didn't know it was called that. I was thinking of a couple of firebricks on their side with a grill on top...

I guess the combination of door and a chimney damper should provide plenty of control anyway.

[rivergirl]

My outside kitchen started life as a pergola against the side of the house. Over the years it has grown to become an outside kitchen, dining room and living room! With last years extension covering the Cobb oven and the hot smoker with the cold smoking cupboard running off of it. The actual kitchen was units that I rescued from going to the tip, the sink the same. I put it on top of a bedside cabinet .
I have a gas BBQ, the primo in the actual kitchen . Will take photos tomorrow and post them . This photo is the divider between the kitchen/ living room

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[minesamojito]

I have a similar setup to RG, though not quite so grand, I have my WFO, a grill/smoker made out of an oil drum, and I use a proq frontier bullet smoker, I use all of them for different things, I really don't think you'll get the same effect from your wfo, it's a different sort of heat, very dry, from a bullet smoker. My next investment will be a kamado joe.
Hope that helps.
Cheers
Marcus

[adm]

Thanks folks!

I was going to pull the trigger on a Kamado Joe last year, but then I almost got my hands on an "original" Kamado....but that never happened for various reasons. In fact, I have been after a big ceramic BBQ for many years but I am now of the opinion that a WFO is probably the better way to go for me. I know it won't give the same results as a water smoker though - although I can live with that. And of course I can keep my current trusty Webers!

On a different subject, for those of you who haven't built or completed a WFO yet but still lust for perfect pizza, I ordered a "Weber Charcoal Pizza Oven" the other day. It's a replacement for the grill and lid parts on a Weber kettle BBQ that has a built in stone, plus a redesigned lid and vent system to (apparently) cook perfect pizza. No idea how it will work as it hasn't been delivered yet, but I am kind of hopeful... will let you know...

[rivergirl]

This was my ceramic BBQ being brought over the river to me , my heart was in my mouth until it was safely over here!!!

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[adm]

:-) Looks good - is that the Primo?

How do you like it?

[rivergirl]

I love it!! It's great to cook on and the minute you close up the vents it goes out so the charcoal lasts so much longer. I have a slab of soaked walnut in there for extra taste!! Still waiting to get a swish base for it though..... I prefer the oval type to the round. I thought that it would give me more surface area.

[adm]

Interesting....so what do you use all the different cookers for? Do you have particular favourites to cook on one type over another?

[rivergirl]

This one is a charcoal Barbie or wood burner hot smoker.. I have patched my old cold smoking cupboard to it ( it used to be attached to my old gas BBQ) I use it to hot smoke and of course the by product is a cold smoke which is great for cheese,salt, rice, butter etc.

I tend to use the primo most days and fire up the hot smoker when I have run out of rice etc.
the gas BBQ is mostly used on Sundays when I need a big cooking area or if I am roasting a few joints together.

I suspect that I do not need them all but I love them!!

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[adm]

That's great! I have the little ProQ cold SMoke generator which i use in my bullet smoker (with no fire going). It works well, but I lkie the idea of harnessing the smoke from the hot smoker while it's running....

I really hadn't thought of smoking rice before. Might give that a try as I bet it makes a blinding risotto.

[rivergirl]

yes it does!!! The first time I made smoked risotto it was with smoked mushrooms,rice and cheese ! Def not a hint of smoke!!

[DuncanM]

Personally in my dream outdoor kitchen I'd have:
- Brick Oven
- Sink
- Fridge(s)
- lots and lots of countertop space
- Charcoal BBQ
- Seperate smoke stack that can be used to cold or hot smoke food
- Pergola with retractable fabric roof (already designed in my head), to make the most of the British sun 3 days a year, and provide some weather proofing for the other 362.

In reality (having only bought my first house two years ago) I'm only going to be able to have:
- Brick Oven
- 1 decent sized countertop
- Charcoal BBQ
- Power socket to run appliances outside for a day or two.

I have achieved all but the countertop so far.

I do have the ability to add further countertop space in the future and I still have grand plans (fully designed in my head) for a brick stack that can function as a cold/hot smoker money and time allowing (I won't have any time spare until next year at least).

Good luck with it all!

[rivergirl]

I am lucky here have power points and electric lighting. So a fridge as well and outdoor freezers ( but they are around the other side of the house.) when I do this in England I would love a retractable roof!! Poor mans version here!! We have the outside living room as well with an old tv . That's stood us in good stead for the last four years! Each year we think the cold air will kill it but it survives LOL