If you dream of having an outdoor kitchen for summer grilling, barbecues or simply enjoy the taste of food cooked on the grill there are several options for accessories you can incorporate into your plans. Outdoor kitchens can go beyond the standard grill and can be designed to be a full cooking and food prep area right in your backyard. Here are a few ideas of what you can include in your plan:
This Art of Stone project was for a client in Dawsonville, GA who wanted a complete outdoor kitchen. It has all of the appliances and accessories a homeowner would need to host a cookout style party and was built into an existing patio space. This plan offers plenty of counter top prep area along with cabinet storage.
Outdoor kitchens are all about grilling so the main appliance in this design was the grill. Cabinet doors allow access to the base of the grill for both storage and convince. There is ample counter space around the grill for setting dishes and cooking utensils on.
Besides a grilling area, a stove top is also handy for your outdoor cooking needs. A gas stove top was included with a single burner which is big enough to accommodate large pots or pans. This feature is convenient so you can cook a full meal outdoors and not have to use your indoor kitchen stove. Including a stove, saves trips in and out of the house. For your own backyard, you can add a stove top with multiple burners. With this design, Art of Stone included a large and small burner located apart from each other. The stove top has a stainless steel cover to protect the burner when not in use as well as provide additional counter top space.
A Big Green Egg, Kamado grill, ceramic grill or charcoal smoker grill is a popular accessory for an outdoor kitchen design. Here we have built the BGE into the stone so there is counter space around the top of the egg for setting dishes and pans on. The counter top was build around the Big Green Egg for easy access when lifting the cooker top as well as keeping the unit at a good height for cooking. There is also a stainless steel door in the side center of the Big Green Egg for access and ventilation as needed.
This is a photo of the kitchen before we added a custom roof. Building a roof is not necessary but still a great idea so you may use the grilling area in any weather plus your appliances are protected from rain, hail or snow.
The completed outdoor kitchen with the roof overhead. We also added a ceiling fan and handy directional spot lighting. Storage cabinets with steel doors are built in under the counters for storing cooking tools and accessories. This plan will provide all you need to host the perfect barbecue or cook a family meal in your backyard!
