Recommendation for simple outdoor kitchen setup

[PandaBear]

So I come to realize that I need an outdoor kitchen, so I can cook all the stinky stuff that could get to my wife and my daughter because of the smell. Things like fatty beef, fish, and grilling meat at high temperature that I'll end up cleaning up the kitchen more than I want to.

I was cooking with propane back when I live in apartment complex that does not have natural gas, and remember those 2 burners and 20lb tank well. I was thinking either getting one of those, or a propane BBQ, or just some 110V electric cook top that can be used outdoor (or portable enough that I can store in the garage after I am done). One of my coworker have tapped his indoor natural gas line through the wall and into his grill. It is nice but I'm not sure if I want to spend that much effort or risk a leak if it wasn't done right.

Any suggestion on pros and cons? I was also tempted to burn some scrap wood after seeing some of the BITOG's wood gas stove, but I'm not sure if I'm skilled enough to do it.

 

[eljefino]

You can get the gas company to do a real hookup for your BBQ. That or a 20 lb bottle won't kill you on price.

Wife cooks bacon outside because of the smell.

I start maple syrup sap out there because of the steam. That needs a cheaper heat source.

 

[OtisBlkR1]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Wife cooks bacon outside because of the smell.




My wife complains about me stinking up the house while making big country breakfasts.. (says the house smells like greese) although she never complains when eating it..

 

[tom slick]

You have to change some parts in a propane grill to burn natural gas. It's not as simple as hooking into the natural gas pipe.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Our grill mounts in a brick enclosure-I just replaced our old Weber with a new one this spring. I leave off the bottom portion and the grill sits directly onto a mount in the brick rather than the "cart" portion of the grill. I had to modify it slightly for the new Weber, but it's easy enough to do. The gas line hooks up like any other gas appliance would. It's tapped into our home propane system.

Unless you want to do some modifications you're better off with a regular propane grill (or fuel of your choice). Most grills could be converted to natural gas, and some (like Weber) can be purchased to use natural gas. But unless you want to do the work to put a line in then you're better off with another fuel source that is portable.

I'd be careful burning scrap wood unless you know the source. I know a guy who likes to burn anything he can get his hands on, including scrap pallet wood. Some of those pallets have soaked up some nasty chemicals over the years and I'd never want to eat anything that he cooked with his scrap wood.

 

[PandaBear]

So it seems like propane tank burner is the way to go. I'd likely spend more tire doing skillet than grill so that's probably a better idea.

How much of a fuel cost difference will home NG vs tank propane be? With the amount of cooking I will do, probably an ROI of 100 years.

I saw some pretty cheap (i.e. $70-130) propane grill in Walmart and OSH. Is there anything I should beware of?

 

[tom slick]

I grill a couple of times a week and a tank lasts for months. The fuel cost difference is a non-issue.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: tom slick
I grill a couple of times a week and a tank lasts for months. The fuel cost difference is a non-issue.

+1