Outdoor cooking tables, bbq prep area.

[Brett-EDH]

Looking for ideas of what others are using for outdoor cooking tables, grilling pre areas. I am working on a new bbq cook/prep area and don't have a well formed idea of what I want and need.

So, any pics to share of what you like or don't like in your bbq area/tables, setup that you have going?

 

[ChuckO]

As you know, I'm retiring soon and hope to buy a retirement home in the $300K range. Then I'm going to have something built hopefully similar to this

My budget is $100K, and it should be doable, a lot of the work I can do myself

 

[Brett-EDH]

As you know, I'm retiring soon and hope to buy a retirement home in the $300K range. Then I'm going to have something built hopefully similar to this

My budget is $100K, and it should be doable, a lot of the work I can do myself

love this!!! lmk where i'm flying to to imbibe the local flavors. that's a pretty epic setup.

 

[Rich G]

As you know, I'm retiring soon and hope to buy a retirement home in the $300K range. Then I'm going to have something built hopefully similar to this

My budget is $100K, and it should be doable, a lot of the work I can do myself

There's not enough seating there for all of us, Chuck!

@Brett-EDH, I've got an L-shaped island covered by a pergola. It's got electric, but no running water. The grills line the low wall area behind the island, creating a squarish shape with me holding court in the middle. The island has bar height seating around the perimeter, with standard counter height on the interior. I use my counter for prep as needed, and also have converted my 4-burner Summit Platinum cart to use as a platform for my 22" Blackstone and my Ooni Koda 16. I will be converting the 6-burner Summit Platinum sometime this Spring, and it will serve as my pizza prep station (will top with either tile or a granite cut-off) or extra prep space as needed. In THIS POST you can get an idea of the island set-up.....it looks much more well used now, and is surrounded by a few more grills. No pics of the converted Summits, but I just put a simple top on the 4-burner.....I'll do a more detailed build out on the six-burner and probably do an upgrade on the 4-burner while I'm at it (improve weatherproofing at a minimum.)

Hope that is in some way helpful.

R

 

[Brett-EDH]

There's not enough seating there for all of us, Chuck!

@Brett-EDH, I've got an L-shaped island covered by a pergola. It's got electric, but no running water. The grills line the low wall area behind the island, creating a squarish shape with me holding court in the middle. The island has bar height seating around the perimeter, with standard counter height on the interior. I use my counter for prep as needed, and also have converted my 4-burner Summit Platinum cart to use as a platform for my 22" Blackstone and my Ooni Koda 16. I will be converting the 6-burner Summit Platinum sometime this Spring, and it will serve as my pizza prep station (will top with either tile or a granite cut-off) or extra prep space as needed. In THIS POST you can get an idea of the island set-up.....it looks much more well used now, and is surrounded by a few more grills. No pics of the converted Summits, but I just put a simple top on the 4-burner.....I'll do a more detailed build out on the six-burner and probably do an upgrade on the 4-burner while I'm at it (improve weatherproofing at a minimum.)

Hope that is in some way helpful.

R

great looking space you made there.

here's the new backyard, in dirt form. short depth is 18' from fence to house. large depth is 30' from fence to house. covered patio is shown for the dining table.



thinking of placing the grill(s) in the left hand lower corner near the fence line with a long table a the fence line (SS table for pizza oven and work surface, grill along the metal fence, no seating as we have the covered patio area and will have an outdoor sofa, fire table (ng), club chair and large umbrellas for daytime shade if needed.

question for you, how many people really belly up to your bar area as you're cooking/prepping? i'm trying to see how many people would really use that space if I built that space as such.

grills/devices i am planning on: WSK, pizza oven, plumbed electric and NG, NG wok burner ring. i'm trying to keep the smells out of the house if at all possible. i'll use induction at plug in, NG for anything that needs NG. i'm not convinced on actual built in framing/island.

also planning a hot tub. i'll have to draw this all out next. nice use of PP there.

 

[Bruno]

As you know, I'm retiring soon and hope to buy a retirement home in the $300K range. Then I'm going to have something built hopefully similar to this

My budget is $100K, and it should be doable, a lot of the work I can do myself

I’m going with you Chuck!

 

[DanHoo]

question for you, how many people really belly up to your bar area as you're cooking/prepping? i'm trying to see how many people would really use that space if I built that space as such.

An option might be bar-height bistro tables. I find these have nice flexibility more than a "bar" to belly up to.

 

[Brett-EDH]

An option might be bar-height bistro tables. I find these have nice flexibility more than a "bar" to belly up to.

esplain more, please. my thoughts are people aren't going to sit by me as I cook/grill. bbq'ing is LAS and doesn't take much effort. grilling is fairly quick and since we'll have a couch and seating area, will people really sit at bistro tables?

if we're eating outside, the covered patio is the home base, seating for 10-12 with expandable table.

i do see having prep/table/functional space as important that will be used. i think these types of tables would work well and be durable:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016CIGRQY?tag=tvwb-20

 

[Rich G]

question for you, how many people really belly up to your bar area as you're cooking/prepping? i'm trying to see how many people would really use that space if I built that space as such.

We frequently have six to eight people around the bar seating. Especially when my neighbor and I turn it into the Pizza Arena with dueling Ooni ovens......typically we are slinging out a pie every minute or two with both of us going hard! Plenty of times the bar is full with people just milling around chit/chatting while I'm tending bar and grills.

also planning a hot tub. i'll have to draw this all out next. nice use of PP there.

Whether with pencil/paper or .ppt, I can draw stick figures with the best of them! Thank goodness our contractor had some good suggestions, and was a total wizard with concrete and pavers!

R

 

[DanHoo]

I wasn't sure if you wanted food prep or a serving area. The bistro tables are not for prep but work well for serving or when standing having a place to hold a bevvie etc.

Where will the pool table go?

 

[Brett-EDH]

Where will the pool table go?

Current one needs a new home or it’ll be donated.

 

[EricV.]

My home was brand new when I purchased it with a deck made of treated wood with 4 x 6 posts with a walkout basement to bottom of the deck. After years of having to power wash it & apply sealer, I opted to give it a facelift with composite decking & a vinyl railing system. Knowing that I had a small footprint below the deck, I wanted to utilize every square inch of it for grilling & entertaining. I added a ceiling to trap the excess water & released it via a gutter system to the back yard. Prior to adding the ceiling, conduit & electricity was installed, also added were three light fixtures, a ceiling fan with an additional light & 4 GFCI outlets.

After many hours of deliberation, not to mention countless libations, I was able to design a floor plan. The framing consisted of treated 2 x 4’s, deck screws & backer board, with stainless steel cabinetry. The posts were squared off with 2 x 2’s & backer board. The exterior is a product called AirStone, it is a faux stone veneer which gives it the rustic look I was going for.



I have (2) 22” kettles with modified legs on the lower portion of the island. I like the ability to have one kettle for protein & the other for appetizers & side dishes such as veggies.



A long countertop to accommodate storage underneath for a SS rolling cooler & additional bar stools as well as ample space on top for food & beverages.



All the pizza accessories are stored in a large tote underneath the two kettles when not in use.



Here is another angle of the “L” countertop.



Here is a view of the back or front side depending on what side you are facing. Porcelain tile was used to block the north wind. Toward the top right side, you can see where awnings have been installed to enlarge the grill space below when it is raining. This didn't happen overnight & was a long drawn-out process, but I am very happy with the results.

 

[LMichaels]

Damn that is a nice setup!

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

Not particularly elegant but, I’m limited on space.

This NUUK cart was a gift last year for my birthday, it works very nicely for my purposes. I’d love to have more space but, I just don’t see that happening very easily.
I picked up a couple of those acacia pastry boards from Menards and one will sit very nicely on the brick counter.
The cart was from Amazon.

 

[Brett-EDH]

My home was brand new when I purchased it with a deck made of treated wood with 4 x 6 posts with a walkout basement to bottom of the deck. After years of having to power wash it & apply sealer, I opted to give it a facelift with composite decking & a vinyl railing system. Knowing that I had a small footprint below the deck, I wanted to utilize every square inch of it for grilling & entertaining. I added a ceiling to trap the excess water & released it via a gutter system to the back yard. Prior to adding the ceiling, conduit & electricity was installed, also added were three light fixtures, a ceiling fan with an additional light & 4 GFCI outlets.

After many hours of deliberation, not to mention countless libations, I was able to design a floor plan. The framing consisted of treated 2 x 4’s, deck screws & backer board, with stainless steel cabinetry. The posts were squared off with 2 x 2’s & backer board. The exterior is a product called AirStone, it is a faux stone veneer which gives it the rustic look I was going for.

View attachment 88041

I have (2) 22” kettles with modified legs on the lower portion of the island. I like the ability to have one kettle for protein & the other for appetizers & side dishes such as veggies.

View attachment 88042

A long countertop to accommodate storage underneath for a SS rolling cooler & additional bar stools as well as ample space on top for food & beverages.

View attachment 88043

All the pizza accessories are stored in a large tote underneath the two kettles when not in use.

View attachment 88044

Here is another angle of the “L” countertop.

View attachment 88045

Here is a view of the back or front side depending on what side you are facing. Porcelain tile was used to block the north wind. Toward the top right side, you can see where awnings have been installed to enlarge the grill space below when it is raining. This didn't happen overnight & was a long drawn-out process, but I am very happy with the results.

That’s a pretty spectacular setup! Beautiful and very useful. Hopefully I can adapt some of your installed ideas into my plan.

I do plan to spend some time thinking this through. And I do plan on adding at least one more grill, a pizza/outdoor oven and some smaller items.

Many thanks for your detailed and pictured post. It really helps me a lot to see other opportunities.

 

[EricV.]

That’s a pretty spectacular setup! Beautiful and very useful. Hopefully I can adapt some of your installed ideas into my plan.

I do plan to spend some time thinking this through. And I do plan on adding at least one more grill, a pizza/outdoor oven and some smaller items.

Many thanks for your detailed and pictured post. It really helps me a lot to see other opportunities.

Thanks! Prior to my project, I looked online for ideas, & some of my concerns were obviously the weather, as I am in a 4-season climate as well storage space & lighting. You can see in my first picture I have a light positioned right in the middle of my two grills, all these lights are dimmable as well. Take your time & do it right, since you are going to a “new build”, you have a blank canvas, enjoy the journey!

 

[timothy]

Not particularly elegant but, I’m limited on space.
View attachment 88054View attachment 88055
This NUUK cart was a gift last year for my birthday, it works very nicely for my purposes. I’d love to have more space but, I just don’t see that happening very easily.
I picked up a couple of those acacia pastry boards from Menards and one will sit very nicely on the brick counter.
The cart was from Amazon.

What's up with the railroad spikes?

 

[timothy]

My home was brand new when I purchased it with a deck made of treated wood with 4 x 6 posts with a walkout basement to bottom of the deck. After years of having to power wash it & apply sealer, I opted to give it a facelift with composite decking & a vinyl railing system. Knowing that I had a small footprint below the deck, I wanted to utilize every square inch of it for grilling & entertaining. I added a ceiling to trap the excess water & released it via a gutter system to the back yard. Prior to adding the ceiling, conduit & electricity was installed, also added were three light fixtures, a ceiling fan with an additional light & 4 GFCI outlets.

After many hours of deliberation, not to mention countless libations, I was able to design a floor plan. The framing consisted of treated 2 x 4’s, deck screws & backer board, with stainless steel cabinetry. The posts were squared off with 2 x 2’s & backer board. The exterior is a product called AirStone, it is a faux stone veneer which gives it the rustic look I was going for.

View attachment 88041

I have (2) 22” kettles with modified legs on the lower portion of the island. I like the ability to have one kettle for protein & the other for appetizers & side dishes such as veggies.

View attachment 88042

A long countertop to accommodate storage underneath for a SS rolling cooler & additional bar stools as well as ample space on top for food & beverages.

View attachment 88043

All the pizza accessories are stored in a large tote underneath the two kettles when not in use.

View attachment 88044

Here is another angle of the “L” countertop.

View attachment 88045

Here is a view of the back or front side depending on what side you are facing. Porcelain tile was used to block the north wind. Toward the top right side, you can see where awnings have been installed to enlarge the grill space below when it is raining. This didn't happen overnight & was a long drawn-out process, but I am very happy with the results.

I like how you buried the downspouts and the gutter system.
I did a few builds with a similar system but you used the KISS method.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

What's up with the railroad spikes?

I use them for several purposes to tell the truth, one in-the second picture is to hang grill grates (usually the 18”) the other is to lash the right side of the smoker cabaña when it’s windy. The block has a cement “groove” just the right size for the shank of the spike, handy!
The others are useful for holding sheets of foil prior to wrapping, or holding down napkins and so on. When you have some around, you find uses for them!

 

[timothy]

I use them for several purposes to tell the truth, one in-the second picture is to hang grill grates (usually the 18”) the other is to lash the right side of the smoker cabaña when it’s windy. The block has a cement “groove” just the right size for the shank of the spike, handy!
The others are useful for holding sheets of foil prior to wrapping, or holding down napkins and so on. When you have some around, you find uses for them!

I know what you mean, I grew up on the other side of the tracks.