outdoor kitchen with WSM enclosure design idea


 
A

AlexHertz

New member
Hey all. I have a Genesis E-310 and a WSM 18.5" on my back patio. Right now they just stand alone and I don't have much room to prep food or anything. I have been considering building a small outdoor kitchen area for them. Well, I shouldn't say kitchen because I don't think I want to go through the hassle of running water for a sink. It's more of a nice prep and storage area and a way to efficiently lay out the patio. I was hoping I could get some feedback on these models I made with SketchUp. I'll preface this by saying that I downloaded premade models for the grills (there was no WSM so I just used a bullet smoker and changed the dimensions) and furniture. I also removed the side tables of the Genesis in this model. But the cabinets are made on here exactly as planned, framed with 2x4s, 2x2s, and 3/4" plywood.

If you notice, I stole a little bit of the WSM enclosure design idea from Jamie Ward's cart here. I tried to make sure there was adequate air flow, so I left the bottom open on the front and back. I also had the idea to put the WSM on a sort of cart bottom so I could wheel it out of there if I wanted to. I plan to also use the Eclipse Radiant Barrier Panels that he used.

So my questions are really to anyone who knows about these enclosures, does this look like a good design that would allow enough air flow? Any suggestions? I appreciate all the feedback.







Thanks!

Alex
 
Your plan to slide the wsm in and out is a good idea, however, will it slide in and out without removing the top or center section, hard to tell from our drawing. If just the top needs to come off, then ok., but if the center section also needs to be removed then that might be difficult to do through the hole......I suspect that you do not have to, but just mentioning it to be sure......To tell the truth, I would add some sort of sink or "collection" container to throw stuff. I did something for my wife years ago for a potting station she wanted on the back deck, and just ran a dedicated hose line to it as her station had a sink with water attachment with a drain plug.......I often use it for my grilling needs, e.g., washing hands etc. I just ran a double tap off of the closest outside water outlet, and in my case, it just ran along the edge of the house in the flower bed, with the hose covered by mulch.

I would also take into consideration what types of equipment you wish to store at your "kitchen" and make sure it fits, then take into account stuff you will buy that has no place. Also a drawer or two would really be sweet, you appear to have two...............................d
 
David,

To answer your first question, I have taken that into consideration in the design. The WSM is 29.5" tall without the lid, and the cart as designed is 6" tall. So I had to make sure the bottom of the counter top is under 35.5". So I would only have to remove the lid for the cart to slide out. Although, I am starting to wonder that if it is a tight fit left to right, will the casters really allow it to roll out straight? They will have to turn first. I don't know, something to consider I guess. Regarding the sink, I had thought about that, but I figured it would be a lot more effort and really eat into my counter space. Though, I suppose just running the hose the way you did, then just running a waste line into a small buried well could do the trick. Then I guess I can just cover it with a cutting board when I need more prep room.

As I have it now, there are two drawers, but adding the sink means losing one of them. I think for the drawers, I would need to store tongs, spatula, brush, gloves, bear paws, and a couple trivets. With only one drawer, some of that will have to go on a shelf in the cabinet. The cabinets would need to house a spare propane tank, chimney starter, charcoal, wood chunks, and a few random thinks like rib racks.

All said, I think there is plenty of storage if I don't have a sink, maybe a tight fit with it...but the sink would be very practical to have. I think I will have to try stuffing everything in my kitchen cabinets and drawers of the same sizes to see what fits and what doesn't.

Thanks for the reply and suggestions!

Alex
 
Instead of a circular cut-out in the countertop you could go with a U shaped one. This way you don't have to be dead balls on with the height, and you wont have to worry about exactly lining up the mid-section with a circle to get the lid back on.

Tim
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top