Services at the BBQ Island

Services you will require at the grilling, cooking area. You will need at least 2 GFI plugs. I plan on having one on each side of my BBQ for lighting. You will require a gas line. I am going to run a gas line even though I plan on using a charcoal grill. In the future if I want a gas grill the line will be available and I will not need to tear up my patio to put one in. I don’t see the need to run a water or sewer line to the cooking area. There will be a sink and a dishwasher close by at the bar for cleanup.

Counter design

When planning you cooking station you want to ensure you have plenty of counter space. One of the things I did not like in prefabricated cooking stations was the lack of counter space. I need to put my dishes with uncooked food and cooked food close to the BBQ. I also need to put my basting ingredients close so that I can have quick and easy access.


Chose your counter top material carefully. Food, spices and grease will drop on your counter. If you use tile the spill could stain your counter and make it painful to clean up. If you install marble or other porous stone you can stain the stone if it is not sealed properly. My personal preference is granite slab, you can get prefabricated granite slab fairly cheap. Make sure you use a good installer that knows how to prep the surface for installation and can cut the slab to size using the appropriate diamond blade.

Selecting a location for the BBQ Island

How far is your BBQ Island from your indoor kitchen?

When cooking you will need to walk back and forth between you indoor kitchen to get supplies and your outdoor BBQ island. I recommend selection a location with easy access to your indoor kitchen.


You want to check what direction the wind blows in your yard (in general) and have your BBQ positioned so that it does not smoke out you guests.

Storage at the BBQ Island

Storage considerations around your cooking area. You will need to store BBQ utensils at minimum around your cooking area. I also recommend a cutting board so that you can cut cooked food and taste it as your are cooking – my favorite part.

Also if you are using a charcoal grill be sure to have a cabinet to store charcoal, mesquite and other materials.

Lighiting Lighting and more Lighting

You will need good lighting round your cooking area in particular on the grill. This has been a long standing problem for me.

When grilling at night I am mostly doing it be feel and timing, the lack of lighting is always annoying. I am planning on having at least one BBQ light pointing at my grill. I am even considering having two even thought this may be overkill.

http://www.backyardbarbequestore.com/BarbequeLights/FD-Flex-Deck-Bullet-BBQ-Light_3072443.html

I recommend putting a light with a switch in your storage area/cabinet. This will help get you to the right items at night quickly.

Smoker Selection

I enjoy smoking my food once in a while. Smoked ribs, salmon and various other items. If you are going to add a smoker to your cooking island be sure to add a little more storage space to stock up on wood chips apple, cherry, hickory etc.

I currently have a Weber water based smoker
http://www.weber.com/grills/?glid=8&mid=27

I am eyeing the Big Green Egg
http://www.biggreenegg.com/eggs_XL.html

Side Burner(s) Selection

I don’t plan on using the side burners much since I am more into to grilling. However just to be safe I will be installing one side burner. Many of the prefabricated units I have seen on the market today have the side burner too close to the grill. I recommend leaving a good bit of counter space between the two. If you do any cooking in a pot on the burner you don’t want to accidental touch it when working the grill.

I am eyeing the burner below
http://www.lynxgrills.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=100

BBQ Selection

I like BBQing with charcoal so I am planning on getting a charcoal, stainless steal grill. It has a pull out drawer at the bottom for cleaning the used charcoal after you are finished cooking. If you prefer to use a Gas Grill there are various varieties of grills available. Select one that provides high even heat and if you like stakes like I do get the searing option.

I currently own a Weber kettle – its on its last legs.
http://www.weber.com/grills/?glid=5&mid=22

I am eyeing the charcoal grill below for my island. http://www.rhpeterson.com/#/FireMagic/builtin/Charcoal/Charcoalgrill