Photo courtesy BBQ Hut

Whether you’re a master griller or BBQ beginner, Here’s how to turn your outdoor kitchen into a cooking oasis.

A generation ago, an invitation to a buddy’s barbecue meant arriving to find him alternately nursing and cursing a finicky flame fed by charcoal briquettes.

Mercifully, those days are gone.

From custom tile inlays to keg compartments and under-the-counter lighting, outdoor kitchens have come a long way, baby. And whether your backyard is a postage stamp or a sprawling estate, local barbecue experts say anyone can add panache to a patio.

Backyard Boom and Bust
Custom, built-in backyard grills have been popular for years. Not surprisingly, however, the economic recession has dialed down homeowners’ visions for their backyard paradise.

“Before 2001, people wanted anywhere from a 4- to 7-foot small, simple, built-in grill,” says Shayne Williams, owner of BBQ Hut in Phoenix. “Then the housing market went crazy. Everybody overnight had money to do something with, and the create-your-own-backyard-paradise idea really went hog wild.”

How hog wild? Orders flooded in for 8- to 25-foot-long built-in grill islands with infrared burners, temperature probes, wet bars, side burners, sinks, refrigerators, kegerators and more. The phrase “outdoor great room” was en vogue as consumer confidence fueled purchases of plush seating, outdoor fireplaces, entertainment systems with surround sound, and creative shading and lighting.

“Then it came to a standstill. It’s not so much that people don’t want all those features anymore, but we’re so closely tied to real estate,” Williams says. “When it was good, we were building 100 units a month. Now? Maybe 12.” Meanwhile, most customers are back to ordering simple grilling units in the 6- to 8-foot range.

Cart barbecue grills remain an attractive, affordable option. In fact, according to Tom McShay, manager of Barbecues Galore near Interstate 10 and Ray Road in Chandler, portable cart grills and small island grills have always had staying power, both in this market and during better times. “Always, the moveable grills have exceeded the number of sales compared to islands,” he says.

Another trend that Williams has observed is a spike in barbecue grill repairs. “Our service department has gone nuts in the last year. Rather than replacing what they’ve got, people are repairing what they’ve got,” he says.

Make a Backyard Blueprint
If you are in the market to buy new, consider what you need first. “Do you want a grill, refrigerator, seating for four? If you know what kind of equipment you want, then we can consider L-shapes or other options, depending on your patio’s length and width,” says Mike Barnhart, owner of Gilbert Fireplaces and BBQ near Gilbert and Warner roads.

He urges customers to expand their horizons of what their outdoor grill can do. “The grill is more than a nighttime barbecuing tool. You can cook peppers and eggs in the morning,” he says. “Your grill can act like an oven. It takes some practice, but you can use it that way.”

Also, keep in mind that if you can’t afford everything you want right now, it won’t add significantly to your cost to overbuild your island. For example, if you really want a refrigerator but need to pace yourself, consider building your island to fit a refrigerator later.

Next, it’s time to determine placement. Locate your grill as close to the kitchen as possible but not too close to the house. Pay attention to overhangs that might trap smoke.

Williams urges customers not to choose a location for their outdoor kitchen based solely on shade considerations.

“It’s a simple fix to throw up a shading umbrella where we need it,” he says, adding that accessibility is more important. “If you place your barbecue inside the pool fence or on the other side of the pool, it gets to be inconvenient and you won’t use it,” he says.