What to look for before you buy a professional outdoor grill. Your outdoor kitchen’s primary feature is the barbecue grill. We recommend starting with this article from Elegant Outdoor Kitchens of Southwest Florida.

Choosing A Professional Built-in Barbecue Grill Head for your Outdoor Kitchen

There’s no shortage of options when it comes to a professional grill for your outdoor kitchen island.  There are a few things you’ll want to consider though. The last thing you want to do is choose a grill that will only last 2-3 years. We call these types of grills “throwaways”. We won’t be mentioning those grills in this article today. What we will be doing is giving you a few pointers that will help you during the selection process.

Structural Design & Integrity of a Barbecue Grill

304 Stainless-Steel is the industry standard when it comes to professional barbecue grills. Structural integrity of your grill is extremely important, the last thing you want is for your grill to start rusting and breaking down inside your new barbecue island. The goal of building a custom outdoor kitchen is to get as many years out of it as possible. The professional grills we’ll be talking about today have a lifespan of around 10 – 15 years. The nice thing about a professional grill is that they are just like vehicles, if a part breaks, you’re able to replace it. We’ve seen customers with professional grills as old as their automotive vehicle.

Blaze 32 Inch 4-Burner Grill With Rear Burner – Open Grill Head

There’s quite a few great barbecue grill manufacturers on the market today. It’s always best to start the process by talking with a professional within the industry. We’re Southwest Florida’s outdoor living specialists and we’re here to help you design and amazing outdoor kitchen environment. Give Elegant Outdoor Kitchens a call today!

All in all, you’ll want to make sure that the grill you purchase for your barbecue island is made of stainless-steel. Most popular grill brands have standardized grill sizes too. So, when it comes time to replace the old grill, the chances are high that they will have made a newer model in the exact same size or cut-out size.

Burners, BTU’s, Grilling Surface & Grates

Your BBQ grill burners are another very important feature that you’ll want to understand. What metal the burners are manufactured out of as well as their lifespan. Grill burners are constructed from range of materials, cast brass, cast iron, 304 stainless-steel, and infrared (which is a type of burner, not material). Leading grill manufacturers usually use cast brass burners. Cast brass burners are considered to be superior in many ways. They’ll usually last as long as the grill itself.

Summerset Stainless-Steel Grate and Cast Iron Burner

BTU: A British Thermal Unit (BTU) is the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one-degree Fahrenheit. This is the standard measurement used to state the amount of energy that a fuel has as well as the amount of output of any heat generating device.

Your professional grill will have a BTU output associated with each burner. The number of burners your grill will have will range from 3 – 6. Entry level professional grills will usually have 3 burners, which is a very common configuration. BTU output per burner can range from 10,000 to 20,000 depending on the grill manufacturer. Most of the professional grills on the market today will also come with an infrared rotisserie burner in the rear wall of the grill. The infrared rotisserie burner is usually built-in to the grill, but some companies will charge extra for the rotisserie motor as well as the spit.

The grilling surface is another extremely important feature of a professional barbecue grill. The barbecue grill surface will be measured in square inches. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to conclude that more grilling surface is beneficial. The grilling surface or area depends on the barbecue grill you purchase. A great question to answer before purchasing a grill is, “How many people will you be grilling for?” This answer will give you a better idea of what grill range you should be considering.

Another important aspect of the grilling surface is whether the temperature is consistent throughout the entire surface. Does the barbecue grill have cold spots? You can research on the internet to see what people are saying about any grill on the market. The primary objective is to purchase a barbecue grill that evenly distributes heat to its grilling surface.  The surface being the grill grate/s, the grill grates also can vary in size and material used in its manufacturing process. Grill grates can be made of porcelain enamel coated steel wire or porcelain enamel coated cast iron.

Professional Barbecue Grill Features, Bell’s & Whistles

Alfresco Grills ALXE Professional Barbecue Grill Smoker Tray

From LED lighting, knobs, ignition systems, wood smoking trays, and so much more, the industry is massive and competitive. There’s a huge range of features that you can purchase in a professional barbecue grill. Some grills come with built-in side burners and other handy add-ons. What it really comes down to is making sure you choose a professional grill that will last the next ten years without any hitches. We recommend speaking with an Elegant Outdoor Kitchens professional about your options. Our team will help you choose a grill that makes the most sense for your outdoor kitchen space and configuration.

Schedule an on-site consultation with the pros here at Elegant Outdoor Kitchens. We’ll guide you through our outdoor kitchen design process, we’ll make sure you get the outdoor kitchen you’ve always imagined. Give us a call today to start building!