With summer here I thought it would be a good time to discuss with you the merits of Outdoor Grilling on professional barbecues. It seems like everyone and his brother/sister is into “professional” barbecues these days. Ten years ago it was very limited and DCS was about the only major player. Since then we have seen Viking, Thermador, General Electric Monogram, Wolf, and others enter the market with more on the way. So far I have not been able to put my finger on any distinguishing characteristic which would make one better than the other so I will try to explain the features one should look for when making a purchase. I do own a Viking and have experience on cooking on these high end grilles.

These large barbecues must be installed outside either in custom made enclosure or on a cart. Most manufacturers offer carts for the grills and we do carry Barbecue islands, prefabricated with different textures and tops for all brands, custom made for you. If they are installed under an overhang an outdoor ventilating hood may be needed to eliminate smoke. Most of the carts have storage doors. You must order them for the specific gas you are using as most are not convertible after sale. Most cart installs use LP gas while fixed enclosures use natural gas.

There are many feature options one can choose from when buying the most obvious is size. Make sure you get enough grill area. If you pick models with side burners remember to get a size larger because they will take away from the grille. Some brands offer rotisserie feature which use an infrared burner for caramelizing the meat juices while turning the food on a spit. They use an electric motor so be sure while designing your installation be sure to have 110V installed to run the motor.

Side burners may be ordered on your professional barbecue. They are rather close to the side of the barbecue when attached to the unit so if you are installing this in an island I suggest to buy side burners separately and move them a bit away as to utilize them for large pots, they can be too close on the carts. Also other options such as outdoor refrigeration, storage doors and drawers, ovens, and more to complete an outdoor kitchen are available.

Some of the models have smoker burners and trays built into them. One would soak their wood chips and insert them into the tray and light the smoker burner for smoke flavoring. This is not a smoker since the heat is too intense but adds smoke flavor to the food. Some brands do claim to be able to smoke like a smoker but this user has not done that yet.