When we designed our outdoor kitchen, we packed in every feature we thought we’d use—grills, smokers, drawers, ice, the works. A few seasons in, some of those choices have earned their keep, and a few of them…have not. So instead of pretending it’s all perfect, I’m ranking every feature we added, honestly, from “this will be in every outdoor kitchen I ever build” to “I have literally never used it once.” If you’re planning your own, take notes—this is the list I wish I’d had.
Read: The Best Hot Dog Toppings for The Ultimate Hot Dog Bar
The 10s (No Notes)
Sealed storage — 10/10. If you live anywhere with weather, this is non-negotiable. You need it in a wet climate, full stop.
Refrigerated drawers — 10/10. Hands down, my favorite feature. This will be in every outdoor kitchen I ever have.
The 9s (Almost Perfect)
Gas grill — 9/10. The workhorse. Hard to beat.
Smoker — 9/10. Love it. Only thing holding it back from a 10 is the pellet capacity—I wish it fit more.
Flat top — 9/10. This is where smash burger and taco nights happen. Worth every inch of counter space.
The Middle of the Pack
Rotisserie (on the smoker) — 8.5/10. I have a rotisserie on both grills, and on the smoker, it’s great.
Outdoor sink — 7/10. Super useful. My one regret: we only ran cold water. If I could do it over, I’d run hot and cold.
Rotisserie (on the gas grill) — 6/10. Same feature, different grill, much less impressive. It works, but I reach for the smoker version every time.
Power burner — 5/10. Here’s the thing—if it were mounted like a foot lower, it’d be a 10 out of 10. The way I have it installed, it’s a 5. I love to do low country boils out here, and it would put my massive stockpot at a more manageable height.
Garbage pullouts — 5/10. Good idea in theory. In practice, they fill up with water when it rains.
The Regrets
Ice maker — 2/10. The outdoor heat in North Carolina means it can’t keep ice frozen. Save your money and use a cooler.
Warming drawer — 0/10. I have literally not used it once. Zero. If you’re tempted by one, skip it.
If I were building this kitchen again tomorrow, I’d keep the refrigerated drawers, sealed storage, flat top, and both grills without hesitation. I’d mount the super burner higher, run hot water to the sink, and cross the ice maker and warming drawer off the plan entirely. Take it from someone who learned the hard way—every square foot of outdoor kitchen is precious, so spend it on the features you’ll actually use.
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Great list – about the power burner – it seems to be at the same height of the other grills, etc. Curious why a higher mount would make it more useful?
Oof, that’s meant to say lower. We do low country boils out back sometimes and the huge stockpot makes it so hard to wield that high up.
What are the toppings on those hot dogs? Delicious looking.
Excellent advice on the outdoor kitchen.
Thanks! Chris put a whole post together on our favorite toppings. Linking here and above!