I recently completed an outdoor home renovation for a gourmet chef in Monmouth County who wanted to entertain guests. All he had was a standalone BBQ with a propane tank, however he really wanted to add more cooking ovens and an outdoor cooking station but was short on ideas.

It’s summer and time to do some outdoor grilling and outdoor cooking! We recommended first that he build a round paver patio with a twenty-foot diameter placed in a circular pattern. Then, in the center we built a wood burning/coals circular fire pit with the same pavers. He then purchased a meat smoker as well. Initially we installed a gas line for these two units before we installed the pavers which eliminated the propane tanks.

 Our challenge was to incorporate these appliances in an enclosed stone structure complete with a countertop. The countertop we used was actually porcelain tile which saved him a good amount of money instead of buying multiple pieces of stone tops. We built the structure in a semicircle, added some electrical outlets and an open space underneath where we installed a mini fridge, an outdoor cooking table and outdoor cooking pit. Then we actually built a wood burning pizza oven with fire brick.

So now we had a complete outdoor cooking entertainment system (BBQ, smoker, mini fridge, pizza oven) incorporated into one large semi circle stone structure. On the opposite side of the semi circle our client purchased outdoor sofas and seating that fit well into the remaining space.

We had a lot of fun with this project! An idea for the future would be to add a sink and storage for dishes and silverware as well as a section for cleaning products and outdoor cooking equipment. The client also wanted to add an open cook top for pan searing as well as a canopy.

The best part of this home renovation (aside from a happy client) was getting invited for an outdoor cookfest. The smoked meat was just amazing!!

If you want to spice up your backyard this summer with some outdoor entertaining or you’re just a foodie who loves outdoor cooking, give us a call and we’ll see how we can put together a custom outdoor entertaining system for you. You can call me at 848-667-1400 or fill out our contact form. Happy grilling!