What Appliances Do You Need for an Outdoor Kitchen?

A working outdoor kitchen needs six things: a grill, a second heat source, refrigeration, storage, a way to deal with rubbish, and — if the island is combustible or covered — an insulating liner and ventilation. Everything beyond that is preference. This page is about what to include and in what order. For what it costs, our outdoor kitchen cost guide prices three complete appliance packages from current Northwoods pricing.

The six categories, and which are genuinely optional

1. Grill. Not optional. It sets the cutout that drives the whole island. See built-in grills.
2. Side or power burner. Near-essential. Without one you are walking indoors to boil, sauté or hold a sauce, which is the single most common regret we hear. See burners and the side burner FAQs.
3. Refrigeration. Near-essential for the same reason — it removes the trips indoors. See outdoor refrigerators.
4. Storage — doors and drawers. Structurally essential. The openings under and beside the grill need finished, weather-rated closures, not open holes. See grill doors and grill drawers.
5. Insulating liner. Not optional where the island is built with combustible materials. See grill liners.
6. Ventilation. Not optional where the grill sits under a roof, soffit or any enclosed structure. See outdoor hoods.

Trash drawers, ice drawers and sinks sit one rung below. They are the items most often cut in round one and most often added in round two, at which point the island has to be reopened. Decide about them before the concrete goes in, not after.

Choosing within each category

Keep the grill, burners and liners in one brand where you can. Liners are model-specific, so a liner made for your exact grill and burner is the one that fits; mixing brands is where people get caught.

Size storage to the island run you have left. A 14" narrow trash drawer fits a run that a wider unit will not.

Confirm refrigeration is genuinely outdoor rated. Some manufacturers state outdoor rating on the listing; do not infer it from a stainless finish. An under-grill refrigerator puts cold storage directly beneath the cooking surface; a second refrigerator drawer gives drinks their own cold zone so the main box is not opened constantly.

Decide on ice before the island is poured. An ice drawer or ice machine is the item people most often wish they had specified at the start.

If the kitchen is covered, plan the hood and its duct cover together. Hoods almost always need a duct cover, and it is almost always left out of the budget.

What it costs

Appliance pricing, three worked packages and the costs that sit outside the appliances — island structure, countertops, gas, electrical, plumbing and labour — are on the outdoor kitchen cost guide, which we keep checked against current prices.

How to sequence the decisions

Choose the grill first. Everything else follows from its cutout. The grill is the only appliance whose opening is difficult and expensive to change once the island is built, and its required cutout is not the same as its advertised size — a 36" grill does not need a 36" hole. Fix the grill, get its cutout from the manufacturer's current installation manual, and design the island around that number. Our cutout dimension reference collects the published figures by brand and model, and the replacement cutout finder is the tool for an island that already exists.

The order that avoids rework:

1. Grill. Fuel type, size, cutout. Decide natural gas versus propane now — see the natural gas and propane FAQs — because it changes the gas work, not just the SKU.
2. Covered or open. If covered, a hood is required, and hood sizing and duct routing affect the structure. Start at the outdoor kitchen hood FAQs.
3. Combustible or not. If the island framing is combustible, an insulating liner sized for your specific grill is required, and the liner has its own larger cutout. See the insulating liner FAQs.
4. Refrigeration. Position it away from the grill's heat, and confirm the unit is genuinely outdoor rated rather than an indoor box in a stainless jacket. See the outdoor-rated refrigerator FAQs and our outdoor refrigerator buyer's guide.
5. Burners. A side burner and a power burner are different tools; a power burner is for stockpots and woks. See burners.
6. Storage and waste last. Doors, drawers and bins fill whatever island run remains. See the grill drawer FAQs, access door FAQs, grill cabinet FAQs, roll-out trash bin FAQs and drop-in and pull-out bin FAQs.

FAQ

Can I skip the side burner?

You can, and it is the most regretted omission we see. Without a second heat source every sauce, pot of corn and pan of onions happens indoors, which defeats the point of the island.

Do I really need an insulating liner?

Only if the island is built with combustible materials — but if it is, the liner is not optional and it is not a generic part. Liners are model-specific. The manufacturer's installation manual governs, and a licensed professional should confirm your construction type.

How big a hood do I need?

As a rule of thumb, size the hood at least as wide as the cooking appliance beneath it and centre it over the cutout. That is a rule of thumb only — the manufacturer's manual governs actual sizing, mounting height, duct run and CFM, and we will not invent a CFM figure for your build.

Is a sink worth including?

It is the item with the highest labour cost relative to appliance cost, because it brings supply and drain into the project. We hold no cutout data on sinks at all, so plan that opening from the fixture manufacturer's documentation.

Do you hold all of this in stock?

We do not track inventory on most SKUs, so we will not tell you an item is in stock. Everything listed on this page is orderable. Lead times vary by manufacturer — call 843-212-7209 or use the quote request and we will confirm before you commit.

Final recommendation

Most buyers building a first outdoor kitchen should put their money into a well-built island and countertop before a bigger grill head — a modest appliance set in a good island outperforms an expensive set in a compromised one. See the cost guide for what each tier costs.

If the kitchen will be covered, plan the hood from the start, because there is no cheap way to add one later. A single-brand cooking line is worth it mainly if you cook for a crowd regularly.

If you are still deciding on the grill, start with Help Me Find My Grill, browse 36" built-in grills or built-in grills from $2,000 to $3,500, and read the built-in grill FAQs. For an American-claim brand specifically, see our American-made built-in grill guide. Shipping is free and we add no credit card fees.