outdoor kitchen

opod

i'm in earliest stages of considering an outdoor kitchen. i live in tennessee and due to my house's austere setting i have a ton of mosquitos so i was considering a screened-in area for the kitchen/egg placement. my wife is justifiably concerned about the airflow/ventilation with the smoker inside the screen. is this a problem and if so, what have people done? is a ceiling fan enough or do i need to get more ventilation? pics would be great too.
klk

jeffinsgf

A roof vent arrangement (also screened) and minimal walled (as opposed to screened) area should vent fine. You'll have a cloud over your head if you don't have a roof vent. The smoke will rise and needs somewhere to go.

Spring Chicken

We have mosquitoes in Texas too. So when I built my outdoor kitchen, The Coop, I had in mind that one day I might need to add screening.



I even built a cupola in the roof for smoke to escape, with the help of a ceiling fan blowing up if need be.

So far we've not needed either. There is usually a slight breeze to take the smoke away and unless we're sitting down the mosquitoes don't bother us.

The only advantage I see using screen at this time is to keep out the leaves that somehow drift in.

You might also consider roll-up screen curtains. They are easy to make and might give you the protection you need when you need it.

Spring "Blood-Sucker Bait" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

jeffinsgf

Leroy, do you have a better picture of the cupola that you could post? I think that is the most important ingredient in this concept, and I've not seen one done any better than yours.

bobbyb

bobbyb

opod,
I live in MS where the state bird is the mosquito.
Like Spring Chicken I vented the roof, but did also screen it in. I have 5 ceiling fans installed and have never had a problem with accumulated smoke, although things do get dusty after a while.

jeffinsgf

Between you and Leroy, it's darn hard not to get out and start setting posts and hanging rafters. :cheer:

I'm just about to settle on dimensions. I've gone back and forth between small and simple and big and elaborate. Small and simple is winning. Big and elaborate would have to go 25 or 30 feet off the edge of the current patio. Small and simple is going to be sort of a bump out addition to the current patio. Doing that, I can still sort of see the thermometers on the Eggs from the house.

Looks like it's going to end up about 8 x 12 with a stainless sink, lots of shelves, and room for my deep fryer, too. I've about decided on a shed roof (single slope) which keeps all the water going one way and eliminates the need for a ridge vent.

Mainegg

Just like with buying your egg go as large as you can afford. It is never enough. what is you add an egg or two in the next year? or have 6-8 for dinner, cause you know everyone is going to want to have dinner at your house and want to eat out there too.... and the dance floor and buffet line area. oh and the bump out for the 8 person hot tub... and a bar! don't forget a bar.

jeffinsgf

Already have two Eggs (large and medium). Can't dance, and neither can any of my friends. Patio already has plenty of room for dining and a buffet line (and if someone has too much to drink, dancing could be attempted). Gave the hot tub away 'cause no one ever used it.

But now the bar.....THAT'S a worthwhile suggestion. :woohoo:

Spring Chicken

Thanks. The cupola was just something I started building and it just kinda took shape.

If you go to this site, just about everything you need to know is there, except measurements.

The Coop platform is 12' X 12' so you should be able to get some idea of size and shape of everything else.

http://springchickencoop.blogspot.com/2008/05/spring-chickens-coop.html

I might suggest going to Naked Whiz's site and look at all the tables and cooking centers your fellow Eggheads have come up with. You will easily pick up a dozen or more good ideas to incorporate into your plans no matter what you build.

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/TableGallery/tables.htm

A well equipped outdoor kitchen is a fun toy to have.

Let me know if you need any more info.

Spring "Plans... What Plans" Chicken

SSN686

Morning opod:

Here are a couple of pics of my outdoor kitchen. I went with a screened roof (think "pool enclosure") and other than the rain occasionally, it works great for no smoke. The umbrella works for keeping the rain off me and the Eggs.






If you click on the link below my name that will take you to my website which has some more information about "before" and "after". Before I was cooking on a screened porch with a metal ceiling at about 7', but only occasionally had any problems with smoke.

Hope this (and the other posts) helps!

Crimsongator

You left out the egg "centerpiece" in the floor.