What’s a Built-In Gas Grill?
A built-in gas grill, which is also sometimes referred to as a drop-in gas grill, is built expressly for the purpose of fitting into an outdoor island or between outdoor cabinetry. You could think of a built-in gas grill as a “cooktop” for an outdoor kitchen. A built-in gas grill will provide all the functionality of a stand-alone grill but with a more permanent design. This will give your outdoor kitchen a more high-end, cohesive look and prevent you from having to move and store a grill when you’re not using it.
Built-In Gas Grills Vs. Freestanding Gas Grills
The differences between a built-in gas grill and a freestanding one are fairly straightforward. Whereas the cooking components of a freestanding gas grill are built on top of a self-contained base that typically has wheels for portability, a built-in gas grill is designed to install directly into the countertop structure of an outdoor kitchen area.
In addition to the convenience of not having to set up your freestanding grill every time you’re ready to use it, built-in gas grills often start up faster. They also offer much more stability than freestanding models and tend to last longer.
Built-In Gas Grill Fuel Types
When it comes to fueling your built-in gas grill, you have two choices: natural gas and propane. Neither grill type is interchangeable, so it’s very important to choose the right model for the fuel source.
- A built-in natural gas grill is what you’ll need if your home already has a natural gas supply line from a municipal source. If you’re home doesn’t have one, you’ll need to have a line hooked up before you can install the grill.
- A built-in propane grill uses a portable, refillable propane tank that can be easily switched out as needed. Before purchasing this type of grill, do a bit of research to calculate the cost of propane and determine how far you will need to drive to find it in your area.
Built-In Gas Grill Sizes
Grill size depends on the size of your outdoor kitchen as well as how much cooking area you need — particularly the number of burners. When designing your outdoor kitchen, start by thinking about how many people you typically entertain. Preparing larger meals for larger crowds naturally requires more cooking and prep area.
Once you’ve decided how big the space should be, choose a grill that fits in the allotted dimensions and has the greatest cooking capacity. See our related article 9 Steps to Plan and Build Your Dream Outdoor Kitchen for more details. In terms of measurements, a medium-size built-in gas grill is usually anywhere from 30-36 inches wide, although you can find models well over 50 inches wide which is useful if you frequently cook for large groups.
Built-In Gas Grill Accessories and Features
Here are some preferred features and accessories to consider when designing your outdoor kitchen with a grill.
What is a BTU Rating and What Is a Good BTU for a Gas Grill?
BTU stands for British Thermal Unit. This measurement indicates the amount of heat a grill can produce. However, different manufacturers have different ways of advertising their products’ BTUs. Many provide two measurements — “main cooking BTUs” and “total BTUs,” although you’ll see variations. Very often, a grill’s total BTUs will include the output of accessory elements that either don’t affect the grill’s cooking power, such as warming racks, or aren’t used all the time, such as a rotisserie.
If you want to understand a grill’s true performance, calculate its main-cooking BTUs per square inch. Simply add up the total BTUs of the grill’s primary cooking elements and divide by the total cooking area calculated in square inches.
For example, a grill with 48,000 main-cooking BTUs and a cooking surface of 472 square inches produces 101.69 BTUs per square inch. Between 80 and 100 BTUs per square inch is typically considered acceptable performance. Anything beyond 100 BTUs is considered better than average.
Safety Considerations
- Always ensure your built-in gas grill is installed a safe distance from any flammable materials.
- Never attempt to create a makeshift built-in grill by altering the structure of a freestanding grill. Doing so could be dangerous.
- Never heat any grill with a fuel source that isn’t specifically recommended by the manufacturer.
- Always defer to the manufacturer’s safety recommendations for grill installation, safety and maintenance.