We take our grilling and barbecue skills seriously here in the Kansas City area. Many people enjoy making healthy entrees like grilled chicken or salmon. Others enjoy making traditional Kansas City barbecue, like ribs, pulled pork, or burnt ends. Some just like to keep it simple with traditional foods on the grill, like burgers, bratwursts, and hot dogs. No matter your favorite cuisine, cooking outdoors can be a very enjoyable hobby.

With the summer weather approaching, many outdoor cooking enthusiasts have already fired up their grill or smoker and started perfecting their favorite recipes. At By The Blade, we are one of the top Leawood, Parkville, and Kansas City luxury pool builders, but we also specialize in other amenities that complement your pool – like outdoor kitchens. Here are some of the top cooking devices that people use when cooking outdoors.

Smokers

A smoker is the ideal choice for someone who specializes in making barbecued meats. Smokers are typically used to cook meats at low temperatures for an extended time. If you hear the phrase “low and slow” that often refers to smoking meat. There are a wide variety of smokers to choose from, but it’s hard to know which is best. It truly comes down to user preference.

Our outdoor kitchen design crews, led by Patrick Vogt, are quite familiar with all the different options when it comes to smokers. There’s gas, charcoal, pellet, electric, offset, and other types of smokers to choose from. Some involve lots of monitoring and adjusting during the cooking process and others are much more automated. If you have any friends or neighbors who have a smoker, you may want to try theirs out and see if it’s the right fit for you.

Grills

Smokers are great, but they often take a long time to cook most meats. If you need something that can prepare your entrees much more quickly, you should invest in some type of outdoor grill. Typically, a grill can cook nearly any type of meat in under 30 minutes if the grill and meat are prepped correctly. Grills can be used for slow cooking, but many people prefer to use a smoker, especially when preparing larger quantities of meat.

Patrick Vogt and his team at By The Blade are quite familiar with the different types of grills you can use for an outdoor kitchen. As a leading Parkville, Leawood, and Kansas City swim spa company, we see many pools that include outdoor kitchens. Often, they feature either a gas grill or a charcoal grill. You can prepare a gas grill in seconds, while a charcoal grill requires more prep work. Both are high-quality options that would be great choices for your outdoor kitchen by the pool.

Flat Top Grills

Flat top grills provide convenience because they are easy to operate, and clean-up is simple afterwards. As one of the best swim spa installation companies in Kansas City, Parkville, and Leawood, we are now installing more and more flat top grills because they are so popular amongst the grilling community.

Many people love flat top grills because the food can never fall between the grates since there is just one flat surface. This makes flat top cooking surface ideal for stir-fry, preparing breakfast, or grilling fajitas.

At By The Blade, we can add the perfect outdoor grill or smoker to complete your kitchen by the pool. Contact us online today or give us a call at (816) 643-2199.