Outdoor Dining

Cooking outside and eating outside are two different problems that people solve as one. The cooking needs heat, fuel access and somewhere to put a tray down. The eating needs a surface, seating, and to be far enough from the smoke that nobody has to move mid-meal.

Put the cook somewhere sensible

The most common backyard layout mistake is siting the grill or smoker where the prevailing wind carries smoke straight across the table. Watch which way the smoke actually goes on a normal evening before deciding where anything permanent lives. Vertical smokers in particular lose heat fast when gusts hit the burner intake, so an exposed corner costs you cooking temperature as well as comfort.

Grill, griddle or smoker?

A gas grill is the everyday default: fast, direct heat, good for anything that cooks in under twenty minutes. A flat top griddle handles the things that fall through grates, breakfast, smash burgers, onions. A smoker is a different activity entirely, measured in hours rather than minutes, and worth it only if you actually want to spend a Sunday on it. Our griddle versus grill comparison covers the first two properly.

Tables that do two jobs

On a patio that is not large, a fire pit table with a lid is the piece that earns its footprint twice: dining surface with the lid on, fire with it off. That is often a better use of space than a dedicated dining table that sits empty most of the week. See fire pit tables and sets.

Related

For the full cooking range see outdoor cooking. For seating around the table, patio conversation sets. Cleaning and upkeep is covered in how to clean and maintain a gas grill.