Sunday, May 29, 2011

3 Seasons room project.

Here is a project we are working on for a potential 3 seasons room. This has a grill, side burner, egg, sink w/ bar caddy, inlayed natural gas fire and even an external outlet for the T.V..  The grill looks over a custom waterfall and will be able to serve off of and even put bar stools at if needed.

Custom 3 Seasons Room w/ Fire Feature and Sink

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Concept to reality.

So these egg islands are getting big.  What better way to market your house then advertising a custom outdoor kitchen. Here was a simple concept brought to life....

3/4 Bar Island w/ utensil option. Seats 4 comfortably.

And then we made it happen.....pretty snazzy.

How did we do?????

New Concept???

Another complete outdoor space.

This family is looking at a complete space.  about a 30 x 20 stamped concrete slab w/ an outdoor kitchen, fireplace, benched seating and pergola.  I like.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Complete...holy cow what else do you need project????

This one I have been working on for a very long time.  The owner is going to invest, and I think this is one of the best I've done.  It's exceptional in use of space as well as components..including a Saffire Egg/Grill 6 burner stainless with infrared searing, kegerator, sink, 2 color custom stamped concrete as well as a Pergola w/ polycarbonite topping for rain protection. Oh yeah, did I mention the kegerator???

Yeah, that's a kegerator.

Concept Outdoor Art

Concept Art delivered for an Outdoor room. Here is a project that includes a grill island w/ a 7 foot long bar.  Two trellis walls for privacy, a potential portable firepit.  The stone bases as well as a granite top. I think we are in the running for this, but the home owners is contemplating some plank wood stamp concrete as the flooring along w/ having to already move a 10X20 waterfall that is currently on the fritz.  Quite a project, but definitely a good concept here.

Concept Art including an outdoor rated television.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Saffire Egg Tilapia recipe:

So last night my wife and I made fresh tilapia out on the Saffire Egg/Grill:

Here was the recipe and the results:

This recipe will take less time to cook than it does to heat up the Saffire Grill/Egg, but it will be worth the effort. Works with ANY white fish probably, we just eat Tilapia in our home.

Ingredients Recommended
4-6 Tilapia Filets Depends on how hungry you are!
½ Cup Breadcrumbs
¼ tsp Garlic Pepper ½ tsp Sea Salt Fresh Ground
1 Tbs Lemon Juice Fresh Squeezed Lemon
¼ cup Light Mayonnaise
¼ cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese Kraft
1/8 cup Parsley Fresh chopped or flakes if you must!
Wax Paper
Shallow Pan

Preparation DirectionsUse FRESH tilapia from the butcher shop
Using a non-stick vegetable spray (cooking spray) lightly spray a shallow pan (round or square)
Mix all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl
Rub the ingredients on one side of tilapia filets
Combine bread crumbs and parsley and spread on Wax Paper
Press Tilapia in crumbs and place in cooking pan, crumb side up
.

Cooking Directions
Preheat and stabilize the Saffire Grill to 450 degrees.
Place tilapia in the pan with crumb side up.
Place on grill and cook approximately 10-15 minutes or until bread crumbs brown (time depends on thickness of tilapia filets)

Before Picture:

HHHmmmm fresh tilapia!

After Picture

Perfectly breaded tilapia w/ some grilled peppers from the garden!


That was my 2nd attempt at cooking on the Saffire Grill...not too shabby!!!!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The History of Stainless Steel.

"Why do I have to replace my stainless steel grates in my grill every few years?"

Well, the advertiser and/or grill my say "Stainless", but the grade of steel also has a dramatic impact on the life of the steel.

304 Stainless Steel is the premium steel that has the properties to last a lifetime.

http://chemistry.about.com/cs/metalsandalloys/a/aa071201a.htm

If you are thinking about a "premium" grill then ask what the grade is. Maybe only a portion of the steel of the grill is made out of the 304 grade?  So inevitably you WILL be buying different parts to your grill within a few years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel

Monday, May 16, 2011

Outdoor Smoking.

To Grill or Smoke?

Being in the industry definitely opens your eyes to the multitude of grilling options.  Grilling, smoking, searing, roasting are all options as you select your meats and fish.  I recently had the opportunity to invest in a Saffire Egg a competitor to the Big Green Egg.  They are both based on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamado style grilling.  I must say, after tasting the food off this grill it will be really difficult to go back to the conventional style grilling. While natural gas and propane style grilling has some of its positives, I'm at the age now where the taste of the food is more important.  Without a doubt the Saffire Egg was superior.  I was able to use a plugged in starter (absolutely zero lighter fluid) and Lump Charcoal together and within 8 minutes my Egg was up to 550 degrees. By not using any fluid the tastes was completely natural and the flavor was unbelievable.  The Kamado style uses reflective heat off the roof of the Egg to cook the food from all points essentially eliminating the single source burner that a conventional grill is based upon.  By keeping the Egg closed I eliminated those unwanted flare ups and hot spots a lot of grills naturally tend to have and the food was grilled to perfection.  I was also thoroughly impressed with the ability to maintain a level of heat at ease.  One of the competitive advantages the Saffire had in comparison to the Big Green Egg is the ability to add wood chips without opening the head unit (pictured below).  Egg heads are almost a cult with blogs, groups, recipe sites, and festivals, I am on my way to being a part of it all.  I will post some pictures later of some of the food!!!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

This is a current project!

For my second post I'm going to give you a taste of some of the things I design.  Here is a project that is being considered currently!  I hope the home owner goes with it.  He is looking at a Tropic Brown Granite Finish, Bull Grilling Products, 304 weighted stainless steel, firepit in the middle of the dining table, and a sink/bar caddy.

This is a current project I have being considered! 

Here is the update with the finished pictures!  What a view!!!!!!!!

Side View

Interior Looking Out
appliance view
front view
full side view

side view

My first post!

To my readers,

Thanks so much for coming to my blog page!  This page is dedicated to Outdoor Living and what is trending/happening in the Outdoor Living market.  I'm currently employed by a company out of Indianapolis dedicated towards families looking to enjoy the finer points of outdoor life.  I will be posting designs, photos, ideas, and generally everything outdoors.

I will be offering opinions, thoughts, comments, and ideas on how to better improve your current and future outdoor living space. 

Thanks again and I hope you enjoy the page!