Best in class – outdoor cooking: Smoke out these nine al fresco options

Best in Class 1

Its time to slow things down, dust off the comedy apron and take the cooking outside, where, thanks to last year’s heatwave al fresco cuisine has moved beyond the basic barbecue to full-blown outdoor kitchens, says David Dempsey, designer at Noel Dempsey. “People want to further connect their garden and kitchens and after last summer we’ve had a spike in enquires,” he says.

The firm stocks Fesfoc, a Barcelona-based brand whose handmade range can be customised to your requirements. Its stainless steel frame includes a 90cm charcoal grill and has a black quartz countertop for prep work, can come with or without a tap and sink, complete with cover to keep flies off any produce and to protect it from the elements.

The Cocoa Island design, pictured, also has four 60cm-wide drawers and additional space where you can add shelving. Most clients install the kitchen under a roofed gazebo and you will need to factor in waste and water feeds. Prices for Fesfoc's Cocoa Island start from €18,000 and include outdoor covers. noeldempsey.com

Best in Class 2

The Morso Grill 17 is a smart piece of terrace furniture that combines a grill and frying plate set atop a bowl with a diameter of 60cm. The grill is adjustable in height and its grills can be swivelled aside to facilitate simultaneous barbecuing at two levels. It costs about €833 to order from Letterkenny-based Spratt Fireplaces. sprattfireplaces.ie

Perfectly positioned yoga-lover’s Dalkey home for €925k

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Grandeur near the Green on Leeson Street for €1.75m

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The swankiest home on the Luas Green line for €5.4m

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Best in Class 3

The Australians know a thing or two about barbecuing brand. Ozzie outdoor kitchen company Profresco designs its range with granite countertops on galvanised steel frames, aluminium doors and pvc internal shelving. It can even supply waterfall counters or match the counters to your internal kitchen. The Outdoor Scene has one on show at its Goatstown showroom. Prices start from €9,000 for the basic model which includes drawers, counters and a built-in barbecue. A fridge, from €1,200, is another consideration as it will allow you keep meat cool while the coals are stoking. outdoor.ie

Best in Class 4

This barbecue wood oven is by Swedish brand Roshults. It is fabricated in an anthracite finish stainless steel and has teak shelving. Measuring 80cm by 100cm by 197cm it costs €8,525 from Minima Home. The sideboard to the right is in the same anthracite finish and has a marble countertop. It measures 50cm by 100cm by 80cm and will cost an additional €3,995. Minimahome.com; roshults.se

Best in Class 5

For minimalists, Portuguese-based Glamm Fire's La Boheme is a sleek design that offers a charcoal or gas grill, 80cm long, with built-in sink and tap, and is available in a brushed and ridged stainless steel, pictured, or a brushed carbon black finish. The model comes in a range of sizes, starting from 250cm by 66cm by 145.7cm and can be ordered up to a length of 338cm long. There is also a wall-hung version of this. Both are available to order through London-based distributor Smart Fire. Prices start from about €23,100, ex-delivery, smartfireuk.com

Best in Class 6

This Berghoff ceramic barbecue is small, stylish and perfectly portable to take with you on a picnic. The circular carbon steel barbecue, just 35cm wide, lets guests grill their food exactly how they like it so you don't have to eat food that's charred just to be polite. The charcoal-burning design has a ceramic bowl to house the coals and it comes with a cork lid that doubles as a heat resistant base so you put the barbecue down on any surface. Available in either black or white options and with a strap that makes it extremely portable it costs €149.95 from The Orchard. theorchard.ie 

Best in Class 7

If you like your pizza thin and crispy then this table top oven, the Ooni 3, will save you a fortune on delivery services. It delivers similar results in about one minute, although you can only cook one pizza at a time. The device burns wood pellets but you can opt for a gas attachment, about €60.  The  thinner you keep the base the crispier it will be and allow even cooking top and bottom. It normally retails for €270, but is selling for €250 at A Room Outside – two shops at Monaclinoe, Co Limerick and Strandfield, Co Wexford. aroomoutside.ie

Best in Class 8

There are several wifi-enabled smart barbecues on the market that mean you don’t have to stand there manning the grill. The Traeger Pro 575 wood-fired pellet grill, hickory, applewood, Mexican mesquite, maple and cherrywood takes outdoor cooking to the next level – giving you power and precision so you can sear or slow cook as required. You download an app and can spark it on the way home. You can 48 hour slow cook and there is a setting to keep the BBQ warm but stop cooking. Prices start from €995 at The Orchard.

The E-210, part of the Weber Spirit II gas barbecue collection, is another app-enabled barbecue and perfect for a small patio or balcony. The open cart two-burner design has an an app-connected thermometer that lets you monitor cooking times and will even notify your device when the food has reached the perfect serve temperature. The entry-level size costs €499 from Arboretum and includes a poultry roaster worth €69.95. theorchard.ie; arboretum.ie

Best in Class 9

If you only have a small outdoor space then perhaps a Severin electric grill is all you need. Etailer Appliances Delivered sells several but the one with the stand for plates or condiments, €79.95, is the most practical purchase. It also stocks this cast-iron grid, €39.95, if you'd like to go back to real campfire basics as well as bigger beefier bottle gas-operated designs, sturdy tools by Campingaz, from €16.95 and one of the most essential pieces of kit, a Kingfisher brush cum scraper, €4.95. appliancesdelivered.ie