# Wood burning grill in pro kitchen



## turbochef422 (Jan 3, 2016)

Who has one and what am I getting myself into. I need some tips and maybe a trip to someone who has one to check one out with some guidance. Thanks in advance.


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## marc4pt0 (Jan 3, 2016)

A $pecific type of hood system for starters. Check with your local health dept to get started. Just pretend to be a culinary student doing a project when you call


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## Dardeau (Jan 3, 2016)

I work with this one:



This was taken the week we opened. It was built by one of the owner's cousin and none of us knew what we were doing. Three years later we have welded stuff on, sawed stuff off, added a smoker box, set off the ANSEL twice, and generally stressed out about it a lot. 

It is super ******* cool. It is a really fun thing to work, makes everything taste great, and gives you some really interesting options on how to use it. 

Shoot me a PM with your email in it and I can tell you the whole story and take some detailed pictures.

One thing you need to prepare for is about 43000 a year in wood and 12000 a year in extra professional hood cleanings.


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## bkultra (Jan 3, 2016)

Go big or go home...


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## turbochef422 (Jan 3, 2016)

The hospitality group I work for does it right when they do it so I'm sure the equipment, hoods ect will be on point. I'm more thinking of the day to day stuff.


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## marc4pt0 (Jan 3, 2016)

bkultra said:


> Go big or go home...



Holy schnickies


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## marc4pt0 (Jan 3, 2016)

turbochef422 said:


> The hospitality group I work for does it right when they do it so I'm sure the equipment, hoods ect will be on point. I'm more thinking of the day to day stuff.



Nick, that really depends on what you're looking to get out of the equipment. I personally would take a proper wood burning oven over a grill, but if you go with the grill, definitely get one with a rotisserie option. 

Are you looking to use this for service? Or is this for more for prep and kick starting foods with a nice woody flavor.
For the most part, your biggest concern is keeping proper temps and smoke through good wood burning during use and cleaning afterwards. Some deep clean on a super strict schedule, some say lisayghtly clean as to keep the "seasoning" intact on the grill. If I recall right, you will need a proper container to discard ash/embers.


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## marc4pt0 (Jan 3, 2016)

Also want to say that adding a wood burning grill or oven is a great way to separate your foods/menu from others. This is something that can be used all year round. From proteins to starches, from veggies to breads/doughs. Even dried grains can be toasted. Heck, you can take left over embers and throw them into liquids, let it rest overnight or so, and have yourself a smoked xyz something for foods or beverages.


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## turbochef422 (Jan 3, 2016)

It's gonna be throughout service as well as kick starting some stuff with flavor. Definitely the rotisserie option I know the owners wanted that too. We are also going to make some sausage, lots of pickling and fermenting, some whole fish and seafood, and a small plates menu. Who knows. I'm gonna be busy the next year.


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## marc4pt0 (Jan 3, 2016)

You're also going to smell a lot different to your family when you get home


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## Duckfat (Feb 23, 2016)

bkultra said:


> Go big or go home...




YOWZA. That's a serious system. I think the only one I've seen that big befgore was at Queue de Cheval. You have to go to the second page (micro dots at bottom of page) to see the grill but it is killer. Especially if the power goes out and you have no exhaust fans. 

http://www.queuedecheval.com/#


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## marc4pt0 (Feb 23, 2016)

I may have just soiled my pants


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## Mrmnms (Feb 23, 2016)

curious how many covers you're doing with a grill this size? 


bkultra said:


> Go big or go home...


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## bkultra (Feb 23, 2016)

I should have been more clear... I'm not a professional, just a home enthusiast. Although I love many different aspects of cooking my main obsession is grilling/BBQ. I own many different grills/smokers (Webber Genesis, smokey mountain, kettle, BGE, grillworks, etc.). It's through owning a smaller residential version that I even know about the bigger pro models. 

There is a very cool story behind grillworks. The orginal owner use to build them as a hobby and became so popular that he use to play a game of hide and seek. You had to try and hunt him down in person or on the phone to get him to build you one. He worked at University of Michigan and had all his calls screened. The company got so large his son (an executive at AOL I believe) left his job and took over the company. Jim Beard was one of the people that hunted him down over the phone and it took him a minute to realize who he was talking to. 

http://www.grillery.com


More pictures of some of their higher end pro models found here...

http://www.bonappetit.com/restaurants-travel/article/grillworks


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## dblnickels (Feb 28, 2016)

Two words: Black Boogers!
Everything is amplified with solid fuel. Hood cleaning, fuel inventory, ventilation requirements and Flavor (sometimes too much). Dedicated intuitive cooks for the thing are problematic. Gotta ride this thing or it's gonna ride you!


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## Mrmnms (Feb 28, 2016)

We ran a 48 inch wood fired grill adjacent to a gas grill. I expected it to be more trouble than it was and a longer learning curve. All the guys liked using it and I liked the product coming off it , although some customers requested their steaks off the standard grill. It wasn't a big deal cleaning up. Now a BBQ, that another thing.


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