You don't need to run a gas line. Many grills are configured to run off bottled propane. But that's a bit of a hassle. If you have the option, get a plumbed gas line instead. No lugging around of heavy bottles. No stress about expiration dates on safety checked bottles. No unexpected loss of heat when gas runs out in the middle of cooking. And possibly cheaper (but that will take a long time to amortize).

Electricity is frequently not needed, but can be useful to have. The same is true for water and drain. That really depends on how complete you want to make your outdoor kitchen area.

There are a couple of really amazing high end grills out there. But a basic Home Depot model will usually do. The really cheap ones do die after a couple of years though. I'd not pick anything less than an entry-level Weber. They usually can be repaired when things fail.

Please think of fire safety. It's easy to set grills on fire. Usually you just close the lid and wait for things to stop burning. But flare-ups are a very real issue with all of these appliances. If you can multi-thousands of dollars, you can find models that reduce this problem. But even then it's still something you need to watch.

Buy a good fire extinguisher and keep it close by. I prefer CO2 extinguishers for food applications, but they're a little harder to use.

Thank you for your suggestions M. I appreciate it

Thank you very much K&D. very helpful

What do you want to cook? How often? How important is flavor quality to you? How important is ease of use?

The best tasting food will come from natural wood or pellets, not natural gas or LP. Natural wood obviously requires more effort than turning a knob on a gas grill but for many people that's part of the joy of cooking outside.

Pellets are in many ways the best of both worlds - easy to use (for those who want it) and natural wood flavor. Memphis is generally considered the best Pellet for all around use with Twin Eagles second. For smoking then Camp Chef, Treager and Z are worth looking at.

Natural gas is the easiest to use and in second place I'd rank LP about equal w/ pellets (both require purchasing fuel and getting fuel in to the grill). From a taste perspective pellets are much better so I see no reason for LP unless the savings on the grill are worth it. If ease of use is overwhelmingly more important than taste and you don't mind paying for running a gas line then natural gas.

"You will need a gas connection unless you do LP (liquefied petroleum or propane) gas."

Really? How do you come to that conclusion?

Thank you opaone. Hmm, I did not take the flavours into consideration. Will keep that in mind too

@opaone Clearly, a gas connection is not required for wood burning. Oh, wait. That is beyond obvious.

I really want a Kalamazoo grill. It can use gas, wood, charcoal and pellets. It also is much easier to clean. But there only is a minor problem. Fully installed, it costs more than my car...

(But then, maybe I could get rid of my car. Steak >> Car)?

K&D, your work is always solid and handsome!

Another reason one might want an electrical connection nearby is for lighting. It's hard to grill in the dark if that is ever a possibility. (No gas line needed for the lighting, though.) :-)

@yardvaark, thank you.....gracious and thoughtful of you to say!. Chuckling here on "No gas line for the lighting" :)

Speaking of lighting...... Here it is late last summer at about 99% complete. Deck post finials not yet installed.

The guys that make stuff happen.

Some of the higher end built-in grills do require electrical connections for the ignition and lights (both to light the grilling surface and backlit knobs). A few of the brands we carry are like this.

Kind of piggybacking off K&D's exhaustive and awesome list, a couple thoughts:

- while I get the convenience of a permanent natural gas hookup, you get more BTUs from propane. As someone who only has a gas grill because some nights charcoal is too much effort, more BTUs is a better cooking experience.

- I can't remember whether it's a code or a manufacturer requirement, but the standard we go by is a minimum of (2) 20 sq inch vents for the BBQ enclosure. You used to have to have them on opposite sides, but now you can have them on perpendicular sides. When placing them just remember that propane is heavier than air, natural gas is lighter than air.

As far as buying ones from Home Depot and installing, I'm not totally sure what you mean. For a built-in grill you want one that is sold as a grill head. The ones that are freestanding (ie, the row of grills on wheels in front of the store), you can't just cut the legs off and use it as a grill head. You can still build your kitchen around a freestanding grill. Here's an article on how we did that several years ago for a client: https://www.revolutionarygardens.com/can-i-use-my-freestanding-grill-as-a-built-in-grill/

Hmm, I did not take the flavours into consideration. Will keep that in mind too

Yeah, grilled food often carries the taste of the fuel used to cook it. Meats more so than veggies though and smoked more so than seared. That's why good chef's and BBQ places won't usually use NG, LP or many types of manufactured charcoal for meat.

That said there are plenty of knowledgable people who will argue that point including my former boss who is Mr. food research and says 'carbon is carbon!'.

BTW, a good chef can create a great meal on just about anything. I've been on the receiving end of some amazing meals prepared on kmart level equipment. So the cheapest grill at HD will allow you to prepare some things that are just as good as can be prepared on the most expensive grills in existence. But the cheapest grills may only last a couple of seasons or may not be easy to adjust the grill height or not feed pellets evenly or ...

@opaone, you are of course correct. With enough effort, I can cook amazing meals even with the most basic tools. But at some point, it's a big struggle. I remember in my early days of learning how to cook, I spent almost 3h fulltime supervising a pot in order to cook rice. It really doesn't help to have an electric hot plate with a fried thermostat as your only heat source.

Yes, in the end we did have a pot of rice for our meal. But I don't care to ever repeat that experience.

More expensive specialized tools don't always guarantee a better experience. But they certainly shift the odds towards having a lot more fun cooking. And that can only be a good thing.

Yep, I don't hesitate too much to spend on good kitchen (and grilling) tools. I just wanted to make the point that spending a lot is not required.