DCS Series 7 Grill Outdoor Kitchen - No Bull@)t Review!

Editors Note: This post was written by Senor Smoke who has extensively used both the DCS Series 7 and Series 9 grills. 

Since DCS released the series 9 group of grills last year, most attention has veered away from their iconic and long-lasting Series 7 grills. However, I'd argue that the Series 7 still provides not only tremendous value due to a lower price point, but because it shares many features with the Series 9 (same burners, same chassis, same grease management system).

The following outdoor kitchens (yes, plural!) were recently installed in a house in Amagansett, NY. The home owner (who has a DCS 48" at his home in NYC) was completely smitten by the Series 7 and could not justify the upcharge in moving to the Series 9, especially since he was buying 2 grills, a 48" and a 36").

DCS Outdoor Kitchen, 48" Grill

The owner has a DCS 48" grill on cart in his NYC home so he was used to the performance of that grill, particularly its grease management system.

"I have a weakness for thick, well-marbled ribeyes and NY strips. The intense heat of my DCS 48" grill provides perfect sear marks, and the sloped grates on the grease management system allows the fat to run off. That way it's easy to clean and the grease doesn't coat the burners which wold result in serious flareups."  - DCS owner Patrick M.

The outdoor kitchen which on the ocean-side of the home was built with the side facing south so prevailing winds off the ocean would not pose a problem. (Remember if your grill must have the back facing prevailing winds we highly recommend a wind guard otherwise the winds will blow heat back to the front of the grill and fry the igniters and wiring). This kitchen is composed of the following:

• 48" DCS Series 7 Grill - BH148R-L
• 48" access doors
• Double side-burner
• Single 30" drawer
• Triple stack of drawers
• 54" Heat outdoor chimney hood

5 Key Points When Building Your DCS Outdoor Kitchen

1 - Use an insulated jacket. DCS grills are hot. Make that very hot. I always advise customers to use an insulated jacket (as seen above, it is the metal piece that the DCS grill is sitting in) . This way the grill's firebox will have a barrier between it and the island structure. If you are building out of wood like the above customer did. you MUST purchase the jacket. 

2 - See #1. Since the grills are hot I would also advise, when practical, to use an outdoor hood. 

3 - Mind the wind. When building an outdoor kitchen or using a grill on cart and you are near a prevailing wind (especially waterfront), make sure that the back of the grill is not facing the wind. What will happen is that the wind gusts will blow against the back of the grill and force the heat within the firebox to the front of the grill which is where critical components (wiring, igniters) are located. Without a wind guard or a natural wind break in the way, the front of the grill will be fried due to heat. I have seen this happen over the course of one windy weekend in the Hamptons with a DCS grill. 

DCS Outdoor Kitchen Plans - What Would I Change in This Outdoor Kitchen

After I received the pictures from this build out (which took over one year), I was completely floored by the aesthetics. The customer was striving for a modern look due to the beach house's existing style. This was achieved by the wood islands, sleek countertop and the wood wrap on the hood. So from an aesthetic standpoint, they aced it. What about practicality? There are certain things that I would have changed. 

1 - In the DCS 48" Grill outdoor kitchen, they don't have enough counter top space. I questioned whether they needed that side burner as I find them to be borderline useless since most large pots will hang off the burner ( I prefer 24" power burners which will comfortably handle stock pots). Losing the sideburner would have created a landing space for platters. 

2 - Did they need to build a 48" on this side? Maybe if they reduced the size to 36" they would again have picked up more room for trays and dishes to land and take off. 

3 - I would have lost one of the storage components and instead of the 48" access doors under the grill I would have placed a door/drawer combo so you would have access to utilities as well as some storage. This would then free up a space for outdoor refrigeration which I belive is a must-have in a setting with a pool. Do you really want all that water tracked into your kitchen when someone wants to grab a drink? 

 For more info on DCS grills please see videos from the Ring of Fire YouTube Channel: