The backyard recently received a new addition. A Traeger pellet smoker. And you know I rarely go for the straight out of the box look. So naturally I quickly came up with a plan to incorporate a DIY built in Traeger smoker outdoor kitchen station. I felt it was only appropriate since the gas grill is built in and the pizza oven has it’s own outdoor space. Let me show you how I did it because I know you will want a built-in pellet grill too!

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DIY Built In Traeger Smoker Outdoor Kitchen Station

My Outdoor Kitchen Layout

Because we both love to cook and eat 90% of our meals at home, my outdoor kitchen has several cooking stations for grilling, smoking, pizza making, and of course dining. If you missed the original patio design, you can find that here. It was very important to me to create a space that could grow with us as well as have plenty of space to entertain and enjoy the cool summer nights in Colorado. 

DIY Built in Trager Outdoor Kitchen Station Materials List

35 Large Rumblestone Wall Blocks
36 Medium Rumblestone Wall Blocks
4 Tubes of Landscape Adhesive
Extension cord
Drywall Square
Countertop
Traeger Pellet Grill
Zip Ties

Step By Step Instructions

Step 1 – Determine Your Layout 

Coming up with your outdoor kitchen design can be a daunting task. I recommend laying out your space on graph paper or in Excel first. This is a great way to space plan and make sure nothing feels crowded. I did this when I originally designed the patio and planned the built-in grill and the pizza station. 

When space planning you will want to include all of the components you want your outdoor kitchen to include such as, food prep, cooking area, outdoor grilling station, a side burner, outdoor bar, big green egg, etc. And don’t forget to include a dining area and seating area if you want to have those as well. 

Our patio is close to 500 sq feet so we have a lot of space to work with. But since the backyard already has a built-in grill, a pizza oven area, a dining area, and lounging area, there were limited options for adding a built-in smoker. Luckily I came up with the perfect spot just behind the grill and eating bar.

The best option for the Traeger grill was to borrow a few feet from the seating wall. This keeps the cooking areas close together but far enough apart that each could be used simultaneously if we wanted smoked bacon on our burgers and pizza, haha 😉 

The size of your smoker area will depend on what type of smoker you have and the dimensions of it. Just make sure you have enough space for the entire base and ample counter space for your cooking needs. My area is 63.5 x 28 inches and sits at 24 inches high. This puts the top of the smoker at the same height as the stand it came with. 

When choosing your location for an outdoor cooking space, remember where the smoke will come from and drift to. For that reason I thought it was best to face both the gas grill and the smoker away from the house. This way the inside of the house wouldn’t smell like whatever was being cooked outside. 

Step 2 – Source Your Materials

Because my outdoor grill station and seating wall was existing and made from wall blocks, I decided to match the look for the built in smoker. The blocks are called rumblestones and are made by Keystone which used to be Pavestone. I found these at a local landscaping/stone yard. Since two sides of my rectangle were already in place, this outdoor kitchen project only required 71 pieces of wall block. But if I had to build the other two sides it would have been double. 

You could also build this out of cinder blocks which could be painted or you could cover them in tiles or brick veneer. Another option is to build a frame out of 2x4s and then cover it with cement boards and add tile or brick. The base materials would likely be less expensive, however they require more finishing work, expense, and time. But the the choice is yours based on the look you are going for.  

Step 3 – Layout the design

Once all the wall block was in the backyard, Barry and I did a mock up of the base with the rumblestones and no glue. This helped us determine a good stagger for the blocks to make sure the wall was sturdy and determine how many of each size we needed per row. You do not want the seams of the blocks to line up between rows.

As you can see, several seams line up here (left side of rows 3,4, and 5). This was just the mock up and I adjusted the middle rows so that was not the case on the final placement. 

In total we used 35 large blocks and 36 medium blocks on the two walls built. I highly recommend doing a mockup before you glue! 

After the layout was determined, we removed all the wall blocks by row, in order, so we wouldn’t have to remember the placement each time. You can watch all the behind the scenes to this in my Instagram stories. 

Step 4 – Glue Down the Rumblestone

Even though the rumblestones weigh between 10-25 pounds each they still need to be glued down to create a sturdy and strong base. For this we used landscape adhesive. Barry applied the glue to each block and I placed them. 

The first row is the most important as it sets the foundation for the rest of the wall. To assist in making this as square as possible, I used the drywall square I got for the basement. This helped me line up all the blocks better. I also used my speed square in the inside corners to make sure it was square. 

Between each row there should be a stagger in the blocks so none of the seams line up. This creates a stronger wall. Think of it like stacking Legos. If you stack them all on top of each other they aren’t very sturdy, but if you lay them in an alternating pattern and stack them, they are rock solid. Same logic here. 

After one row is down, move on to the next until you have six full rows. I did not add the final backsplash row until the countertop was in place. That row is totally optional but I think it gives it a more finished look. 

Step 5 – Run Electrical 

Depending on the kind of grill you are building your own outdoor kitchen for, you may not need to add electrical. But for my setup, an electrical outlet was needed. If your outdoor kitchen area is for a charcoal smoker, a charcoal grill, or a propane grill, you will not need to run electrical. But if you are using a Traeger pellet smoker you will need a power source. 

Because my setup is away from the house I had to run an extension cord from our exterior plug that powers the string lights. This was the best option because it could be hidden under the mulch and landscape rock.

However, I do wish I had thought through this a little more before starting. In hindsight, I should have run the extension cord through a space in the bottom blocks on the back side as I was laying them rather than coming up the back side after everything was glued. So my advice would be to run the electrical before gluing your first row down. 

Step 6 – Choose Your Countertop Materials 

Because the middle of this setup is hollow, a countertop platform is needed to hold the smoker itself. I contemplated several options including granite countertops, but ultimately decided to DIY concrete countertops with just a few materials. I used a similar method to the one I used on the pizza oven tabletop. Spoiler alert, I did not use a hollow core door this time. Details on the concrete counter and how I did it can be found here. 

No matter what you decide on for the countertops you want to make sure it will be strong enough for the weight of the smoker and suitable for outdoor use. While butcher block countertop is an affordable option in an indoor kitchen, I don’t think it would hold up to the elements outside. Especially if you get a lot of rain or snow where you live. But if you really want to try a wood countertop I wouldn’t do it without coating it in some trusty total boat first. 

Step 7 – Place the countertop

This step was almost as simple as it sounds. Almost. You will want to make sure the top is level. The stones I used are not perfectly shaped and the patio is not perfectly square or level after years of shifty soil. So I needed to shim the back right corner of the top. 

Back in step five I ran the electrical cord to the middle of the smoker platform. Now it’s time to run the cord through the hole in the countertop. I do recommend you drill a hole in the countertop for this step. Otherwise you will have a cord just hanging around. If you are OCD like me, that just isn’t an option. 

I ran the extension cord up through the countertop hole first. Then I zip tied the extension cord to the smoker cord. This way if they somehow become unplugged from one another they are still attached and you don’t have to move the pellet grill itself. 

Once the cords are securely fastened together you can drop them into the hole. 

Step 8 – Add the Backsplash Row of Blocks

This step is totally optional, but I felt like it made the area feel more intentional. I also thought seeing the countertop from the back of the seating wall was awkward. 

For this step I hung each block off the edge a few inches to create a border along the back of the wall. Since they hung off the edge a little, I added some scrap landscaping blocks for weight until the glue dried. To see the behind the scenes for this check out my Instagram stories highlight. 

Step 9 – Add the Traeger to the countertop

When our Traeger smoker was delivered it came assembled on the wheels. So the first thing to do is take the top part of the smoker off the base. There are two bolts on each of the legs that unscrew with an Allen wrench. I unscrewed one on each leg at a time because once you have one side unscrewed it becomes very unstable. This was definitely a two person job as the barrel of the smoker is quite heavy.

The placement of the smoker will be a personal choice for your setup. I decided placing it a bit to the right on the platform made the most sense. This way there is easy access to the extra counterspace on the left side and good flow from the grilling area for convenient outdoor cooking. You could also center the pellet smoker more in the middle and leave more space on the sides of the grill station. Because our Traeger has the pellet box on the right side, this worked better for us. 

Step 10 – Enjoy your next BBQ! 

I must admit, I was a little hesitant about upgrading the smoker from an electric smoker to a pellet smoker. The patio already has serval different cooking methods in the outdoor kitchen setup and I was worried about space. But after that first fillet of salmon and my sweet and spicy smoked bacon, I am sold! Totally worth the upgrade! 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did you build the smoker in? 

As a DIY content creator I rarely use items straight out of the box. Putting my own twist on different parts of our home is what makes it more special. Also, it’s my job to come up with doable DIYs and work out the kinks so you don’t have to.

Do you cover the smoker when you aren’t using it?

Yes! When the smoker is not in use it is covered. Traeger sells protective covers for their smokers for a custom fit. 

Why didn’t you put it under the covered patio? 

We didn’t have enough space for the entire outdoor kitchen to sit under the patio. I was also concerned about the amount of smoke that would linger and infiltrate the house if the smoker sat under the patio. Low and slow is the name of the game when smoking food so the smoker doesn’t need constant attention like the regular grill. 

What kind of food do you smoke on the pellet grill? 

I think the better question is what can’t you cook in here? I am currently working several smoker recipes to share over on Eats. Stay tuned 😉

I don’t have a smoker, can I try this outdoor kitchen build with my grill? 

Absolutely! As you can see, I have a similar setup for the grill and might be adding some more concrete countertops to this area too.  

How much did this project cost? 

The total cost was about $400. The large Rumblestones were $5.44 each and the medium ones were $3.52 + tax. We did not pay any delivery costs because we picked them up from the landscaping yard ourselves. The countertop cost me about $50 to make.  

In just two short weekends I took my outdoor kitchen to the next level with this built in pellet smoker! It was a great addition to this foodie family 🙂 

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This post, DIY Built in Traeger Smoker Outdoor Kitchen Station, appeared first on Garrison Street Design Studio.