Outdoor Kitchens Guide

There are a number of quality brands when it comes to outdoor kitchen grills, and one of the most popular of those brands is Fire Magic. Fire Magic grills are made in the United States, and that alone makes them appealing to many people. If you purchase a Fire Magic grill, you have a grill that will last you a very long time. There are 3 main levels of Fire Magic gas grills, and they are produced and marketed by RH Peterson Company in California. All of these grills are available in either cart or built in models. Since we deal mostly with outdoor kitchens here at the Outdoor Kitchen Guide, we will be focusing on Fire Magic built in grills.

If you want a good brand that has pretty much any feature available in a grill, this is your brand. the nice thing about having multiple lines is you do not have to pay for features and accessories you are not going to use. While there are 3 different lines of these grills, we will focus on the 2 lines that are most popular for use in outdoor kitchens. These are the Aurora and Echelon lines. Within these lines are several different sizes of grills. Fire Magic Outdoor Grills offers a nice selection of both different widths and depths in their built in grills. This is important when planning an outdoor kitchen because the ability to use a grill that is not as deep front to back as most grills might mean the difference between fitting all the components you want and having to leave something out.

Most built in grills require a cabinet that is 28″ in depth. This depth ensures that once the grill is installed the cover can be opened without hitting the wall behind the cabinet. There are some brands, like Viking, that require a cabinet several inches deeper due to the depth of the grill. Fire Magic offers grills in this standard depth that need a 28″ cabinet, but they also offer grills in both the Aurora and Echelon lines that will fit in a cabinet as shallow as 24″.

Let’s talk about the differences in the Fire Magic Aurora line versus the fire Magic Echelon line of grills. The main thing to keep in mind is these are really the same grill. think about the Aurora as a sort of base model, but only as far as accessories go. The steel used in both lines is 304 stainless steel. The burners are cast stainless, and these are the only grills in which you will find cast stainless burners. This is the most heavy duty burner you can get in a grill, and it will last many years. If it ever does fail, it is covered by a lifetime warranty, so you will just be given another!

OK, so what does an Aurora have that an Echelon does not? Nothing. Remember, the Aurora is the base model of this grill. The same stainless shell is used in the production fo both lines. If you want just a grill, and have no need for a rotisserie or lights in your grill, you simply order an Aurora. You can order an Aurora with a rotisserie and the grill will come with the back burner and rotisserie motor. You can also order this grill with a searing burner in place of one of the 3 main burners.

The Echelon built in grill comes with lights, a smoker burner, and comes standard with a rotisserie motor and back burner. The hood on the Echelon comes with spring assist which makes it feel a lot lighter. There are substantial price differences between the Aurora and Echelon, so you have to give some thought to what options you need in a grill and which you do not need. The differences can add up to thousands of dollars, but since Fire Magic gives you the option to pick and choose what you need in your grill, you can pinpoint your price and spend no more than that yet still get a very high quality grill.

Both the Aurora and Echelon lines come with a digital display that shows the temperature inside your grill. The display looks the same on both grills, but operates a bit differently depending on the grill. On the Aurora grill, the display measures the temperature inside the grill and rotates the display between that and the temperature at the end of the meat probe, which plugs into the side of the grill. The Echelon has heat zone dividers between each burner, and the display will rotate between the 3 internal zones as well as the meat probe.

As you can see, there is a wide range of Fire Magic grills available to suit any functional need as well as any budget. Any of these stainless steel bbq grills will last you many years, so it pays to take the right amount of time and decide which options you need in yours. Once you decide on the grill, make sure you protect it with one of the line of high quality Fire Magic grill covers.