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Building a proper outdoor cooking setup

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After cooking indoors exclusively for years, I built an outdoor station this summer and the change to my cooking is significant. Outdoor photo documentation. Setup: a large commercial propane burner on a steel-frame table, a cast iron comal mounted on the second ring, a charcoal chimney for direct flame work, and a stainless prep table alongside. What changed: I can cook at higher heat than any indoor setup because ventilation is unlimited. The comal temperature I can reach outdoors is genuinely different from indoors — hotter and more even. Charring tomatillos, chiles, and corn directly over flame without setting off the smoke alarm. For anyone who has outdoor space: even a single outdoor burner on a table changes what is possible.

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The commercial propane burner BTU output is also meaningfully different from a home stove. The comal temperature ceiling you can reach with a commercial burner is higher and you get there faster. Once you cook on it you understand why professional Mexican cooking looks the way it does.

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