How to Protect Your Outdoor Kitchen and Barbecue Through Winter

An outdoor kitchen gets used on perhaps 60 days a year in the UK. It sits outside for the other 300. What you do during those 300 days determines whether it still looks good in year five or looks tired by year two.

None of this is complicated. It is mostly about doing a few things consistently.

Covers are not optional

This is the single highest-return thing you can do. A tailored cover keeps rain out of burners, stops UV fading, prevents leaves rotting in corners, and keeps frost off worktops.

Two things matter more than price:

• Fit. A tailored cover beats a generic one every time. Loose covers flap in wind, chafe the finish, and funnel water into the exact places you were trying to protect.
• Breathability. A fully waterproof, non-breathable cover traps condensation underneath. You end up with a damp micro-climate that corrodes faster than no cover at all. Look for vented designs.

We stock tailored covers for most brands we sell across our accessories and covers range, including Buschbeck masonry, GRLLR gas barbecues, kamados and Barbecook.

Clean before you cover, not after

Covering a dirty barbecue traps grease, salt and food residue against the metal for months. Grease is acidic and it will pit stainless steel given long enough.

Before the season ends: burn off the grill, scrape the grates, empty the ash or grease tray completely, and wipe surfaces down. Ash is particularly bad left over winter because it holds moisture against metal.

Watch out for freeze-thaw

Water expanding as it freezes is what cracks masonry, splits stone worktops and damages ceramic.

• Drain and disconnect any outdoor water supply before the first frost.
• Do not leave standing water in sinks, drip trays or fire bowls.
• Keep masonry barbecues and ceramic ovens covered so they are not saturated when temperatures drop.

Fire pit and fire bowl owners should tip out rainwater regularly through winter, or fit a lid to keep it out entirely.

Bioethanol and gas specifics

For bioethanol fires, burners should be emptied rather than left with fuel sitting in them. Winter bags and protective covers are available for most EcoSmart Fire models.

For gas, disconnect the bottle and store it upright somewhere ventilated and frost-free. Never store a gas bottle indoors or in a sealed cupboard. Check the regulator hose for cracking each spring before reconnecting.

What about corten steel?

Corten is designed to weather, and the rust layer is protective rather than destructive. It genuinely does not need covering in the way stainless does. We explain how it works in our guide to corten steel.

The one caveat: corten will stain paving and decking beneath it as it weathers, so think about what is underneath.

A simple end-of-season routine

1. Deep clean grates, burners and surfaces.
2. Empty all ash, grease and water.
3. Dry everything fully. Do not cover damp equipment.
4. Disconnect and store gas bottles safely.
5. Drain water lines.
6. Fit breathable, tailored covers.
7. Check once mid-winter after heavy weather.

That is roughly an hour of work that protects several thousand pounds of equipment.

If you are still choosing kit, our outdoor kitchen buyer's guide covers which materials handle British weather best in the first place.