Outdoor Kitchen Side Burners: Single vs. Double vs. Infrared Sear (2026 Buying Guide)

You've settled on the grill. You've roughed out the island. Then the configurator asks the question nobody prepped you for: do you want a side burner, and which one? Most people guess. They either skip it and regret it the first time they're carrying a pot of boiling corn water across the patio, or they over-spend on a high-output sear burner they fire up twice a year. Both mistakes are avoidable. A side burner is a 12-to-15-inch cutout in your island that you live with for a decade — it's worth ten minutes of thinking.

This is the honest breakdown of what each burner type actually does, what it costs, and who should buy which. No fluff. Real SKUs and real pricing from our current Cal Flame and Summerset catalog.

First Question: Do You Even Need One?

Here's the test. Think about the meals you actually cook outside. If the answer is "steaks, burgers, chicken, done" — you may not need a burner at all, and that cutout is better spent on storage or refrigeration. But if you've ever wanted to simmer a sauce, boil corn or seafood, sauté vegetables, keep beans warm, or sear a steak hotter than your grill can manage — that's a burner job. The rule of thumb: a side burner earns its cutout the moment you're cooking around the main course, not just the main course itself. Entertainers need one. Pure grillers often don't.

The Four Burner Types, Plainly

1. The Single Side Burner — the default workhorse

One burner, around 15,000 BTU, sized for a standard pot or pan. This is the right answer for most homeowners. It handles sauces, a single pot of pasta or corn, warming sides, and basic sautéing without taking up much island real estate. It's the cheapest entry point and the easiest to fit into a compact build. If you're not sure what you need, you almost certainly need this. In the catalog that's the Cal Flame Drop-In Side Burner (15,000 BTU, SKU BBQ18852P — $524) or the Summerset Single Side Burner (15,000 BTU, SB1 — $549), available in both natural gas and liquid propane.

2. The Double Side Burner — for people who actually entertain

Two burners side by side, so you can run a pot and a pan at the same time — sauce on one, veg on the other, while the grill handles protein. If you host more than a couple of times a season, this is the upgrade that pays off, because the bottleneck at a real cookout is never the grill, it's having somewhere to cook everything else. Options run from the Summerset Double Side Burner (2-burner, SB2 — $749) up through Cal Flame's stainless drop-ins: the Standard Side-by-Side Flat Burner (BBQ18953P — $1,095) and the Deluxe Double Burner (BBQ19899P — $1,157). Step up to the Summerset Pro Double Side Burner (24,000 BTU, integrated LED lighting, SB2-PRO — $999) if you want more output and night-cooking visibility.

3. The Infrared Sear / Power Burner — the steakhouse weapon

This is a different animal. An infrared sear burner concentrates intense, high-temperature heat to put a restaurant-grade crust on a steak — the kind of sear a standard grill grate struggles to reach. The Summerset Pro Power Side Burner (18,000 BTU infrared, PB2-PRO — $1,799) is the catalog's sear specialist. Buy this if you're a serious steak cook who cares about the Maillard crust, or if you do a lot of wok and high-heat work. Don't buy it as a general-purpose burner — it's a precision tool, not the thing you'll use to warm baked beans. Many serious builds pair an infrared sear burner and a standard side burner, because they do genuinely different jobs.

4. The Drop-In Griddle / Teppanyaki — the specialty play

Not a burner in the pot-and-pan sense — a flat-top cooking surface built into the island. The Cal Flame Drop-In Hibachi / Teppanyaki Griddle (BBQ19900P — $1,960) is for the smash-burger, fried-rice, breakfast-on-the-patio crowd. Niche, but if flat-top cooking is your thing, nothing else on this list replaces it. Most buyers don't need it; the ones who want it know exactly who they are.

Quick Comparison

Pricing reflects current authorized-dealer list pricing and complies with manufacturer MAP policy. Natural gas and liquid propane configurations available on most models. "From" price shown is the lowest current option in that category.

The Install Detail Nobody Tells You About

Here's the thing that trips up DIY island builders: a drop-in burner sitting over a combustible surface — a wood-framed island, a composite cabinet — needs an insulated liner box underneath it for safe clearance. Skip it and you've built a fire hazard into your patio. If your island is masonry or non-combustible, you're usually fine. If it's framed in wood or built on a manufactured cabinet, budget for a liner like the Summerset Side Burner Liner (GL-SB2 — $499). This is exactly the kind of thing that should be sorted before you order, not discovered on install day. It's also why a quick spec check up front saves you a headache later.

The Operator's Recommendation

If you want the short version: most people are best served by a single side burner at the $500-ish entry point. People who genuinely entertain should go double — the second burner is the difference between cooking a meal and cooking a feast. The infrared sear burner is a real upgrade, but only for steak obsessives and high-heat cooks; don't buy it to feel premium, buy it because you'll use the heat. And whatever you choose, confirm the cutout and clearance before you order — a burner is permanent, and a wrong-sized cutout is an expensive island repair, not a return.

Want to see the full lineup? Browse the BBQ Island Accessories collection for every side burner, griddle, and drop-in, or start from the Outdoor Kitchens & BBQ Islands collection if you're still building the island itself.

Upscale Home HQ is an authorized Cal Flame and Summerset Grills dealer. All advertised pricing complies with manufacturer MAP policy. Pricing and specifications current as of June 2026 and subject to change. Free LTL freight to the continental U.S. Liftgate and inside delivery available on request.