Side Burner Buying Guide: Wok Power, Searing, Sauce Stations

Short answer: For most outdoor kitchens, a single 15,000-18,000 BTU side burner handles 90% of what you'll cook outside the main grill — sauces, sides, sautéing. If you wok-cook or want to fry, go with a dedicated 30,000+ BTU power burner. Don't bother with side burners under 12,000 BTU; they don't have enough heat to be useful.

The side burner is the most underrated appliance in an outdoor kitchen. Customers ask about grills and pizza ovens. Almost nobody asks about side burners. Then we see install pictures six months later and the side burner is the most-used appliance on the island.

What you actually use a side burner for

Concrete examples from customer feedback:

Reduce sauce while the steak rests

Sauté mushrooms and onions for burgers without going back to the indoor kitchen

Boil corn on the cob without making the house humid in July

Hold a pot of chili warm during a tailgate-style cookout

Wok-sear vegetables at restaurant temperatures (only with a high-output power burner)

Deep-fry turkey, French fries, donuts (only with sealed-burner power units)

Cook breakfast (eggs + bacon + coffee in a percolator) on a camp-style setup

The categories of side burner

Standard side burner (12,000-18,000 BTU): What 80% of grills ship with. Single tube or sealed burner, stainless body, holds a regular saucepan or skillet. Bull Outlaw cart, Hestan Aspire 30 freestanding, and most DCS Series 9 models include this by default. Adequate for sauces and sides.

Double side burner (24,000-36,000 BTU total): Two burners on one chassis. Lets you run two pots simultaneously — sauce on one, sides on the other. Most common upgrade. Bull's Diablo line ships double, optional on most premium freestanding.

Power burner / wok burner (25,000-65,000 BTU): Single high-output burner, often with a heat ring for wok placement. The 65k Hestan Power Burner is the gold standard — it hits the BTU of three regular burners. Capable of true Asian wok-style cooks (hei wok char) outdoors. Also necessary for serious deep-fry work.

Searing side burner / sear station (18,000-22,000 BTU infrared): Side-mounted infrared burner (smaller version of the in-grill sear technology). Great for finishing steaks if your main grill is convection-only. Often a cheaper alternative to upgrading the whole grill to an IR-equipped model.

Smoker box side burner: Burner under a smoker chamber for low-and-slow cooks. Niche but useful if you don't want a dedicated smoker.

How to size your side burner setup

If you cook for 2-4 most nights: Single 15-18k BTU. Don't over-buy. The dual burner you don't use is wasted island space.

If you cook for 6+ regularly: Dual burner. You will run both, often simultaneously. The time savings of not bouncing back to the indoor kitchen is real.

If you ever wok-cook, deep-fry, or do paella: Dedicated power burner. Standard side burners can't generate the heat for real wok hei or 350°F oil. The power burner is the appliance you didn't know you needed until you have one.

Sealed vs open burner

Sealed (one-piece cast burner head): Spills can't drop into the gas channel. Easier to clean. Better for sauce work (sauce always spills). Hestan and DCS use sealed across all models. This is what you want.

Open (tube burner): Spills drop through. Have to clean the drip tray below. Cheaper. Bull's lower-tier carts use these — fine for occasional use, annoying for regular sauce work.

Built-in vs cart-mounted side burner

Built-in: Module drops into a cutout in your counter. Sits flush. Looks integrated. Requires the counter cutout + gas line. Most premium installs go this route. Bull, DCS, and Hestan all sell built-in modules in 12-inch and 18-inch widths.

On-cart attached to freestanding grill: Built into the grill chassis. No separate install. Less prep counter space lost (shared with grill cart). Most freestanding grills offer this as a +$200-400 upgrade.

Standalone cart: Side burner on its own rolling cart. Flexibility (move it where needed). Takes patio floor space. Rare — usually only worth it if you're not committing to a full outdoor kitchen yet.

Our carried brand picks

Bull BBQ: Single side burner standard on Bull Outlaw + Brahma freestanding carts. Bull also sells excellent built-in single + double modules for outdoor kitchen islands. The Bull Power Burner (60,000 BTU) is the best value in the wok-burner category if you want one without paying Hestan premium.

DCS: Series 9 grills include a sealed single side burner. The DCS Liberty side burner module is the premium standalone option — built like a tank, 17,500 BTU, lifetime warranty on the burner head.

Hestan Outdoor: The Hestan Power Burner (65,000 BTU) is the gold standard wok/power burner. Pricey ($1,800-2,200 for the module) but does what nothing else can. If wok cooking is meaningful to you, this is the appliance to budget for. Hestan also sells excellent standard sealed side burners as integrated modules.

Common mistakes

Buying a tiny 10k BTU side burner because it ships with the grill — it'll boil a small pot of water in 10 minutes and that's about it. Upgrade to 15k+ even on a starter setup.

Placing the side burner far from the grill (across the island) — adds steps + thermal lost on hot pans. Keep it within 24 inches of the main grill.

Not budgeting for a wind guard if you're in a windy area — propane and natural gas burners both struggle in 15+ mph wind. Hestan + DCS sell wind guards; Bull's are aftermarket.

Skipping the side burner entirely to save $400 — you'll spend it on a third extension cord to your indoor kitchen workflow.

Related reading

Pair with: How Many BTUs Do You Need (sizing logic applies), Outdoor Kitchen Design Guide (where the side burner goes in the layout), Searing Burners Explained (if you're considering an infrared side burner specifically for sear).