The Art and Science of Outdoor Cooking
Outdoor cooking is one of humanity's oldest and most satisfying culinary traditions. From the earliest campfires to today's sophisticated outdoor kitchen systems, the fundamental pleasure of cooking over an open flame remains unchanged. What has changed dramatically is the technology available to the modern outdoor cook — and Sunstone Metal Products sits at the forefront of that evolution.
Sunstone's outdoor cooking lineup spans the full spectrum of cooking methods, from high-heat infrared searing to slow charcoal smoking, from powerful side burners to specialized pizza ovens. Understanding which cooking method suits your culinary goals is the first step toward building your ideal outdoor cooking setup.
The Ruby Pro-Sear Infrared Grill Series
30" Ruby 3-Burner Pro-Sear30" · 3 burners · up to 60,000 BTU
36" Ruby 4-Burner Pro-Sear36" · 4 burners · up to 80,000 BTU
The Ruby series represents Sunstone's flagship offering in gas grilling technology. The defining feature of Ruby grills is their infrared burner technology, which fundamentally changes how heat is delivered to food. Traditional gas grills heat food primarily through convection — hot air moving around the food. Infrared grills, by contrast, emit radiant heat that penetrates directly into the food's surface, creating a restaurant-quality sear that locks in juices and creates the Maillard reaction responsible for that irresistible crust on a perfectly cooked steak.
Ruby grills achieve surface temperatures of up to 1,500°F on the infrared burners, compared to 600-700°F for conventional gas grills. This extreme heat is what separates a backyard cook from a professional chef — the ability to create a true sear in seconds rather than minutes. The result is food that's perfectly caramelized on the outside while remaining juicy and tender inside.
The Ruby series is available in multiple configurations, from 3-burner to 5-burner models, all designed for drop-in installation into Sunstone cabinet islands or as standalone units.
True-Hybrid Grills: The Best of Both Worlds
For outdoor cooks who refuse to choose between gas convenience and charcoal flavor, Sunstone's True-Hybrid grill series offers an elegant solution. These innovative grills combine a gas burner section with a dedicated charcoal cooking zone in a single unit, allowing you to use both fuel types simultaneously or independently.
The practical applications are numerous. You might use the gas side to cook vegetables and sides while using the charcoal side for proteins that benefit from smoke flavor. Or you might start proteins on the charcoal side for smoke penetration, then finish them on the gas side for precise temperature control. The True-Hybrid approach gives experienced outdoor cooks unprecedented flexibility.
StarBBQ Charcoal Grills: Authentic Smoke Flavor
There's a reason charcoal grilling has never gone out of style — the flavor is simply incomparable. The combustion of charcoal produces hundreds of aromatic compounds that infuse food with a complexity that gas simply cannot replicate. Sunstone's StarBBQ charcoal grill series brings this authentic cooking experience to a premium, built-in format.
StarBBQ grills feature heavy-gauge stainless steel construction with adjustable charcoal grates that allow you to control heat by raising or lowering the charcoal bed relative to the cooking surface. This simple but effective mechanism gives you the ability to create distinct heat zones — essential for the indirect cooking method used in low-and-slow barbecue.
Power Cirque Burners: The Outdoor Wok Station
Asian cooking techniques like wok cooking, deep frying, and high-heat stir-frying require BTU outputs that standard kitchen ranges simply cannot provide. Sunstone's Power Cirque burner series delivers the intense heat these techniques demand, with output ratings up to 65,000 BTU per burner.
The circular burner design of the Power Cirque series is specifically engineered to distribute heat evenly across the bottom of a wok or large pot, eliminating the hot spots that plague conventional burners. This even heat distribution is essential for proper wok cooking, where food must be in constant motion across a uniformly hot surface.
Versa-Side Burners: Versatile Cooking Companions
No outdoor kitchen is complete without a dedicated side burner for sauces, side dishes, and warming. Sunstone's Versa-Side burner series goes beyond the basic single-burner side station, offering configurations with multiple burners, integrated wok rings, and even combination units that include a side burner alongside a griddle or teppanyaki plate.
Building Your Outdoor Cooking Station
The key to a successful outdoor cooking setup is planning for how you actually cook, not how you imagine you might cook. Consider your typical entertaining scenarios: Do you host large parties where you need to cook for 20+ people simultaneously? Or do you primarily cook for family dinners of 4-6 people? Do you favor quick weeknight grilling or weekend smoking sessions?
For the versatile outdoor cook who wants to do it all, we recommend a configuration that includes at minimum: a primary grill (Ruby or True-Hybrid), a side burner for sauces and sides, and adequate counter space for prep and plating. This foundation can always be expanded with additional cooking components as your outdoor cooking skills and ambitions grow.