I created an outdoor cooking area when we remodeled twenty years ago. Here are a few things I learned.
1. Make sure you have wind protection. It is really nice to not have things blow off counters, and avoid having your BBQ or smoker upset by sudden drafts.
2. Put outlets reasonably close to where you might actually want to plug things in. Don't be tempted to just put an outlet on the side of the house and then run extension cords.
3. Make sure you have a place to use appliances. I have a little deep fat fryer that I use for french fries, and it is really wonderful to be able to do this outside to avoid the smell in the kitchen. Also, I usually set it up on the cold BBQ so that I don't even have to bother cleaning up the splatter.
4. Think about other appliances you might use outside. I also have a portable induction cooktop, and I often take it out to the cooking area and, with my CI griddle, I can sear a roast, steak, or whatever, at smoking hot temps, and not worry about the smoke and the splatter. It is most definitely worth the two dozen steps it takes to get out of the kitchen to the cooking area.
As for how much electricity, you obviously want to use a 20 amp circuit breaker rather than 15 amp, if you are running a new circuit. If you really want to go all out, I'd suggest putting in plugs from
two different circuits. I did this in my kitchen when we did the remodel, and it is very, very handy to be able to run various combinations of the microwave, toaster oven, toaster, induction cooktop, etc. and not worry about popping the breaker. While there is less stuff outside, if you have the MES with the
Masterbuilt external smoking attachment, if you try to plug both of those into the same circuit, you may exceed the breaker's limit.
