Delta Heat Grills: What Hilton Head and Bluffton Buyers Should Know

"What is Delta Heat, and how is it different from the others?" It is one of the most common questions in our showroom, usually from someone standing between a Delta Heat grill head and a Napoleon or Weber, trying to figure out where the value is.

The short answer: Delta Heat is a built-in grill and outdoor kitchen line from Dometic, engineered, designed and manufactured in Cerritos, California by the same team behind Twin Eagles, one of the most respected names in premium outdoor cooking. It brings much of that engineering to a price point that makes a professional-grade built-in more accessible.

Here is what that means when you are planning an outdoor kitchen on Hilton Head or in Bluffton.

The pedigree is the story. Twin Eagles built its reputation on premium built-in grills and outdoor kitchen equipment with decades of commercial cooking experience behind them. Delta Heat comes out of the same engineering team and the same Southern California operation, now under the Dometic umbrella.

The result is a lineup of built-in grills, cooking accessories, access doors and drawers, and bar accessories, produced in the United States and designed from the start to integrate cleanly into a custom outdoor kitchen.

In our experience, Delta Heat is the right fit for a few kinds of buyers:

• The first outdoor kitchen. Homeowners building their first built-in who want real performance and a clean, matched look without stretching the budget to the top tier.
• The value-minded upgrade. People replacing a tired freestanding grill with a built-in and wanting the most grill for the money.
• The matched kitchen. Because Delta Heat makes its own doors, drawers and accessories, it is easy to build a kitchen where every stainless element matches.
• The coastal homeowner who wants American-made. Made in the U.S. by a team that knows outdoor kitchens, which matters to many of our customers.

If you cook several nights a week and want a built-in grill that sears hard and holds even heat, it belongs on your short list.

A Delta Heat grill head is designed to drop into an island, so the island matters as much as the grill. In the Lowcountry, we build around Challenger aluminum outdoor kitchens: no rust, no rot, no swollen doors, and cabinetry that stands up to the salt air, humidity and sun that define coastal living.

A typical run looks like this:

1. 1Prep counter with trash pullout
2. 2Delta Heat grill head with matching access doors below
3. 3Landing counter for platters coming off the grill
4. 4Side burner or second cooker, such as a Big Green Egg in its own cradle
5. 5Storage drawers for tools, covers and accessories

Our outdoor kitchen design page has more on how we plan these, and our guide to planning an outdoor kitchen covers the decisions to make before you build.

Specs only tell part of the story. When you are comparing Delta Heat with other built-in grills, here is what we suggest checking on the showroom floor:

• Lift the lid. Feel the weight and balance. A well-built hood opens smoothly and stays put.
• Look at the grates and burners. Heavy grates hold heat and give better sear marks. Look at how the burners are protected from drippings.
• Turn the knobs. You should feel precise, confident control from high to low.
• Check the fit and finish. Look at welds, seams and edges. This is where build quality shows.
• Ask about the matching pieces. Doors, drawers and accessories from the same line make for a cleaner kitchen.
• Ask about warranty and service. Know what is covered and who you call. We will walk you through the current manufacturer warranty on any grill you are considering.

We carry several grill brands because each serves a different cook. Delta Heat sits in the sweet spot for built-in value with Twin Eagles engineering behind it. Napoleon and Weber offer outstanding gas grills in both freestanding and built-in configurations. The Big Green Egg is the specialist for low-and-slow, pizza and high-heat searing.

Our grill brand comparison lays out the differences in more detail, and many of our customers end up pairing a gas grill with an Egg.

The best way to judge a grill is to stand in front of it. Come see Delta Heat set into a Challenger island next to the other brands we carry, and bring your questions.

Terrace + Tide is at 13 New Orleans Road on Hilton Head Island, Tuesday through Friday 10 to 5, Saturday 10 to 4, and Monday by appointment. Call us at (843) 715-0927.