Description

Commercial-Grade Construction | Made in the USA | Built for Live-Fire Catering

Crafted for large-scale outdoor events, festivals, and commercial catering, the NorCal #5050 Round Catering Grill delivers an immersive live-fire cooking performance. Engineered around a central wood-burning combustion system, this heavy-duty circular grill blends fire management, multi-zone grate cooking, and overhead hanging into a single event-focused centerpiece.

The Central Ember-Management System

At the core of the Unit #5050 is an elevated central fire basket designed for continuous firewood combustion. Rather than building static fires across the entire hearth, cooks maintain an active wood fire in the center to produce a steady supply of glowing hardwood coals.

Using the open perimeter layout, chefs draw fresh embers outward into designated cooking zones beneath the surrounding grates. This setup gives pitmasters full heat control across different sections—from intense searing zones to low-and-slow holding areas—without ever extinguishing the core fire.

Specialized Long-Handled Fire Tools

Every #5050 Round Catering Grill comes equipped with two commercial-grade, extended-reach fire management tools built specifically for this frame:

Heavy-Duty L Rake: Designed to easily pull and rake glowing coals from the central basket out under the perimeter grates while keeping the operator safely outside the cooking perimeter.
Firewood Poker: Engineered to adjust, stoke, and reposition heavy logs inside the central fire cage from a comfortable distance.

360° Circular Perimeter Grates

Surrounding the central fire cage are heavy-gauge expanded steel grate segments arranged in a full circle.

Multi-Zone Heat Management: Because the grates are segmented, pitmasters can load higher coal volumes beneath specific sections while keeping other zones cooler.
360-Degree Access: The open round configuration allows multiple cooks to work different stations simultaneously during high-volume event service.

Arched Framework & Suspended Cooking Rack

Spanning the entire structure is a heavy-wall steel arch system featuring an adjustable overhead circular hanging rack. Suspended directly over the central fire basket, this rack provides ideal positioning for hanging meats, poultry, pineapples over direct flame and hardwood smoke. Multiple attachment positions along the steel arches allow you to alter hanging height to match your desired thermal exposure.

Born for Event Catering & Destination Assemblies

Originally custom-engineered for the harsh demands of Burning Man, Unit #5050 was designed for large-scale outdoor live-fire cooking. Its open visual format turns food preparation into a captivating live-fire demonstration, making it a natural centerpiece for wedding caterers, winery events, street festivals, and destination culinary pop-ups.

Technical Specifications & Features

Design Layout: 360° open circular event grill with central ember basket
Fuel Type: Hardwood logs / Charcoal
Construction: Heavy-duty welded steel frame made in the USA
Perimeter Grates: Segmented heavy-gauge expanded metal
Overhead Rigging: Dual-arch steel superstructure with multi-position circular hanging rack
Included Accessories: Custom extended-handle L Rake and Firewood Poker
Origin Story: Custom-engineered lineage built for Burning Man
Build Type: Custom built-to-order per client specs