DIY BBQ island construction

Most prefabricated BBQ islands are framed out of aluminum and covered with concrete backer board. Then the desired finish applied, usually stucco or faux stone. They are not terrible but you are limited to the size and shape that the company sells.

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concrete block is a perfect material for BBQ island construction. It is very sturdy, fire proof,
and not as difficult to work with as you might think

This BBQ island was constructed without the use of mortar. The blocks are glued together with construction adhesive. Then the blocks were filled ( or grouted ) with concrete and steel rebar to give it its strength

You can use brick to build your BBQ island,
although working with brick is a bit more difficult.

Faux stone concrete BBQ islands

The BBQ islands have a 6" steel reinforced concrete footing with rebar stubbed up every 12".

The rebar was bent into shape then welded wire was attached and hand plastered with concrete.
Then it was coated with specialty mortar, stamped,
hand carved and color stained.

Call me overly cautious but I'm not a big fan of using wood to build BBQ islands for one main reason.

It's flammable!!!

The only wood that should be used near your BBQ is the wood your putting in your firebox. I've seen lots of really cool BBQ islands and BBQ sheds made out of wood and I don't want to knock them because they put a lot of time and passion into them. They can turn out looking cool and be very functional, but they make me nervous.
An ember could roll out of a vent or a spark could be picked up by a breeze and things could turn bad quick.

I love the look of wood construction, so a compromise might be to construct parts of the kitchen out of wood but constructing the actual cooking space out of stone or concrete. Combining the two could be very aesthetically pleasing.