diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 347041e1b12a..ccbefc9e0138 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@
 #  * PASSWORD: Desired password -- default at rules/config
 #  * KEEP_SLAVE_ON: Keeps slave container up after building-process concludes.
 #  * SOURCE_FOLDER: host path to be mount as /var/$(USER)/src, only effective when KEEP_SLAVE_ON=yes
-#  * SONIC_BUILD_JOB: Specifying number of concurrent build job(s) to run
+#  * SONIC_BUILD_JOBS: Specifying number of concurrent build job(s) to run
+#  * KERNEL_PROCURE_METHOD: Specifying method of obtaining kernel Debian package: download or build
 #
 ###############################################################################
 
@@ -69,6 +70,7 @@ SONIC_BUILD_INSTRUCTION :=  make \
                            PASSWORD=$(PASSWORD) \
                            USERNAME=$(USERNAME) \
                            SONIC_BUILD_JOBS=$(SONIC_BUILD_JOBS) \
+                           KERNEL_PROCURE_METHOD=$(KERNEL_PROCURE_METHOD) \
                            HTTP_PROXY=$(http_proxy) \
                            HTTPS_PROXY=$(https_proxy) \
                            SONIC_ENABLE_SYSTEM_TELEMETRY=$(ENABLE_SYSTEM_TELEMETRY)
diff --git a/rules/config b/rules/config
index 1505dfd71782..5e8a3389530d 100644
--- a/rules/config
+++ b/rules/config
@@ -66,3 +66,8 @@ ENABLE_ORGANIZATION_EXTENSIONS = y
 
 # ENABLE_SYSTEM_TELEMETRY - build docker-sonic-telemetry for system telemetry support
 # ENABLE_SYSTEM_TELEMETRY = y
+
+# DEFAULT_KERNEL_PROCURE_METHOD - default method for obtaining kernel
+#   build:    build kernel from source
+#   download: download pre-built kernel from Azure storage.
+DEFAULT_KERNEL_PROCURE_METHOD = build
diff --git a/slave.mk b/slave.mk
index a7cb518cb078..9ba1732e6a58 100644
--- a/slave.mk
+++ b/slave.mk
@@ -99,6 +99,10 @@ ifeq ($(SONIC_BUILD_JOBS),)
 override SONIC_BUILD_JOBS := $(SONIC_CONFIG_BUILD_JOBS)
 endif
 
+ifeq ($(KERNEL_PROCURE_METHOD),)
+override KERNEL_PROCURE_METHOD := $(DEFAULT_KERNEL_PROCURE_METHOD)
+endif
+
 MAKEFLAGS += -j $(SONIC_BUILD_JOBS)
 export SONIC_CONFIG_MAKE_JOBS
 
@@ -127,6 +131,7 @@ $(info "HTTPS_PROXY"                     : "$(HTTPS_PROXY)")
 $(info "ENABLE_SYSTEM_TELEMETRY"         : "$(ENABLE_SYSTEM_TELEMETRY)")
 $(info "SONIC_DEBUGGING_ON"              : "$(SONIC_DEBUGGING_ON)")
 $(info "SONIC_PROFILING_ON"              : "$(SONIC_PROFILING_ON)")
+$(info "KERNEL_PROCURE_METHOD"           : "$(KERNEL_PROCURE_METHOD)")
 $(info )
 
 ###############################################################################
@@ -134,6 +139,8 @@ $(info )
 ## All rules must go after includes for propper targets expansion
 ###############################################################################
 
+export kernel_procure_method="$(KERNEL_PROCURE_METHOD)"
+
 ###############################################################################
 ## Local targets
 ###############################################################################
@@ -149,6 +156,7 @@ $(addprefix $(DEBS_PATH)/, $(SONIC_COPY_DEBS)) : $(DEBS_PATH)/% : .platform
 	    { cp $($(deb)_PATH)/$(deb) $(DEBS_PATH)/ $(LOG) || exit 1 ; } ; )
 	$(FOOTER)
 
+
 SONIC_TARGET_LIST += $(addprefix $(DEBS_PATH)/, $(SONIC_COPY_DEBS))
 
 # Copy regular files from local directory