Let's talk flat top griddles
 

Does anybody have one? If so is it superior to a normal grill and if so how? Thinking about getting one but not sure I want to drop that kind of coin on something that isn't necessarily a need

I'm gonna splatter your mom's flat top with my man batter

I’ve had mine for 3 years. I’m not sure it’s better than a grill, but I find myself using it way more often than my grill which I did not expect.

I have a flat top insert for my Weber gas grill. It cost about $70 and works great.

I got one last year and use my grill way more often. Part of it may be I don’t have a spot to leave my Blackstone outside so I have to pull the car out and wheel it out of the garage while my grill is just sitting on the deck.

I do like it and maintenance on it isn’t as intimidating as it may initially look.

I have the 36” Blackstone and got rid of my grill.

I’ve got a black stone. It has advantages but I plan on buying a regular grill again this summer. The griddle is nice for bacon, hibachi and several things. But I don’t like my steak on the griddle or burgers really.

How come?

I bought a Weber griddle last year, and I consider it more of an accompaniment to a regular gas grill than a replacement. With that being said, the expanded capability that a griddle brings is worth it if you enjoy cooking outdoors.

Just be aware that there are a ton of poorly made griddles on the market that try to sway you with features, and the only feature on a griddle that matters is the cooking surface itself. All of the built in air fryers and trash can holders don’t mean squat when the cooking surface doesn’t heat evenly, warps, and/or rusts out.

With the additional versatility, I found myself using the griddle more than my regular grill. Whether it was firing up a full cooktop of pancakes and bacon for breakfast, doing some cheesesteaks, with zones for peppers and onions and rolls, or some basic smash burgers, it’s fun to use, and I don’t regret the purchase one bit.

Have a friend that is an ISU season ticket holder. He takes his to every home game and has a lot of fun cooking for the masses. I've had his flat top breakfast. He definitely knows what he's doing.

I prefer just the char of the grates on a grill to the whole steak having the sear that a griddle gives you. I’ll keep my griddle I love making breakfast and veggies on it. Really burgers are a wash both are good. I just think the griddle is a compliment to a grill more than a replacement.

Don’t be a pussy. Buy a blackstone!! They back up their product!! Only negative I have experienced in 2 years is running out of propane twice!! lol. Smash burgers FTW!!! Anything you like to cook on a traditional grill you can cook faster on a BS. I still have a grill but I flat top more than I like to admit. My mushroom/swiss burgers are to die for.

Have a Blackstone and like it a lot. Also got a metal dome to steam.

Clean up pretty easy id imagine? After every use correct?

Yes. After you’re done cooking, take 5 minutes to clean up while the food cools down a bit. Easy peasy.

Yeah just scrape everything into the drip tray and if anything is stuck on hit it with some oil. I bought a big ass jug of avocado oil for cheap off Amazon

If you do end up getting one, avocado oil is your friend.

I have a blackstone Ive had since January

Love it to make fish tacos. Its awesome

Makes good burgers Im no expert on fancy flattened burgers but so far I like what it does and its awesome doing carmelized onions

Clean up is a snap BUT thats because I seasoned the surface properly Ive restored and seasoned dozens of cast iron pots and pans and have the process well understood and that helps

Will see as summer goes on what else I use it for but for now its a good addition for me

I use my blackstone 3 times a week April thru October. Tons of stuff to cook and it works great. Still like steak on Charcoal but you can make some fabulous butter pork chop on it.

I have a blackstone.

I don’t really use it to replace a grill, but more a skillet. Nobody gives a **** if I splatter up the garage, and I don’t use a million pans.

I will say the best burger I’ve ever churned out was a smash burger on a blackstone rather than over gas or charcoal. Get that right and it’s worth it by itself.

Side note: look up roasted Pablanos. That will up a man’s burger game.

My parents got me one for Christmas. I feel bad because I've never used it. I need to get a stand for it. I plan on using it this summer though.

I like a nice charcoal flavor from the grill on beef, but beef when it's cooked in it's own fat is superior IMO

I love flat tops, can make some fine food with them

If you are only cooking for one, take your cast iron skillet and put it on your gas grill to get the grease splatters out of your kitchen. Works for bacon also.

Infrared thermometer is recommended for checking temperatures. They are useful anyway.

If you're cooking for two, the $70 griddle that goes over the gas grill works pretty well for a cheap way to go.

I used to only cook meat over gas or charcoal but now I sous vide a lot of meat and finish it on the cast iron.

Blackstones are superior to grills

I got this little fella specifically for camping and tailgating, and I've been really happy with it so far. Does well away from home.

https://www.amazon.com/Char-Griller-.../dp/B084DVWPBX

I use my grill way more often than the Blackstone

While cleaning the Blackstone isn't a big deal, a grill pretty much self cleans

I've had grease spill out of my trap rolling it on uneven patio pavers and even once after knocking it putting the cover back on which is a pain in the ass to clean. Plus the shit load of paper towels I go through wiping it down

Both have things they do better than the other though

Not sure I'd spring for it myself but someone gifted me a Grill Rescue brush and its pretty awesome

Just brush the Blackstone and toss in the dishwasher

Yeah, I didn't replace my gas grill when it ate shit thinking my rec-tec could do it. It doesn't do that well at grilling, I always missed the char from a high heat. That's where the Blackstone comes in. It's really easy to use and clean up, and does a good job of getting me a hot surface.

A griddle over a gas grill would be a good and admittedly much cheaper option, but even when I cook for myself, I almost always do an onion and peppers anyway, and most of the time some sort of vegetable, broccoli or sweet potatoes and corn or something. (Potatoes are better, but I'm trying to eat better) So I'm typically using more than a pan could use. It really does a pretty good job of improving efficiency. Start the thing and go prep your food, and it's there when you're ready.

Coincidentally, I went the other way on Sous Vide. If I'm just doing chicken or whatever, it goes into a pan or blackstone, but if I'm doing steaks (or some non-smash burgers without the sous vide), I bought this little tiny cheap ass charcoal grill and I chimney up some hot ass coals, and do one steak at a time, and get the sear I want. Is it reeruned and inefficient as all hell? Yes. Do I do it? Yes. I needed some good charcoal sear on beef in my life, so I went and got it.

Nice. Uses those little green cans?

If you’re worried about the cost, fb marketplace has them listed sll over. Of course some of them are pieces of shit and people are too. I found one for my friends fiancé for under $250 still in the box. If I have anything negative to complain about, I think I’d be happier with the 36” verses the 28” that I was gifted. First world problems.

Yeah I have blackstone version for camping also. Makes breakfast camping easy.

Blackstone rules…use mine 3 times a week.

Just mostly saw them as giant frying pans so probably not for m

Mine had paid for itself in hibachi/teppanyaki whatever you call it. Plus you get to learn to throw food and make cool onion volcanoes.

When you walk into a thread ready to talk griddles and this haymaker is the first post.....


https://media1.tenor.com/images/d49c...itemid=3574182

Let's talk flat top griddles
 

I have the 36 inch Blackstone and love it. It’s perfect for certain things but it’s definitely not a grill replacement. It’s honestly much more of a stove top replacement. It’s so much easier to cook breakfast on, for fajita meat, veggies, etc. Things that need multiple pans or take longer because you can only do things like one omelet at a time are way better on the griddle.

I saw yesterday Costco has a 36 inch Blackstone for $370 in store. That’s a really good deal.

Smash burgers are really good on the griddle but a thicker burger is still better on the grill for me. Smash burgers though, especially cooked in butter, are fool proof and really good.

Yeah I've seen that at my Costco too. That's what I was thinking I would go with

Several reviews of that one pointing to paint and rust issues, so I hope you get a good one if you go that route. On paper, it looks like a good value.

Rust adds to the flavor

Shit if you cover it should be no rust problems on exterior. And if it’s on the cooking surface you can just reseason. My guess is the rust issues are people not properly taking care of it.

Let's talk flat top griddles
 

Yeah there’s no reason to think that model has a different griddle top than the rest. I’m sure plenty of people buy it on a whim (since it’s Costco and that’s got to be half their business) but don’t take the time to learn how to care for it. It’s got all the features one would need as well.

Anyone use those silicone mats to cover the griddle? Seems pointless to me if the griddle has a lid, stays dry and seasoned, and has a full cover.

We have the table top Blackstone 22’ that we take camping or use on deck for sloppy breakfasts when grandkids are over.
I love it but can’t see a flat top being the primary grill.

When you're in for your next covid booster just have them give you a tetanus shot

I have a Camp Trails flat top maybe its 6th year now but rarely use it. I say this year will be different but I'd rather cook over coals for burgers and steak on my Weber Kettle. The RecTeq gets more use now that I have learned to trust it. And its infallible for smoking and grilling. If I want a grilled burger on a flattop I have LC's Hayes or Town Topic to satisfy that itch.

I really thought my wife would use the heck out of the Flatop but she would rather use a wok on stovetop or charcoal for her asian kabob-type thingies.

Kansans probably fell more at home at tailgates

The usage dilemma is my issue as well. I've been wanting a griddle for a while now. I just don't know that I'd use it enough to justify another unit entirely. Plus I'm charcoal gang for life so I'll always have that fuel source on hand. I've got two kettles on the back deck that I cook everything on and I've pretty much told myself to buy one of these bad boys if I decide to scratch that itch.

https://www.atbbq.com/products/sns-g...xoCehAQAvD_BwE

https://www.atbbq.com/cdn/shop/files...9807&width=900

:hmmm:

Every year wife tells me we should get a new grill. I told her I would when the Weber gave up (14th season....still going strong).

This would give me the use of a flattop without giving in. However, 23lbs seems like a lot for a webber. One half that size would allow some grilling and flat top cooking.

Al Bundy agrees with you.

We got one 5ish years ago, used it a lot for a year and it’s been in storage.

No way am I going to use a black stone over a pellet or even normal grill.

There's a solution for you. Shit I might be more interested in this as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Slow-Sear%C2%...hoCc_0QAvD_BwE

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/..._AC_SX679_.jpg

OP, if you burn down your apartment complex, CP needs to be the first to know!

Thank you!

Ours was originally $400+ but we got it for $125 at the end of the season. It was a no-brainer at that point.

I have the 36” with warmer bin and two air fryers. It makes some damn good grub

Combo charcoal and flat top. $176 at Walmart.

https://i5.walmartimages.com/seo/Bla...0&odnBg=FFFFFF

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Blackston...9383&sharedid=

That would be perfect. Hit the burgers over the coals, then smash on griddle. Breakfast of steak on the on the grill with eggs and hashbrowns on the flat iron….:drool:

Make some griddle cakes on that bitch.

Is there such thing as a gas-assist charcoal grill?

That would be badass for heating the coals up.

My Weber charcoal grill has a propane starter. Just uses those little green Coleman ones for camping. Works great.

Very cool.

It’s too good of an idea not to be out there.

I have a Blackstone dual burner. We use it for tailgating for just about every home game. Also used it for camping last Labor Day weekend. It is pretty nice but the stand sucks. Not well designed, but it works, I guess.

I believe this is the setup I have.

https://www.amazon.com/Blackstone-No...A1BHSMIW6A86AG

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pit-Boss-...MaAhpHEALw_wcB


Would something like this be dumb?

That looks like a pretty nice combo. For a starter? I don't know. Are you a seasoned griller and just looking for a new setup? For a first timer, maybe....maybe not.

Rather than buying one of each I'd been pondering something like this. But sometimes when you try to get the best of both worlds you get shit with both.

https://www.samsclub.com/p/members-m...saApKgEALw_wcB

$199 and has many of the same specs as a blackstone. You will need a new grill cover asap.

Smashburgers I make on this are universally loved.

You ever make black bean smash burgers? Billay is a vegan

Depends on your expectations and how long you want to have it. If something major breaks, you have to replace both. The propane griddle side can probably last a long time with care and only minor part replacements. These electronic hoppers are a bit new and I don't really know on the quality, but electronics outside probably have a shorter life than that propane side. So if this is a starter set and you don't mind having to replace or upgrade the whole thing in a couple years, go for it.

If you like stuff lasting longer, or just want more room for cooking stuff on it, I'd probably buy separately.

Not gas assist but this has a thermostat and a fan to set the temp. Only takes around 10-15 minutes to heat up and it will get from 400 to 700 in around a minute if you want to sear something. Mine is getting old but I have loved having it. Flavor of charcoal with the convenience of a pellet grill.

https://www.acehardware.com/departme...B&gclsrc=aw.ds