Griddle top for a Weber

[TheAmazingJohnJ]

Hey all,

So, I already have a Weber Genesis II propane and a Louisiana Grills pellet grill. I'm thinking the one thing missing is a flat top. But, I don't want to spend the money on a third grill and don't really have the space for it anyway.

I'm looking into getting a griddle insert that I swap out with the broiler grates on the Weber. I know Weber sells them, but they are small. I want a griddle top that will pretty much go across the entire firebox, leaving a couple inches on each side for heat escape. Does anyone know where I could get what I'm looking for? I've come across a few websites, but I'm hoping to hear if any of y'all have purchased something like this and can steer me to a vendor you'd recommend.

Thanks!

[Panhead John]

Oh jfmorris …. Jim is ONE of our resident griddle on a gasser experts. I’m sure more will be along shortly. If you have any bologna sandwich questions then I’m your guy.

[TheAmazingJohnJ]

Thank you, sir!

As far as bologna, the only question I have is whether it is really just a giant hot dog?

[Huskee]

Yes!

[FireMan]

Far out man, a giant hot dog!

[willxfmr]

I have a flat top from these folks for my stove. They will also custom make one to the size you need. As for quality, I have to say I'm glad I got the "lightweight" for inside. I can't speak to longevity yet because I haven't used it enough yet, but given it's thickness, I don't really expect any problems.

[Attjack]

I have an Arteflame insert for my 26. I loved until I got a propane flattop. Now my broinlaw has it. Check them out and then look around for knock offs for a lot less.

[Attjack]

Not sure how I missed that you were asking about a gas grill. My bad.

[jfmorris]

TheAmazingJohnJ there are a couple of options I would consider:

1. Little Griddle

https://www.littlegriddle.com/collections/all/griddle

The advantage on these is that they have a place for grease to go, even though it doesn't drain. I think several folks on here have them. This would sit on top of your stock Weber grates.

2. Steelmade Griddle Top

https://steelmadeusa.com/collections...-outdoor-grill

This has holes to drain, and they sell an optional grease catch device you can clip under your stock grates, and the grease drops into it.

3. Grillgrates

https://www.grillgrate.com/

The standard grillgrate panels - I have a full replacement set for the Genesis II E-410 - have holes, and you can use the flat side for griddling about anything except running stuff. They also sell flat non-perforated griddle panels. Before I had a standalone griddle, I did all my smashburgers and other griddling using the flat side of the Grillgrates, and a couple of the griddle panels. I just let the grease drain into the Weber grease trap - as long as the burners were only set low to med I never had a grease fire. On high one time I did, doing like 4 pounds of bacon at once!

Hope that gives you some ideas!

Jim

EDIT: And Panhead John taught me all that I know, and I direct you to him for further questions and information, along with his twin brother Jerod Broussard.

[jfmorris]

I think either of those first two can work for you. I know many folks on here have the Steelmade, but what I like on that Little Griddle are the raised sides and back, which keep you from pushing stuff off the back, making it more like my standalone Camp Chef griddle/flattop. The Steelmade may be closer on the grilling surface though, being steel that you season instead of stainless.

[jfmorris]

And I think that the Steelmade can be made custom to the size of your grill, or if not, is at least available in larger sizes, which would tip me in that direction.

[TheAmazingJohnJ]

Yeah, definitely need the smooth surface without the seam in the middle. My first job was at a stir fry place and I am so sloppy with it I need lots of room to work. 😂

[glitchy]

Several members have the steelmade griddle, myself included. I haven’t even gotten a chance to season mine yet, so I’m of little help. But Potkettleblack just got one too and might have some insight and if you search for steelmade on the forum, it will probably find the thread from a year or two ago when others shared info about it.

[JimLinebarger]

I have been looking at Griddle Master for a while for my Blaze 32". Can look at some of the Youtube vids on them. I haven't purchased yet, though.

[Polarbear777]

I’ll second the griddle master. You can get it sized perfectly and it’s nice and heavy.

[gcdmd]

Love the avatar.

[Potkettleblack]

glitchy Summoned, I answer.

I was all set to buy a Little Griddle for use on my E-330, and then I read a bunch of reviews where folks kind of grew out of it. Like they needed more space than they could get on the LG. So I got the Steelmade. It’s a big sheet of steel, needs to be seasoned (I did it in two sessions) and it the whole grill. And my first cook, smash burgers, with griddled onions and bacon, and why not griddle the buns while I’m working. Well, that wouldn’t have all fit on the LG, but it was about 3/4ths of the Steelmade griddle.

basically, in one cook, for two people, I validated getting the Steelmade over the LG.

[jfmorris]

I think you nail all the reasons the Steelmade may be a better answer than the Little Griddle. And, the fact that it is steel you season, versus stainless, could also mean that over time, it will be a better non-stick surface than the Little Griddle. I.e. closer to what you expect in a standalone griddle like my Camp Chef flattop.

[Potkettleblack]

I now have three cooks on the steelmade, plus two seasoning sessions, and it's already pretty solidly non-stick. I did skillet gnocchi on them, and if anything was gonna stick, that'd be a prime candidate. I would have made a LG work, but I think I'd be here sooner rather than later.

[Timbo54]

I bought the Little Griddle ( Sizzle-Q ) and used it for about a week. Its well made but wouldn't hold the heat to my likening. I wound up returning it and bought a Blackstone 22 and love it.

[snowswamp]

If you are open to putting something on top of your grates, I have really enjoyed using a cast iron griddle. Hopefully that link worked…

[Grillin Dad]

How has that camp chef griddle top worked out for you? You stated in your post that the surface was fairly rough. Did it smooth out with seasoning/use? I was looking at this since I have experience with cast iron, but not carbon steel. I'd be using it mostly for breakfast, so eggs, pancakes, etc.

[snowswamp]

It’s been great! I listened to others and left the surface alone. It’s seasoned wonderfully and has smoothed out a bit. I make fried eggs for my kids burgers and they come off easily using a little oil. It’s a beast to move if I want to grill and you have to be on top of grease management, but these are minor issues considering how much I use it for the cost I paid.

[Joey877]

I'm guessing most here will agree...about everyone I know that started down the griddle path eventually purchased a stand alone griddle. Sounds like that doesn't really work for your current situation, but I'm just giving you the heads up because that is almost certainly where you will end up, and you'll end up finding a way. Don't say we didn't warn ya...

[TheAmazingJohnJ]

I've been considering that. Looking at the links the rest of the gang has supplied, it looks like I'm going to be in the $200 range to buy a top. For another $100, I can buy a standalone and have something that's pretty easily portable.

[Joey877]

Wise thinking, (Captain) Super Awesome. I have the Camp Chef camp stove with the pizza top, and my wife bought me the smaller griddle top years ago. I used it once and then bought the large griddle top. I used that about a dozen times and then bought the stand alone griddle. Would have been a lot cheaper to start where I ended.

[DrJimmy2112]

I use the flat side of my GrillGrates and also have the griddle piece made by GrillGrate as well. I use them on my old Weber gasser and like them a lot

[PNWsmoke]

Love my Weber gasser now with Grillgrates

[Potkettleblack]

I should note, I actually warped my grill grates. I had a two panel set up that I used mostly flipped upside down over the sear station, and they got bent around the edge of the center seam. While the Steelmade warns against warpage, it's a thick piece of metal and I'm not liable to abuse it as aggressively as I did my GrillGrates.

[jfmorris]

I had two Grillgrate panels warp badly on my Genesis II when I had a grease fire last year - the same one that warped the cast aluminum body of the grill. I replaced them, but have for the most part been running with one standard grate in place and about a 2/3 set of Grillgrates ever since, due to fears of a reoccurrence.

[DrJimmy2112]

jfmorris I have been wary of warp 10 temps on the GrillGrates. Especially if using a a cast iron skillet, pizza stone or salt block on them.

[jfmorris]

You should never use cast iron or such on top of aluminum Grillgrates. They warn you not to on their website. The heat differential between the two metals can certainly cause warping. I always put my original Weber cast iron grates back if I wanted to use a skillet or Dutch oven on the gas grill.

[jfmorris]

From grillgrate.com:

Can I use my cast iron skillet or griddle on top of my GrillGrates?

We do not recommend you put anything on your GrillGrates other than food or our GrateGriddle. Heat can potentially become trapped and damage the GrillGrates.