Spirit - Griddle Insert Vs. Side Burner
MCS has hit again and I am in the market for a gas grill. I am looking at the Spirit 4 burner line and it looks like for the budget I have, I could either go for the 4 burner with a side burner and cover, or get the griddle insert included and no side burner/cover. Do y'all have any thoughts on which would be more useful. The griddle would be pretty bulky to remove and store, but I also hear they are really nice to use when they are that big.
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I guess it would depend on the cost of the options for me. You can get a really nice portable burner for less than $60 that fits nicely in a carrying case and stores away easily. Likewise, griddle inserts are readily available from 3rd parties. I think what I would most want to have is a good infrared burner. Without that I'd pass on any gas grill. -
I think I would get the 4 burner with the side burner, then buy the griddle insert later when you replenish your funds. Then you'll have both.Comment
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How much do you think you’d actually use the side burner? A lot of its potential uses can be done inside on your stove. I think if you omitted the side burner and got the griddle insert, you’ll be surprised how much you use the griddle…so many things can be done on it! I agree with hoovarmin about getting a portable stove burner to use for occasions when you might need an additional burner, or want to keep smells out of the house. I’ve got one and I love it. I use it out in the garage for blackening ribeyes or pork chops, and for frying things, no smells or grease splatters in the house. You can sear steaks on your CI with it, smoke stays outside. This is the one I have……
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-1-burner-high-performance-butane-countertop-range-portable-stove-with-brass-burner-15-000-btu/472BR115.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gbr aid=0AAAAAD_Dx-sFZO1n_vtNm4EDcRvQWCcNHLast edited by Panhead John; June 3, 2025, 07:23 AM.Comment
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We are all different, but here is my experience:
When I was buying gassers, I always got one with the side burner. I never used it. Then I got a gasser without a side burner; I never missed it.
When I got a griddle, I gifted the gasser to someone (it had been gifted to me). I’ve never missed having a gasser. But the griddle gets used more than anything else on the deck.Comment
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I would go for the side burner. After awhile the converting from griddle to grates and back is going to get old, and dirty. The side burner gives you more cooking options. You can always later get a cast iron griddle to drop in on top of the grates if you want one.Comment
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I would go with the side burner. I don't have one on my current gasser, but I did on my last and did use it. But, you may cook differently and a griddle might be of more value to you. I agree with Andrr's suggestion that the griddle could be added later (I have a smaller cast iron griddle from Lodge that I use on my gasser ocassionally).
One thing to consider is how many BTUs on the side burner (some seem weak). The one PJ linked above is 15,000 which, iirc, is more than I had on old grill.Comment
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I have a Spirit 3 burner with a side burner. I rarely use it. I did buy the full insert when Weber announced them. It is pretty heavy at about 47 lbs. So I can't imagine the what the 4 burner would weigh. Something you might want to consider.Comment
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For me personally, the griddle insert would get a hell of a lot more usage than a side burner. Although if I was in the market, I would get a free standing griddle and ditch the gasser. Since I got a griddle insert for my gasser (it is not a drop-in, it sits on the grates), I have only swapped it out once to use the grill as a real gas grill. If it wasn't built in, I would probably replace it with a full size griddle.
Conversely, before I got the built in, my old Weber had a side burner that I only used to light my charcoal chimney for my kettle or PBC, so when I got the built in, didn't bother with a side burner and never missed it
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I have a side burner and the only thing I use it for is to hear water to as to the drip pan on my BGE. While I don’t use a griddle I think would go for the griddle as long as you had a dry place to put the grill. Otherwise, I would go for the side burner and cover and start saving for the griddle.Comment
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I have a griddle insert for my gasser, and I love it. The only time I take it off is when I do a yearly deep clean of the grill. That really is it. Personally, unless you’re really thinking you’re going to use the gasser in ‘grill mode,’ I would recommend you get a dedicated griddle. But I get the option to switch between ‘grill mode’ and ‘griddle mode’ is nice. I just never use my gasser in ‘grill mode.’Comment
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I would have done that myself, with the gasser I’d been gifted. But it was a 20 year old Broil King, in an odd grate size, and I would have had to custom order the griddle top. But all I would have cooked on a gasser is hot dogs and steak burgers, and I can do those easily on either the griddle or charcoal.
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I used the side burner on my Weber like once and decided it was more trouble than it was worth.Comment
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Welp, I think I might be rethinking my category of purchase. I currently have a Coleman camping stove that I can pull out and use without too much effort, so that covers the side burner. I definitely see what y'all are saying about the griddle being a pain to take in and take out. I have a Weber kettle and figured the gasser would be super convenient and cut the need to pre heat, but then, where is the fun in that.
I've always struggled with the idea of a griddle as my first instinct is that it's a waste of real estate. But many of you say that you use your griddle more than your gassers. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of a wide griddle for lots of kinds of food! I will do some research on griddles as I currently have no knowledge. I've heard from someone I respect, that they struggle with their griddle because the top is not air proof and bugs get in pretty easy and needing to clean immediately after dinner is a pain. Have y'all had this experience? What griddles do y'all have that you like?Last edited by J-Melt; June 3, 2025, 01:15 PM.Comment
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Can't answer any questions on recommendations, but as far as cleaning as noted, my griddle lives on the grates and I do use a cover on the grill and haven't had any issues with bugs/rust once I got the griddle properly seasoned. And it has gone months between uses being up in NY and having a few months where cold/wind/snow made it impractical to fire up.
The properly seasoned aspect is key as I had some minor rust issues early on before I really got it good and seasoned.
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J-Melt if you're on FB check out Neil Williams, The Flat Top King and the Griddle Group he has. He might be on other social formats. Great source for info on griddles, food, recipes and more.Comment
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Pit Boss griddle 2 burner. Like it pretty well for the most part, it’s been a good griddle, no problems. Not sure what you mean by a “waste of real estate”. Trust me, you’ll have no problem using most or all of a griddle’s real estate. Between learning how to use part of it as a cool zone [for foods that are done and you want to move them off the heat] to doing stir frys, you’ll sometimes wish you had a larger griddle….maybe. If you keep a cooker outside, there’s always going to be a chance of bugs getting in, very few cookers are going to be “air proof”. I don’t seem to have a problem with bugs at all. Yeah, I keep it in the garage but my door is always open during daylight hours, so bugs can get in my garage. Cleaning a griddle isn’t really time consuming unless you rarely clean it. In 2-3 minutes of cleaning after using my griddle, it’s usually ready for the next cook. If you’ve neglected cleaning your griddle top in a while, yeah it could take a little longer. Any outdoor cooker is going to require cleaning at some point.
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Thanks! By real estate, I mean space on my patio. The more I think about it, the more I think that the bigger the griddle, the more useful it will be! I currently use the Lodge cast iron griddle that covers two burners and have mostly used it inside. Better than cooking on a pan, but definitely want more space!
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