I’ve been seeing some great things being made on Blackstone and Camp Chef griddles lately. So much so, I’ve been looking to get one and thinking about how to justify it to my spouse. Problem is, I have a natural gas line to my BBQ area. My Weber and Smoke Vault are both piped into the NG. I don’t want to mess with propane too and the stand alone griddles are not NG compatible unless you want to drop some serious cash. If you know of some for under $500, let me know. Craig’s List in my area was a bust.
I looked at at a custom griddle for my Weber grill made from rolled steel. These were awesome, but almost as much as the propane ones on sale. I contacted Weber and their cast iron skillet inserts don’t fit my old Weber Genesis Silver. I went to the internet and searched. My Weber is 24†x 17 5/8â€. I landed on the Camp Chef CGG24B Cast Iron Griddle on Amazon at 24†x 16â€. It would really maximize my cooking area compared to my much smaller Lodge griddle. The Camp Chef got good reviews and searching The Pit forums a few members gave it the thumbs up.
I was a little disappointed that the flattop side wasn’t very smooth; nothing like the old cast iron pieces I have. It wasn’t surprised though considering the cost. I’m thinking of grinding it down to a polished surface. The griddle came pre-seasoned and fit my Weber nice and snug. There was a little room in the back/front to allow air to flow. I cooked breakfast this morning and it worked great. The rough surface gave me a little trouble with sticking; nothing major though. I need to figure out the temp since the burners run the length of the grill. There is no option for keeping a side of the griddle cooler. The cast iron did heat evenly considering the grills hot spots. The IR thermometer from Thermoworks is a must for griddles and I’m glad I had grabbed one on sale (again, thanks to The Pit). Another down side is the drip trough just collects. There is no run off so make sure you move the griddle so the trough is down slope and hope it doesn’t overflow. This in very minor since it’s an add on. Overall it’s just what I needed. The issues are minor and with a little work will no longer be an issue.
Pros:
Resonable cost for what you get
Even heat
Fills my old grill
Large cooking area
Cons:
Rough surface; likely sand, polish, and reseason
Grease trough only collects.
I looked at at a custom griddle for my Weber grill made from rolled steel. These were awesome, but almost as much as the propane ones on sale. I contacted Weber and their cast iron skillet inserts don’t fit my old Weber Genesis Silver. I went to the internet and searched. My Weber is 24†x 17 5/8â€. I landed on the Camp Chef CGG24B Cast Iron Griddle on Amazon at 24†x 16â€. It would really maximize my cooking area compared to my much smaller Lodge griddle. The Camp Chef got good reviews and searching The Pit forums a few members gave it the thumbs up.
I was a little disappointed that the flattop side wasn’t very smooth; nothing like the old cast iron pieces I have. It wasn’t surprised though considering the cost. I’m thinking of grinding it down to a polished surface. The griddle came pre-seasoned and fit my Weber nice and snug. There was a little room in the back/front to allow air to flow. I cooked breakfast this morning and it worked great. The rough surface gave me a little trouble with sticking; nothing major though. I need to figure out the temp since the burners run the length of the grill. There is no option for keeping a side of the griddle cooler. The cast iron did heat evenly considering the grills hot spots. The IR thermometer from Thermoworks is a must for griddles and I’m glad I had grabbed one on sale (again, thanks to The Pit). Another down side is the drip trough just collects. There is no run off so make sure you move the griddle so the trough is down slope and hope it doesn’t overflow. This in very minor since it’s an add on. Overall it’s just what I needed. The issues are minor and with a little work will no longer be an issue.
Pros:
Resonable cost for what you get
Even heat
Fills my old grill
Large cooking area
Cons:
Rough surface; likely sand, polish, and reseason
Grease trough only collects.
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