Ok folks, I can do limited work here in the hospital, so am wasting time and charging vacation while looking at AR all day and window shopping for MCS stuff. Once we start getting hospital bills I may regret it, but Yvonne has already told me I should buy an outdoor griddle grill, after her surgeon has been showing us all his stir fry, veggies and other stuff in his Blackstone Pro 36. She wants to eat healthier, and thinks this type cooker would get me doing more veggies, chicken and fish, and she is probably right. I was going to get a Smoke Vault, but since I can already smoke, a new type of cooker to complement the kettle, Genesis and offset may be the thing.
No good deals right now as most folks online are out of stock, but an Ace Hardware a few miles away has the basic Blackstone 36 for $329, and Amazon has the Blackstone 36 with the built in trash bag holder, paper towel holder and cutting board, for $349.
Where I am getting myself confused is looking at the Campchef FTG600, which has leveling legs that seem like would be good to have, and which a lot of folks say heats more evenly. I don’t really care it can act as normal grill, but it has that too. And then I look at the Campchef 16†stoves, and an option is one of those with a 3 burner griddle, which would be a little over 600 square inches, but you can pull the griddle off and use their pizza ovens, cook in pots, and other stuff. But the total may be more than the Blackstone or Campchef flat tops.
So those of you with a Blackstone - is leveling of the griddle an issue? I would think it would be. Pretty every place I would put the cooker is a concrete patio or paved area that invariable has a slight slope so that water runs off and away from the house.
Another question is covers. Is the hard metal cover I see enough to keep the too dry and rust free? I read some concerns with soft covers, which seem justified based on my Weber grill covers, that water will seep through and rust the top using the soft covers.
I guess there are just too many options. And then there are knock offs of the Blackstone for sale cheaper at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Sam’s and Costco. I hesitate to invest money in anything I might not get replacement parts for a few years down the road.
Of course, If I am smart I will just start with the griddle panels I got for my Grillgrates, but that is about an 18x18 square area, with a ridge down the middle...
So the options are:
1. Get a Blackstone 36, only ones you can find in stock right now are $330 at Ace or $350 at Amazon. Seems to have the advantage for available accessories. Or a smaller Blackstone 28, but its just 2 burners. Everyone has that one in stock.
2. Get a Campchef FTG600, but the only one I found in stock as at a Dick's 70 miles away for $399. Home Depot has it on their website for $349, but out of stock. Seems to have advantages of possibly more rugged construction, and leveling legs to get the griddle flat and draining right.
3. Get a Campchef 3 burner 16" "cooking system" stove. For $270-ish you can get the Explorer and it comes with a 2 burner (16" x 24") griddle. The 3 burner 36" griddle is $150ish. All sorts of add-on's or the Camp Chef 16" cookers, but they are not rolling cookers, but portable cookers with folding legs. Advantage is flexibility, and leveling legs. Disadvantage is they are not as much a backyard permanent looking appliance like a gas grill, since they re not on a cart. The 3 burner griddle is 600 sq. inches, the 2 burner is 400ish.
4. Get a griddle for my Genesis II E-410. Main disadvantage is grease management (lack thereof). Exampe would be the LittleGriddle.
5. Get more Grillgrate griddle panels. Disadvantage - relies on Genesis II grease management, swiping grease off the left or right sides of the panels. Also aluminum versus steel. Don't think it will be as non stick, plus it has those pesky seams.
I will be cooking a lot of days for 2, and a lot of weekends for 8 to 10, and sometimes for 20-30.
EDIT:
6. Just use the cast iron stuff I have and the DNG on the Weber grills, and see if I really need another cooker. For cooking for 2, that may be sufficient.
No good deals right now as most folks online are out of stock, but an Ace Hardware a few miles away has the basic Blackstone 36 for $329, and Amazon has the Blackstone 36 with the built in trash bag holder, paper towel holder and cutting board, for $349.
Where I am getting myself confused is looking at the Campchef FTG600, which has leveling legs that seem like would be good to have, and which a lot of folks say heats more evenly. I don’t really care it can act as normal grill, but it has that too. And then I look at the Campchef 16†stoves, and an option is one of those with a 3 burner griddle, which would be a little over 600 square inches, but you can pull the griddle off and use their pizza ovens, cook in pots, and other stuff. But the total may be more than the Blackstone or Campchef flat tops.
So those of you with a Blackstone - is leveling of the griddle an issue? I would think it would be. Pretty every place I would put the cooker is a concrete patio or paved area that invariable has a slight slope so that water runs off and away from the house.
Another question is covers. Is the hard metal cover I see enough to keep the too dry and rust free? I read some concerns with soft covers, which seem justified based on my Weber grill covers, that water will seep through and rust the top using the soft covers.
I guess there are just too many options. And then there are knock offs of the Blackstone for sale cheaper at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Sam’s and Costco. I hesitate to invest money in anything I might not get replacement parts for a few years down the road.
Of course, If I am smart I will just start with the griddle panels I got for my Grillgrates, but that is about an 18x18 square area, with a ridge down the middle...
So the options are:
1. Get a Blackstone 36, only ones you can find in stock right now are $330 at Ace or $350 at Amazon. Seems to have the advantage for available accessories. Or a smaller Blackstone 28, but its just 2 burners. Everyone has that one in stock.
2. Get a Campchef FTG600, but the only one I found in stock as at a Dick's 70 miles away for $399. Home Depot has it on their website for $349, but out of stock. Seems to have advantages of possibly more rugged construction, and leveling legs to get the griddle flat and draining right.
3. Get a Campchef 3 burner 16" "cooking system" stove. For $270-ish you can get the Explorer and it comes with a 2 burner (16" x 24") griddle. The 3 burner 36" griddle is $150ish. All sorts of add-on's or the Camp Chef 16" cookers, but they are not rolling cookers, but portable cookers with folding legs. Advantage is flexibility, and leveling legs. Disadvantage is they are not as much a backyard permanent looking appliance like a gas grill, since they re not on a cart. The 3 burner griddle is 600 sq. inches, the 2 burner is 400ish.
4. Get a griddle for my Genesis II E-410. Main disadvantage is grease management (lack thereof). Exampe would be the LittleGriddle.
5. Get more Grillgrate griddle panels. Disadvantage - relies on Genesis II grease management, swiping grease off the left or right sides of the panels. Also aluminum versus steel. Don't think it will be as non stick, plus it has those pesky seams.
I will be cooking a lot of days for 2, and a lot of weekends for 8 to 10, and sometimes for 20-30.
EDIT:
6. Just use the cast iron stuff I have and the DNG on the Weber grills, and see if I really need another cooker. For cooking for 2, that may be sufficient.
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