Griddle Cooker Questions

[jfmorris]

Guys and gals,

I appreciate all the advice. I think it has shown me that there are a LOT of options, kind of how I started this discussion thread. I can see where you can griddle on a grill, or on an outdoor stove, versus a dedicated griddle - which offers a lot of flexibility. It seems both Blackstone and Campchef make a quality dedicated griddle. Both seem to have their pros and cons. One thing I don't think many have pointed out is that the Campchef flat top griddle, like most of their propane stuff, can be converted to natural gas. Of course then you lose mobility, but that might be nice.

I'm going to consider and collate the options, and probably update my first post with an ongoing summary of the options and the pros and cons of each. We have a lot of threads here, but what we really need is a concise FAQ or guidance on what the griddle options are (grill top, stove top, or dedicated griddle), and what the pros and cons of each type are. I'll put that together as I think of things.

Right now, I think the initial plan is that I will try to look at recipes other than smash burgers that are good to make on a griddle. I've done TONS of smash burgers - I love @Meathead's Wimpy Burger recipe - and I've griddle some potatoe wedges and onions on the flat side of GrillGrates on my Genesis, but that is about it. I'll use cast iron, my grate griddles, and the Drip 'N Griddle to test some recipes as my next step, while I continue to weigh the options out there.

Not trying to replace the reviews that the team here does such a good job of - just trying to come up with pros/cons for each option.

Feel free to keep your ideas coming as well!

[Jim White]

Seconding the Lodge 14". I find it so easy for pizza in my oven that I may not even try pizza in my Kamado again.

[Satchelpig]

Don't immediately blow off the 6 burner CampChef model. Sure, you don't NEED that much space for food ordinarily, but it's got a lot of advantages for setting up multiple temperature zones in a cook, which on a smaller surface is harder because the rolled steel top conducts heat so well that one hot burner will have a major influence on the temp of the area with a burner completely off.

[Alabama Smoke]

Jim, I look forward to reading your conclusions when you complete this seemingly large task as you are a very thorough person (most engineers I know are) and I am sure those conclusions will be useful. That said, you have a lot on your plate yet. I know you know that, but can't help but say it . Take care of yourself as you take care of Yvonne and don't worry about anything else for now. God is definitely with you and your family.

[allsid]

I'm a little late but here's my opinion.

You may have heard me say this before but probably not.

Get the grill (or griddle) that won't make you look in the rearview mirror and regret your purchase.

98% of the time I cook with one burner on. I may pre-heat with 2-3 burners but typically only cook with1.

A hard cover is a must. If you're handy like most people are, you can make one with some studs and a sheet. If you're like me, you purchase one. The new BS models come with hard covers like a lid on a gas grill and they are awesome. Sure the hinge is slightly primitive but so is the outdoor griddle market.

I've never had leveling issues and cook on a cedar deck. Not to say that I would want a meatball running off the griddle but I think it's just less of an issue in the scheme of things.

I've owned CC, BS, and Cuisinart griddles. They all do the same thing and they are all a blast to use.

After owning all 3, I feel brand loyalty is a bit of peacocking and a tribe mentality.

When I wrote the book on griddle cooking I did a majority of the cooking on the BS 22" 2 burner. Mostly still using one of the 2. I think those are about $99.

For whatever reason, the difference between a dedicated griddle grill and a griddle plate is huge for me.

My best advice is to get a 22" BS for cheap and run it for this season. If you fall in love with the griddle plan on a new 36" in Q1 2021. The difference between last year's higher-end models and this year seems minute but is significant. I share a few of my findings here about the AF combo.

Best of luck with your decision.

-Paul

[jfmorris]

The air fryer griddle combo is interesting, and while I initially thought it was a gimmick, from your review, it seems it is worth it if you want to get into the air frying game.

[Alabama Smoke]

allsid I am relatively new here (been a member since last fall) and am unfamiliar with your book on griddle cooking. Please send me (us) a link to this book. It may just be what I need in my quest to determine what I need for me and my family. We cook for just two 90% of the time and while I love studying the dedicated griddles and find them exciting, I keep coming back to wondering if I simply need to use three non-stick pans on three separate burners on a gas stove or gas grill.

[allsid]

Hey @Alamama Smoke the book is listed toward the bottom of this article on Why You Need To Start Griddle Cooking. I hope it helps- Paul https://amazingribs.com/bbq-techniqu...iddle-grilling

[Alabama Smoke]

allsid thank you so much. I look forward to reading this.

[Geekandproud]

I got my 28" Blackstone Pro Series for $112 on clearance at Walmart 3 months ago. The Pro Series had the hinged lid, which I've really enjoyed.. Since then, I have done more cooking on it then all my other cookers combined. Veggies, breakfast, seafood...its been a constant stream of stir frys. My kitchen range has never stayed this clean for this long!
The area I have it set up at is not level. I have it shimmed up about half an inch on one side and probably still need to shim it another 1/4". Not being level doesn't get in the way at all. In fact I've used it as an advantage. I can fit 2 lbs of bacon on it. The bacon fat flows to the one edge. It gets about 1/4" deep by the time the bacon is done. After I get the bacon off I use the fat to shallow fry some potato slices. Then I just use a scraper to move it to the back and out to the trap.

Edit:
Alabama Smoke I couldn't add pics to a comment on a comment so I'm just gonna edit this.
My 28" is a three burner. Its one of the reasons I was so excited to pick it up at that price. Blackstone seems to change their lineup often and I don't know if they offer the 28" 3-burner now. You can never know if they will come back to it in the future. The only issue I've ever had so far is the the regulator seems a bit tricky in colder whether.

[Alabama Smoke]

Geekandproud I am envious! Would love to see the 3 burner in action. I would ask to come over but its a little far to your house from here in Bham!

[jfmorris]

Alabama Smoke the 28" all have 2 burners. Look at page 14 of the manual here:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0312/7695/7740/files/Blackstone_28_Pro_Series_1858_OwnersManual_V2.pdf?v=1586867822

You will see that the burner is kind of H shaped, so effectively, it has 4 burner tubes front to back, but in 2 zones. One knob controls one H shaped burner.

The famous allsid aka Paul Sidoriak of GrillingMontana.com fame, says he wrote most of his Griddle cookbook using a 2 burner Blackstone.

[Alabama Smoke]

Thanks so much for the update. I found several Walmarts who indicated low stock. I went to each of their webpages and googled and did not see any 3 burners. I am going to go to at least a couple of them and look for myself.

[Alabama Smoke]

jfmorris and jlazar I appreciate the heads up, but I am really interested in finding that unit in the 3 burner model which seems to be scarce as hounds teeth. I don't know, perhaps 2 burners is good for me, but others have indicated I need at least 3. If I had the room, I would get the 4 burner but my porch would be so crowded I would have to move things around just to cook. Junked up is not really laid back and comfortable for us. I have found two or three Walmarts within 25 miles that indicate they have "limited stock", have not had the time to drive around and look. I plan to try to do that this weekend. The price of the 3 burner Camp Chef is something I have chewed on a bit, but not sure I'm willing to pay their price for it. If a hundred cheaper and comparable to Blackstone prices, I would have it on the porch now. Hey its just the 2 of us 90+ % of the time. Maybe a griddle on my gas grill or just using non-stick pans on it would suffice for two????? I may just have MCS.......thinking I will try a nice brunch that way this weekend with the great weather and see how well just some individual nonstick pans work on the 4 burner gasser. Can't seem to make a decision on this one.............maybe if I find the 3 burner job???

[jfmorris]

Blackstone does not make a 3 burner. They have a 4 burner, and a 2 burner. The burners are "H" shaped is my understanding, and the 2 burner actually has 4 burner tubes front to back, with little connectors in the middle to make the H.

The more I read, the more I think the 28" would be a good size for all but the biggest cooks, and you have the advantage of that closed cart on the Pro model. Turn one burner to low to get a cooler half to the griddle, or off even. Only 3 burner is the Campchef.

[jfmorris]

The best price I can find online is $349 for that Camp Chef FTG475 model, and that is at Dick's Sporting Goods online, and shipping nets out to $5 due to an oversized item shipping credit of $15. I have not purchased anything myself at Dicks in a couple of years, due some of their political grandstanding. I would buy it direct from Campchef for $385 before doing that.

[jfmorris]

https://www.opticsplanet.com/camp-chef-flat-top-grill-475-468-sq-in.html

[Alabama Smoke]

jfmorris agreed as to Dick's. I promised myself I would never enter their doors again. As to a pro series 3 burner model. Take a look at the following website: Part is lined out, I believe because the terrific deal mentioned expired around the end of 2019:

https://hip2save.com/2019/12/04/blac...ed-at-walmart/

[jfmorris]

I cannot find a 3 burner anywhere on Blackstone's website - or Walmart - the link is no longer valid. I wonder if they discontinued it and streamlined things to only deal with 2 and 4 burner cookers.

It could be like Weber, who introduced the Genesis II line up in 2017 with 2, 3, 4 and 6 burner models. In late 2018, they discontinued the 2 and 6 burner models, and started shipping only 3 and 4 burner units. 2 burners were too small for most, and 6 burners was too big, so didn't sell well.

[jfmorris]

https://www.facebook.com/blackstoneproducts/videos/blackstone-limited-edition-3-burner-28-pro-series-griddle-cooking-station/696234620780942/

If you don't have Facebook - that post from Blackstone indicates that the 3 burner Pro was a limited edition, and once it was gone from Walmart, it was gone.

[jfmorris]

To be honest, since the Blackstone website only shows the 4 burner Pro model, I am wondering if the 2 burner is discontinued, and just hasn't disappeared from Walmart's website until all inventory is gone in the supply chain.

[Alabama Smoke]

jfmorris you may be right, I don't know. I called Blackstone at their headquarters in Utah this morning to see what they had to say but was unable to get past the recording telling me of heavy volume and corona virus delays. I hung up after 15 minutes. Thinking I will take my time, use the alum griddle I already have on top of my 4 burner gasser, try using separate pans cast iron, modern non stick, etc and see how that works for the two of us. It may be all I need. Cooking for two does not produce as much grease to manage as cooking for a hundred anyway! Also going to read all the reviews allsid referenced in his kind post earlier to learn what I can. May purchase his paper back book and read that. Part of the fun is checking it all out. Sometimes that technique saves me from buying anything, you never know!

UPDATED TO ADD INPUT FROM BLACKSTONE HEADQUARTERS IN UTAH:

While I was unable to get them to answer the phone yesterday, they did answer my email with a short reply. They simply indicated that the Pro Series was market solely through Walmart. I wrote them back to see if the 3 burner was discontinued or if it would again be available. I have not, at least yet, heard back. If I hear I will update the edit.

[jfmorris]

I’ve ordered his book. Thought about the kindle version, but think I want the printed one to flip through.

[Alabama Smoke]

I also ordered allsid 's book. I intend to get into it tonight to see what I can learn. A lot I expect as I know little about a griddle, but I love to cook breakfast so what could go wrong, right?

[Attjack]

If you want to add a griddle to your gas grill, excluding GrillGrates, is the little griddle the best option?

[Alabama Smoke]

You know Attjack it just might be if cooking only for 2 or so. The sole reason I got interested in the large dedicated Griddles was for a grease management system. I cook for 2 often using cast iron pans, small iron griddles etc and the grease is manageable until I finish. At some point it has to be handled, but if you can complete your cook without that interruption......what else can you ask for ?

[MBMorgan]

If you want to add a griddle to you gas grill, excluding GrillGrates, is the little griddle the best option?

There are several options ... including this one from Baking Steel:

[MBMorgan]

Mr. Bones - thanks my friend! I wish I had space for a dedicated flattop. I’ve been thinkin’ about adding a second Baking Steel griddle to the gasser, tho’.

[Alabama Smoke]

I will look into this one from Baking Steel. For small cooks looks like the grease trap all around might be sufficient. What is your experience using this unit MBMorgan?

[MBMorgan]

Alabama Smoke - I don’t use it often but when I do, it’s great. It’s massive at 3/8” thick and about 30 lbs. The grease collection groove holds a surprising amount and is easy to clean out with a wadded up paper towel and tongs.

[jfmorris]

The full reveal will have to wait, but thanks to some great friends, a decision has been made. Look for a review and full reveal in a few days.... here's the teaser for now...

[DavidNorcross]

I do not think you will regret this choice. Quality...

[jfmorris]

And the full reveal, as seen elsewhere! Camp Chef FTG900, broken in with a maiden voyage of shrimp fried rice.

[surfdog]

That is a FINE choice. Nice