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Flat top dilemna

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    #16
    jpietrantone the Tahoe came with this griddle

    The cast iron BBQ Grill & Griddle is a useful innovation that allows any chef to maximize space, time and effort by offering two products in one.


    It has a grease channel but no way to drain it. I end up using paper towels while cooking to sop it up, it is a pain. This is the one I want, it has a hole in the grease channel where you can hang a cup. I just haven’t gotten around to getting it yet

    The Professional Flat Top Griddle features restruant style high sides and convenient grease drain.



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    • jpietrantone
      jpietrantone commented
      Editing a comment
      klflowers that makes sense! I ordered the same griddle only for the 3 burner stove. I will let you know how the drain works on it. If not well, I will most likely order their grease cup. I think it's $17.

    • jfmorris
      jfmorris commented
      Editing a comment
      jpietrantone you NEED the grease cup. Otherwise, the grease is just pouring out of the end of the front grease catch trough, and onto the ground...

    #17
    Originally posted by jpietrantone View Post
    Looks like I can order the Camp Chef 600 flat top for $350 from Home Depot. Is that a good flat top for the money? I will also look into the Grilla option.
    I have the Camp Chef FTG900 flat top and LOVE it. The 600 has the advantage that if you ever want to, you have the option to switch over to cooking with standard grill grates.

    Since I've had the flat top (June), I've probably used my <2 year old Weber Genesis II 4 burner gas grill 4 times. I've used the flat top a couple dozen times, at least. If I were going to do a fancy outdoor kitchen setup today, I've told others that I would go for a Weber kettle or SNSGrills Kettle or Kamado for my grill/smoker, and a flat top at the other end, for griddling and grilling hot and fast stuff. I really do think it replaces a gas grill for 75% of my hot and fast outdoor cooking. That other 25% could be done on the kettle. The things I would not cook on the flat top would be irregularly shaped meats like bone-in chicken, and obviously big thick stuff that I would be smoking anyway. But for steaks, chops, boneless chicken, burgers, tacos, veggies, stir fry, breakfast, and on and on - it can't be beat.

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    • jpietrantone
      jpietrantone commented
      Editing a comment
      jfmorris I bit the bullet and ordered the 3 burner camp chef stove and a 3 burner griddle for it. I'm also planning on building a cart for the stove. I think it will have almost the same cooking surface as the 600.

      I'm going to fix the igniter issue on the gasser and try to sell it.

      I have a Weber 22 that I LOVE as well as a 22 WSM. I should now have everything I need...for now.

    • jfmorris
      jfmorris commented
      Editing a comment
      jpietrantone yes - the cooking area on the 16" 3 burner griddle is the same 600 square inches as the FTG600. If you build a cart to hold it all you will have no loss in capability, and more flexibility with all the other options.

      Be SURE to get that grease cup. Otherwise you will have a big mess of grease hitting the ground...

    #18
    Originally posted by jpietrantone View Post
    So, DavidNorcross got me looking into the Pro 90X and I was amazed what all can be done on a 3 burner camp chef. My local Bass Pro has a Camp Chef Big 3 for $250 which I got and used $100 of old gift cards that were in the drawer. I have ordered the 3 burner griddle top for it and it should be here Sunday. Got it for $130 on Amazon. So all in, I have my griddle for $280 and will be able to add more cooking options to it over time. The best part is that I can store it easily in the shed when not in use.
    Ah. I see I replied late to the party now!

    My son in law is planning on going this way next year, to replace a crappy grill he has, and is planning a Camp Chef 3 burner 16" stove with a griddle and grill box, and a 22" kettle for charcoal grilling and smoking.


    You have bought into a really good cooking system with the 16" Camp Chef. Definitely get the large grease cup. With my FTG900 and 4 pounds of bacon griddled for a large outdoor breakfast (I cook bacon outside now even for indoor breakfast!), I can about fill the grease cup on my FTG900.

    The main difference I see from what you ordered versus the FTG600 you were originally planning on is that you don't get nice solid side tables or storage shelves on the folding leg Camp Chef stoves. I use the heck out of those with my FTG900. I keep it covered outdoors, and store a lot of my collection of griddle cooking paraphernalia in containers on the two shelves below the cooktop. And I use the side tables on both sides to hold spices, oil and water bottles, and pans of meat while cooking.

    But... the tradeoff is that YOU now have a world of options available. I have gotten into making pizza in the past year or two, and that pizza oven accessory would definitely be on my list. I've got 3 outdoor burners for putting pots and kettles and pans on, so didn't really need the flexibility, but you will find being able to put a stock pot or a skillet on there NICE. And the 30,000BTU burners will heat up a skillet or boil a pot of water a LOT faster than your indoor stove, or the wimpy side burner on gas grills.

    With that grill box, you could "grill" stuff like you do on a gas grill, while sautéing stuff to go with it in a skillet on the 3rd burner. Or switch to big griddle mode, and go all hibachi on your dinner... the sky's the limit!
    Last edited by jfmorris; December 30, 2020, 11:19 AM.

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    • jfmorris
      jfmorris commented
      Editing a comment
      rickgregory haha thanks! That is all I could lay out on the FTG900 - it was 4 pounds of the Wright's thick cut bacon. It is usually quickly followed by hash browns, eggs, and whatever else is good cooked in bacon grease on a griddle...

    • jfmorris
      jfmorris commented
      Editing a comment
      jpietrantone show us pictures of the build when you do a cart. Be sure to leave plenty of air-flow from underneath to the burners.

    • surfdog
      surfdog commented
      Editing a comment
      jfmorris "and whatever else is good cooked in bacon grease on a griddle."
      So pretty much anything then.

    #19
    Here is a pic of my makeshift flat top cooking area. It looks weird but it works!
    Attached Files

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    • jfmorris
      jfmorris commented
      Editing a comment
      Great setup!

    #20
    Ha! Don’t feel bad. Mine is similar but way worse. But like yours, it works.

    Comment


      #21
      Bought a 36” Blackstone almost two years ago and have never regretted the purchase (or the size!). It’s by far my most used cooker. It obviously didn’t take any work away from my smoker, but my wood/charcoal grill gets used much less. Typically I only fire it up for steaks and tri-tip.

      Having the 36” griddle gives me room for the most adventurous meals for my family and plenty of room when a crowd shows up.

      Comment


      • jpietrantone
        jpietrantone commented
        Editing a comment
        Santamarina I'm sure that's an awesome griddle as well! I've had the griddle since Saturday and have already cooked 3 times on it. It's different than my kettle but I'm really liking it so far. And yes, I fully intend on grilling steaks at the very least over charcoal.

        The chicken I cooked last night was really good on the griddle. I was worried that I would dry it out.

      • jfmorris
        jfmorris commented
        Editing a comment
        jpietrantone I've actually done steaks now quite a few times on the griddle - well, sirloins and flank steak anyway. For steaks or chops that are thin enough to do hot and fast - the griddle is a good way to go. It beats smoking up the house doing it in a cast iron skillet...

      #22
      jfmorris since you have a Camp Chef flat top, does your top change colors like this? I'm guessing this is normal but just want to make sure since I'm a complete newbie to this.
      Attached Files

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      • DavidNorcross
        DavidNorcross commented
        Editing a comment
        Normal and nothing a good dose of bacon will not fix!

      #23
      Originally posted by jpietrantone View Post
      jfmorris since you have a Camp Chef flat top, does your top change colors like this? I'm guessing this is normal but just want to make sure since I'm a complete newbie to this.
      That looks normal to me, and is what you should expect with any seasoned cold rolled steel or cast iron cookware as you use it.

      My normal care procedure is this:
      • Before cooking, when I uncover, I run over it with a scraper and an oiled rag, to scrub off any dirt or gunk or surface rust that might have occurred since the last cook. My flat top lives outside with a canvas cover, so I can't keep it as dry as I might like, even under the edge of the pavilion where it is now.
      • Pre-heat on low to medium heat. You will NOT want to ever use high heat on the griddle. You are looking for a surface temp of 350 to 400 at the most for flat top cooking.
      • Oil generously before putting the food down, using my squirt bottle, and during cooking, as needed, to make sure food is not sticking.
      • After cooking, before things cool down, scrape everything off with my scraper. Then squirt with water, and scrape again. Finally, squirt with oil, and rub it in with a rag, being sure to NOT touch the still hot surface with my fingers! If you went to eat and the flat top got cold, just turn the flame back on low, to heat it enough to clean it off well. Cleanup usually takes me about 4-5 minutes, and is not as intense as it sounds.
      • Allow things to cool fully before in your case, taking the flat top inside or to wherever you are storing it. In my case, I put two steaming domes on top, then put on the Camp Chef cover. The domes help keep the cover up off the griddle surface, and encourage water runoff.

      Something you will find is that you will almost always want to use multi-zone cooking. I usually run 3 zones. I put one end on medium heat, the center of the griddle on low heat, and the other end is OFF. Even off, the heat conducts to that end, and it is where I push things as they are done, sort of like a warming area. Meat goes on the hotter end, veggies and other things cook in the center or even the off end. The only time I fire up all burners on the same setting (medium-low) is if filling the griddle with the same food, such as 40 burgers, 4 pounds of bacon, etc.

      Another recommendation I will make is to use Avocado Oil - it has a higher smoke point than you will use for most of your cooking, and was recommended to me by others here when I first started cooking with the flat top.

      Our own AR member allsid has an excellent book for sale on griddle cooking, "The Flippin' Awesome Backyard Griddle Cookbook", which goes into a lot of the techniques and such:




      Comment


      • surfdog
        surfdog commented
        Editing a comment
        " Finally, squirt with oil, and rub it in with a rag, being sure to NOT touch the still hot surface with my fingers!"

        Trust me, that is seriously self critiquing. LOL

      • jfmorris
        jfmorris commented
        Editing a comment
        surfdog Trust me - I’ve burned a few knuckles on the griddle!

      • jpietrantone
        jpietrantone commented
        Editing a comment
        jfmorris I totally believe that! I've had a couple close calls already myself. And congrats on the komado! I'm sure you will love it!

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