Sneak Peek: NEW REVIEW - Traeger "Flatrock" Flat Top Grill

[Huskee]

You first! Here we'll post news, gear reviews, videos, and recipes that are freshly published on the public site before getting advertised there! To see all our NEW Recipes & Gear Reviews, visit the Sneak Preview channel here: https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...ew-for-members

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Traeger Flatrock Flat Top Grill, by Huskee

LINK: https://amazingribs.com/ratings-revi...eger-flatrock/

Temp control is quick and very easy with its 3 powerful burners, uniform heat across the cook surface, and the ability to better attain separate temperature zones when needed. The Flatrock is more expensive than most residential griddles, but unique features and a hefty build quality set it a few paces ahead of many competitors’ models available at the time of this writing. Is the Flatrock worth its equally hefty price point? Read our review to find out.

[STEbbq]

Wow. Looks like this one beats the Camp Chef and Blackstone models?

[STEbbq]

Well, now I have an excuse to head over to the store and do some fondling and comparisons.

[Panhead John]

Just don’t fondle none of the help……..🥸

[STEbbq]

Panhead John Thanks for the reminder! I will learn from your experiences!

[CaptainMike]

Nice looking ride and some nice features (especially the recessed griddle), but I was a little shocked by the price. Thanks for the review.

[DavidNorcross]

Great review as always. Traeger has gotten some bad press but they seem to be focusing on a quality build. Gotta pay for it though…Good Job Huskee

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Lots of great features, and it is a box store brand so there will be opportunities for deals on these things.

[STEbbq]

Yeah, that is what I was thinking as well. I’d assume it’d be cheaper than the primo Grilla griddle and on sale, it might look really good compared to Blackstone and Camp Chef.

[STEbbq]

Yeah, $200 cheaper than Primate and $300 more than a 36” Blackstone.

[acorgihouse]

It's quite beautiful, and I guess most of you guys would never focus on this, but 189 pounds? The equivalent of me dragging a full grown man across my patio? I love the look of it (I got a magnetic row of hooks for my grills after seeing something like that on a previous photo here), don't much need the cup holder, but that is very heavy to me. My smoker lives in the original spot the movers parked it when I moved here, because I can't budge it. I expect that from some things, like a heavy smoker, but not sure about a griddle, given (like Huskee said) they cook about the same. It is beautiful though.

[mrichie1229]

Why would you be dragging a full grown man across your patio acorgihouse?

[jfmorris]

My Camp Chef is not much lighter, and is 160 pounds - half of that is the griddle top, the rest is the cart. Thankfully it has pretty good casters!

[acorgihouse]

mrichie1229, you never know what you will be called to do. I've lived on this planet a long time, and I have learned to always have an option, a plan B, so who knows what might be needed!

[Purc]

Great review, very informative. Have you thought about a comparison to the Series-2 LOCO griddle? They are similar in price. for the higher end markets. I have also looked at the Primate for the griddle and gas grill features, so maybe the Primate is not a fair comparison to the other two regular griddles.

[Max Good]

LOCO is on my radar. Backed up as usual so we may not get to it for awhile. We're also doing a push on pizza oven reviews. Weber Griddle review in process. Hope to complete it within weeks.

[Uncle Bob]

As backyard griddles go the first value feature I noticed on these when they were introduced a few months ago were the comparatively enormous side shelves. With heat bleed over from under the griddle plate, many backyard griddles have little to no fully functional shelf space. With the recessed griddle plate on this unit that is far less of a deficiency.

You handled the temperature zone meme with some qualifying statements that aren't often noted. I bristle (pet peeve thing) when manufacturers or users make near outrageous claims about temperature zone separation on a griddle top. Many ignore the realities of the conductivity of the continuous griddle surface. Those barrier plates between the burners aren't as effective with a griddle plate as they may be in a grille where there's far less surface conductivity. I personally think that LOCO is the most deceptive by implying that their thermostatically controlled burners equate to such a definitive separation on the griddle surface. They do offer a benefit, but not the one I've seen most consumers perceive. I suspect it's similar with this unit as well, but the data you provided shows what reality is rather than perception. It would be most useful if testers/advocates would make consistent similar comparisons from manufacturer to manufacturer. Not only is the surface plate a factor, but I would imagine that any supporting structure underneath would be as well. Most seem to use angle iron shaped bracing, some minimal, others more. Camp Chef uses a large plate like structure which likely doubles as a large heat sink which would encourage more equalized temperature zones across the width of the surface plate. Either could be argued for and against depending on user preference.

I've seen many references to the price being out of line, but I suspect most of those folks are engaging in a numbers game rather than a value equation. This unit has a lot of features that many folks end up having to buy modification items to improve the user experience. And as your comments about the leg structure, underscored by the significant weight of the unit, shows, this is not a product built down to a price for big box marketing advantage, but rather, a product that is intended to appeal to those who've learned enough to recognize added value.

[STEbbq]

So when is yours arriving?

Seriously, love to see this commentary from experienced griddlers. Maybe jfmorris has some thoughts too.

[Huskee]

Uncle Bob Thanks for your notes, Bob, you're spot-on! I'm a "let's test this" person with regard to claims, especially claims that are part of the price tag.

In reality no one cares the exact separation of degrees Fahrenheit on a griddle cook top, you can and you will work with whatever is in front of you and you'll make a fine meal regardless. If you're using the whole surface for pancakes you want even temps. Veggies, potatoes, and meat, you want zones. And you can successfully do all of that on any griddle you buy. It's only a griddle for Pete's sake. And we're all used to setting a knob at 4 for this and 2 for that, who cares just cook. But, the hard data here is one piece of the puzzle to add perspective and help establish value. I knew there'd be a lot of questions of 'is it worth its price?' so I wanted to do more than just 'here's my burger isn't it pretty?, this is a good griddle'.

[CaptainMike]

A nice cooker for sure, but it doesn't do anything better than my $199 Blackstone. I make this comment from a "Value" standpoint. I have paid a lot of money for 2 very nice LSG cookers and a WSCG because I saw the value and performance in each of them. And while value is a personal perspective, I simply don't see the value v. current price point of this albeit very nicely produced flattop griddle. That said, EVERYTHING is overpriced and valueless these days, including my opinion.

[Huskee]

You're not wrong CaptainMike, we're all correct for our own personal views about what matters and what really doesn't. Your burgers will taste the same on your $199 Blackstone, probably better than mine because you're twice the cook!

[CaptainMike]

You misspelled "Kook"

[Mosca]

Anyone else try to figure out what the price was going to be as they read through the review? About 2/3 of the way through I was guessing $899….

[CaptainMike]

I was guessing it was going to be too much for what it is.

[JoeSousa]

Most things I have seen about the Flat Rock make me really want one. Definitely more expensive than Blackstone, Camp Chef, etc. but the build quality seems to be top notch. It also seems like it heats a bit more evenly than a lot of other griddles.

Personally I am a fan of a rear grease drain as opposed to a front one. I like pushing the hot grease and stuff away from myself rather than pulling it towards. I can get more pressure on my scraper when I push than when I pull. The handles on the side of the griddle are a bit wonky for me too. I use the sides of my Blackstone when I scoop up food and with the holes on the side the food would just go through the holes. I am sure I would get used to both of these things though.

[barelfly]

Great review, Huskee ! Enjoyed reading it and seeing that great smash burger photo again!

[Attjack]

Tough to read the review with this popup that never loads in my way.

[STEbbq]

raywjohnson

[raywjohnson]

Sorry about that. I will try to get that fixed today. It may possibly be a cache issue on your browser (still has the previous version of the javascripts).

[Attjack]

raywjohnson no worries it seems to have been resolved now.

[Panhead John]

Excellent review Huskee ! I especially liked all the detail you went into, along with your temperature measurements. Having had my Pit Boss Ultimate Griddle for a year now, and done maybe 20-30 cooks on it, I’d like to add my thoughts about the Traeger’s features. A few people have been a little surprised at the $900. price tag, as they should….that’s a lotta dough for a griddle! ……But, if anyone is looking at getting a griddle, I’d consider giving it a look. It has a few features I wish my Pit Boss had. [I have the 2 burner].

First of all, I really like the recessed cook top that it has, wish mine was. As Huskee mentioned, it blocks a lot of the heat generated from the burners, preventing most of it from extending out to your side shelves. That’s a big plus in my book. I have 2 side shelves on mine also and Uncle Bob is right when he mentioned you have to be careful what you place on the end of the shelf closest to the main body. Since it also acts as a wind block for the burners, I like that too! I use my griddle in the garage, adding to the heat already inside, because I’m worried about the wind outside affecting my cook. It gets a little windy out there sometimes.

I also like the burner configuration Traeger uses, all identical… and as Huskee mentions, you actually have 6 burners on a 3 burner/3 knobs griddle. My Pit Boss has 2 different shaped burners, a straight one going front to back and one that is shaped like the letter b…👈. I actually believe their design is better suited for even heat distribution across the griddle. I’ve tested mine before and measured the temps at 6 different zones on the griddle, some varied as much as 40-50 degrees from the others. This isn’t a deal breaker of course, you learn to deal with it…..but it’s hard sometimes to remember which are your cooler or hotter zones, especially after a few

The hard cover with a hinged lid is a big plus if you’re looking at getting a griddle, mine has it also…..I wouldn’t buy another griddle without one. I like the front grease hole configuration also. I find it is much better scooping or moving food from front to back and not having to worry about food dropping down it. After using mine with the front grease hole, I know I wouldn’t want the grease hole in the back. That’s also where you have the highest ridge in which to scoop your food up onto the spatula. [Side rant]……there’s no way I’d buy a round griddle which has no edges to it, I’d drop everything on the ground.

Next to The Pit Boss Ultimate griddle, I think it’s the 2nd best looking griddle out there. I like their tool/accessories configuration built onto the edges of the shelves. Being able to buy a cup holder[s] for it and being able to put my water or oil bottles in it is kind of cool, gives you more shelf space for other things.

Huskee You mentioned the holes in the griddle to use as handles, sometimes letting food get through to the ground, yeah, I can definitely see that happening if you’re not careful. I’ll bet that Traeger, or someone, should be able to configure some type of removable insert to place in the handle holes. It could plug the holes as needed when cooking….just thinking out loud here. Anyway Aaron, I just had one question, have you tried turning on all 3 burners to the same settings to see how even the temps were all the way across? I’d be curious to see how that turns out.

After a little digging, I found that the Traeger sits right in between the Pit Boss 3 and 4 burner griddles on cooking area, in square inches. As a lot of you know, the Pit Boss has the non-stick armored ceramic surface, which is great, the only one I know of at this time. Going by Huskee’s review, I’d say it’s a great griddle with a lot of useful features. If I was in the market for one, I’d definitely give it a look see, especially if it’s on sale…… Just my 2 cents.

[Huskee]

Panhead John Yes I have, and I have data on it, but I thought that was redundant compared to so many others out there, whereas the big draw of this was temperature separation, as opposed to eveness. GolfGeezer so far I've been able to maintain mine quite easily, scrape it clean as soon as I'm done and use a paper towel to spread the grease around and dry most of it up. Then every few cooks just do a quick re-season while you're preheating it for your next cook. I'm lazy and find this easy.

[GolfGeezer]

Huskee Believe me, I do not doubt that you and the many others who have posted about the "ease" of maintaining cast iron/carbon steel surfaces can do it. I cannot. I have watched and followed a number of instructional videos, many from Blackstone's website and YouTube. All I can say is that I have not been able to get 'er done. Maybe the sea air here, probably I'm doing something wrong - but, bless Pit Boss for coming out with their ceramic coated flattops!

[Huskee]

GolfGeezer Yes! I would've bought one myself (was thiiiiis close to pulling the trigger on a Pit Boss), but I like the idea of bangin' them metal spatulas around... And I have the opposite problem: maintaining non-stick surfaces. I guess I'm too rough.

[DavidNorcross]

I have the Grilla Primate. Would also like to see a comparison there as well. Could not be happier.