NA - Blackstone Griddles

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TCABM

Final Approach
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I’m thinking about making the plunge and adding a Blackstone out on the patio. We have a natural gas stub, so I’ll convert it on day one to avoid buying a propane tank.

For those of you that have one, do find it to be a novelty or do you really use a couple times a week? Would you buy another one if you needed to replace your current one?

We don’t griddle much indoors due to grease spatter, but we do cook at home more than the average bear.
 
Received the 36-inch version for Father's Day several years ago. Absolutely LOVE it, and wouldn't dream of living without one! There are videos dedicated to cooking on the Blackstone and I recommend watching a few for ideas of things to try. Whether you grill the occasional smash burger, or prepare a complete meal, it is 100% worth getting one. You don't need to buy every gadget, but definitely get the basic spatulas, scraper, at the very least one dome (for steaming vegetables, etc.) and a couple squeeze bottles (for water and oil). Enjoy!
 
I don't have one but my son does - parked next to the propane grill and the pellet smoker. He says they rarely cook indoors, even most of the winter. LOVES the Blackstone and uses it several times a week; probably almost daily in nice weather. Steaks, eggs, bacon, asparagus, burgers, whatever. It's got me thinking about buying one too.
 
I probably use mine 15-20 times a year. It’s great for certain things like shrimp fried rice where you can make a bunch and not worry about making a mess in the kitchen. Dog takes care of the clean up.
We also like smash burgers and Philly cheese steak.
 
Contrary opinion.

We won one at an event we were at a couple of years ago. I’ve used it a few times. I’ve had to reseason it once. I’m not a fan. Maybe I just need to learn to cook on it. But I wouldn’t buy another one.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
Contrary opinion.

We won one at an event we were at a couple of years ago. I’ve used it a few times. I’ve had to reseason it once. I’m not a fan. Maybe I just need to learn to cook on it. But I wouldn’t buy another one.
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My fear is with just 2 of us at home and we don’t eat much in the form of pancakes or fried rice is that we won’t find a lot of what we do cook that’s transferrable to the griddle.
 
TCABM said:
My fear is with just 2 of us at home and we don’t eat much in the form of pancakes or fried rice is that we won’t find a lot of what we do cook that’s transferrable to the griddle.
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Considering your comments, it may be that I allowed my enthusiasm for things cooked on the Blackstone to override the reality that not everyone eats the same foods that my family does. I was born and raised in the South where nearly everything is fried or grilled. If your prefered diet consists mainly of food that isn't (or can't be) fixed on the Blackstone, then it wouldn't be a wise investment.
 
Fajitas, carne asada, burgers, shrimp, breakfast stuff...all good on the flat top blackstone. We have a 36" model but i want to get the tailgater combo for the camp trailer. Toasted buns, onions, tortillas, all made easier (and thus, more common). If you get a griddle, you'll probably find more recipes to cook because of it. We love ours!
 
I have the 17" portable. Bought it for the camper. Removed the big heavy lid it came with and it works perfectly. I also use it at home with all the family comes over for grandpa's scratch made buttermilk pancakes.
 
kc4wsd said:
Considering your comments, it may be that I allowed my enthusiasm for things cooked on the Blackstone to override the reality that not everyone eats the same foods that my family does. I was born and raised in the South where nearly everything is fried or grilled. If your prefered diet consists mainly of food that isn't (or can't be) fixed on the Blackstone, then it wouldn't be a wise investment.
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All taken in stride; we do a bbq/grilled items, just not so much on the carbs side of the house.

Teppanyaki is in scope as are fajitas and other things we grill today. I can see steaks (currently smoked then seared) being finished on a griddle.
 
asicer said:
I wonder if a griddle insert for the propane grill was ever investigated.
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I’ve looked at those and if I had a propane grill, I might consider it, but my “grill” is wood fired.
 
Love mine; its maybe 24"?
Besides many meats, when on a veggie kick I will put down olive oil, seasoning then large chunks of green/red/yellow/jalapeno peppers, onions, pineapple, etc & toss them a few times on a hot griddle - wow.
I needed to buy a cover to keep the dang birds off.
Be sure to have plenty of paper towels around to clean it.
So nice keeping the smoke out of the kitchen and cleanup es mas facil compared to the oven/stovetop.
 
TCABM said:
My fear is with just 2 of us at home and we don’t eat much in the form of pancakes or fried rice is that we won’t find a lot of what we do cook that’s transferrable to the griddle.
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There are only 2 of us as well. We use our griddle and cast iron skillet in the kitchen - a lot. I’m just not sure about adding yet another propane burning outdoor appliance that needs to be covers up every time it’s going to rain or snow. That’s why we don’t have one yet. That, and I’m a cheap SOB.
asicer said:
I wonder if a griddle insert for the propane grill was ever investigated.
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We had one for our last grill. I used it a few times, but not often. A smooth cast iron griddle surface is a joy to cook on once it’s seasoned and you understand how to cook on it. The rough sand cast surface most of the cast iron stuff seems to be now is just a nightmare. We have a griddle for our gas cooktop; I only use it on rare occasions when I need to crank out a lot of pancakes quickly.
 
TCABM said:
My fear is with just 2 of us at home and we don’t eat much in the form of pancakes or fried rice is that we won’t find a lot of what we do cook that’s transferrable to the griddle.
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That is the reason my wife and I decided against buying one. It is just the two of us, we do cook out at least 4 -5 times a week, but I just prefer the regular Weber grill, especially for the things we grill.
 
Great for a crowd. A friend has a small one and bor
TCABM said:
All taken in stride; we do a bbq/grilled items, just not so much on the carbs side of the house.

Teppanyaki is in scope as are fajitas and other things we grill today. I can see steaks (currently smoked then seared) being finished on a griddle.
Click to expand...
How are you smoking the steaks? Have done brisket, beef plate and pork ribs. Assume cooler similar to bacon?
 
fast99 said:
Great for a crowd. A friend has a small one and bor

How are you smoking the steaks? Have done brisket, beef plate and pork ribs. Assume cooler similar to bacon?
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I have an MB560 gravity fed smoker. Steaks are smoked at 225* until an internal temp of 120. They get pulled to rest while the smoker gets turned up to 700 and then seared to finish.

The key is thicker steaks; I’ve done as thin as 3/4” strips but any thinner and they’ll cook thru during the smoke.
 
A lot of Blackstone videos seem to be popping up in my video feeds of late and I admit it looks tempting in particular if cooking for a crowd. Since I need to keep my string of $300+ Costco trips going even though I only need toothpaste, I briefly checked it out. I really enjoy the flavor of fat atomized on a flame so I don't think I'd ever cook steak, burgers or any other meat on it. At that point, all I'm doing is cooking something outside that I could just as easily cook inside. That's a no thank you for me as I'm a mosquito magnet. @asicer, I have the single burner version of this setup for the grill I use on our boat. It's a propane burner which accepts a grill, griddle or pizza oven top. So far, I've only made pancakes.

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TCABM said:
I have an MB560 gravity fed smoker. Steaks are smoked at 225* until an internal temp of 120. They get pulled to rest while the smoker gets turned up to 700 and then seared to finish.

The key is thicker steaks; I’ve done as thin as 3/4” strips but any thinner and they’ll cook thru during the smoke.
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Will try that, thanks
 
fast99 said:
Will try that, thanks
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There’s a grilling thread around here where several of us share how we get our results.

Since there’s usually just two of use eating, I’ll do a thick single bone-in ribeye this way; it’s usually 45mins or so to 120*.
 
The mechanics at work bought one and it gets used daily. Sometimes multiple cooks a day.

I think I’d like an electric one to do less cooking and stink indoors, but I don’t have tons of room for appliances on my patio.
 
TCABM said:
I’m thinking about making the plunge and adding a Blackstone out on the patio. We have a natural gas stub, so I’ll convert it on day one to avoid buying a propane tank.

For those of you that have one, do find it to be a novelty or do you really use a couple times a week? Would you buy another one if you needed to replace your current one?

We don’t griddle much indoors due to grease spatter, but we do cook at home more than the average bear.
Click to expand...
You can never have too many outdoor cooking options. I love my 36" Blackstone
 

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Buy a used one and try it to see if you like it. They are about a tenth the price with a lot of people buying them and then finding they don’t use them enough for the space they take up. I regularly see them on Facebook marketplace for $30-40. Im not sure I would use one enough at home but it would be great for camping.
 
Old Fart said:
You can never have too many outdoor cooking options. I love my 36" Blackstone
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Memo to self:

1. Go to SoCal;
2. Track down Old Fart;
3. Be hungry;
4. Wangle an invitation to dinner (offer to bring meat and beverage of choice);
5. Dine well (while talking about airplanes)!

That photo is a trip down memory lane - that kind of back yard wall is almost uniquely SoCal; I never understood why, there, houses had little masonry while fences were generally built as walls. Local practice, but always listed as a beneficial feature of a home for sale and, indeed, I never had to repair a rotting fence at my house in Fullerton. Still one of the nicest places I've lived.
 
This thing followed me home yesterday when it was marked down 50% for being last year’s floor model.

Too good of deal to pass up to try out.

Natural gas conversion kit is on the way.

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I didn’t think I wanted one till we stayed at an Airbnb w one. We have 7 kiddos if everyone’s home for a get together and now are bringing significant others with them. No grandkids yet- but it’s still a ton to cook for. We had 9 of us at the Airbnb and cooked everything from bacon n pancakes to a seafood boil so easily.

We had one on the list to buy till my father in law announced at Easter he was selling his Sam’s club version for $50! He used it 3 times… so we are now officially off brand blackstone people. Made breakfast and dinner on it last night :)
 
Mahneuvers said:
Since I need to keep my string of $300+ Costco trips going even though I only need toothpaste, I briefly checked it out.
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I've seen that movie in IMAX, brother. :rofl:
Mahneuvers said:
I really enjoy the flavor of fat atomized on a flame so I don't think I'd ever cook steak, burgers or any other meat on it.
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I generally agree about the essence of flame grilling, which is why I'm 100% charcoal vs. propane.

That said, my favorite steak is a rib eye cooked on cast iron. I'll fire up a chimney starter, remove the cooking grate and put my lodge skillet directly on the hot coals. You wouldn't believe the crust. Burgers get the same treatment.
 
Don't have a griddle as I have a Kalamzoo gourmet grill in the outdoor kitchen. But I do buy the jars of the griddle seasoner to do my cast iron with.
 
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