Updated March 26, 2021
The hot new outdoor cooking craze, the Blackstone Griddle. Everybody’s talking about it. What’s the deal?
I’ll tell you right here!
IT IS GRILLING WEATHER!
You know I’m right.
In the summertime it’s blistering hot outside, and no one wants to fire up a hot grill. Suddenly, it’s cool and crisp and standing outside to cook seems like a great idea.
Then after a freezing cold winter, it happens again! As soon as that weather starts to warm up, you want to be outside.
It’s time! And what is it about the taste of grilled food? So good no matter what it is.
Purchasing a new grill — The Blackstone Griddle
Our old grill. It was a sad day when we loaded up that barely-held-together frame onto the back of the pickup truck. Off to the recycler to breathe new life into something else. And suddenly we were overwhelmed with the choices to replace it.
We reluctantly gave up charcoal long ago for the convenience of propane.
Still, even with that choice seemingly settled we still saw smokers, side burners, and griddles along with the grills. How did we miss the air fryers? And these fancy “outdoor kitchens”!
One choice that kept popping up was the Blackstone Griddle. This was a new toy, and we had to do some reading. And what an abundance of material! Guides, videos, recipes, etc. It’s all there.
After all that, we were convinced.
Then it was time to do our sleuthing — who had the best deal?
THE BEST SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR THE BLACKSTONE GRIDDLE MAY BE BLACKSTONE’S OWN WEBSITE.
There you can watch videos, read recipes, and browse endless products.
Recipes like buttermilk bathed rosemary chicken thighs. Bacon pancakes with strawberry whiskey syrup. Crispy smashed potatoes with bacon and cilantro. It goes on. Even typing this I’m salivating.
Just to be clear, we haven’t made those yet. But adventures await. 😃
We DID buy the Blackstone Griddle, and we’ve made steaks, hamburgers, and bacon. And they are delicious.
Using the griddle is an advantage in that there are no grates for food to drop through, and no openings for flames to rise through. A double win, according to my griddle-loving husband.
Keep reading for all the scoop, and I’ve got pictures and links below for you.
Here’s what the difficulty was: Knowing which Blackstone Griddle model to buy, and where to buy it.
We are very pleased with the deal we got on the Blackstone Griddle at BJ’s Club, and I’ll tell you exactly what it is.
The model we got is the 36″. It has the two side shelves, a front utensil shelf, and a two-handled hard cover that protects the cooking griddle when not in use. The price is $399 at BJ’s club in early 2021. One thing to note is that the hard cover is included at that price. Priced separately it ranges from $50 to $100 depending on the seller.
Do your shopping and check prices. And stock. Because sometimes those great prices are on an item that isn’t available.
We are long time members of BJ’s Club. I love the concept of warehouse shopping. If you didn’t know, BJ’s and Target are kind of brother and sister. Yep. That explains why you find such cute clothes at BJ’s. Some are online, most are at the store. If you haven’t joined, check out the BJ’s membership options.
What’s next?
Like everything else, there’s still more to buy. Not trying to discourage you, just being up front.
Accessories: We also purchased the set of Blackstone tools (Spatulas, scraper, squirt bottles) and the canvas cover (which covers the whole thing) at Walmart later.
And, very important: The drip pan liners. Little aluminum foil pans to catch the grease draining from the rear of the griddle. We want to change this every time we cook, so that means you always need them on hand.
(I also want the 12″ basting cover, a dome that covers the food for closed cooking. Bet I’ll wake up on my birthday and find it!)
The hard cover (for storage, not for cooking) is made of metal and sits squarely over the griddle top. It isn’t airtight, but we feel better storing it with this cover on. Otherwise it’s wide open, since there isn’t a hinged lid.
Here are the questions we had:
Seasoning. You have to season a Blackstone Griddle. It’s not a big deal at all. Get some cheap canola oil, give it a light coating as you heat it all the way up and let that smoke. Give it another light coat, let that smoke off, and do it once more. The high heat bonds the oil and the surface to help make it non-stick. Each time you cook, it just improves the bond, like an iron skillet. Plenty of videos to show you how to do it if you’ve got questions. It doesn’t have to be fancy oil. You don’t need to do it ten times, and you don’t need to have a lake of oil. Just a light coating.
Cleaning. Plenty of water on the hot griddle will steam off most of the remaining food particles and oil. Just keep doing it, and then let it get really dry. (Rust forms with 3 ingredients: iron, oxygen, and water. To prevent it on your grill, eliminate the only factor you can — water.) If you get a coating that looks rusty, clean it off with a little oil and a brush as you heat up the grill.
Surprises. Those side shelves get hot. Be careful about putting things there. Especially your metal cooking utensils. Yeow! Or that package of buns. Oops. That’s a surprise we had. We decided to use a separate table for our supplies. Just made it easier.
Can We Assemble It Ourselves?
Isn’t that the question?!
Assembly. Putting it together is not terribly difficult, but you do need to do it in order. If you are wary, watch a video. It helps. The thing is heavy. All grills are, I guess, but those folding side shelves still don’t make it easy to grab the handle and roll it around. I’d say store it pretty close to the place you’ll use it.
Benefits. It’s just so great. I’m serious. 36″ is a lot of cooking surface when you don’t have an upper shelf or a lid or sides or grates. No obstacles, just wide open spaces. Cook that whole pound of bacon (and a second one). Ten hamburgers at once, plus your grilled onions and buttered buns; just keep adding things, because you can!
COMPARISON SHOPPING:
Now you’re gonna jump online and start searching. You’ll see the 28″, the 36″, the grill/griddle combo, the tabletop version, the air fryer, and all the rest. You’ll see all the accessories.
I’d say having the hard cover was good for us, since it’s outdoors and open to varmints etc.. So if you get the model without it, maybe search around for a good price on the hard cover. It fits neatly over the cooking surface.
We didn’t get the canvas cover at first, but decided to buy it, because it would keep the whole thing cleaner in between uses. We were right about that.
The squirt bottles with oil and water are nice, but there’s nothing special about them. Any squirt bottle would probably be fine. The scraper and spatulas are sturdy, and we are glad we have them.
For foods that need trapped heat for a few minutes, the dome would be nice, and I will probably get it. And GrillDaddy (oops, GrandDaddy) thought he might like the protective gloves.
(If you’re into convenience, just use the links below to go directly to the sites from here.)
Storing The Accessories:
We did use a little caddy to corral all the utensils, since they are kind of big, and we need all the same things every time. (Isn’t that always the deal with grilling, that you have to gather up all the stuff and get it all outside, then gather it up, then store it?!) We already had a caddy that was perfect, and I’m sure you could look around and find something to use. But if you’re going all out, Blackstone makes one.
If you’re thinking about a purchase, I hope this helps. For us, taking some time to think about what foods we would actually cook (realistic expectations) helped us to plan for our needs. We will still venture into hibachi, breakfast, and more as time goes on, but for now we’re working our way through our regular rotation.
Keep reading for more about the tools, and more about the food!
Here are the links to the Blackstone Griddle and the accessories:
You can see the Blackstone caddy is amazing. But mine is cute, right?
Get the “vacation” salt and pepper in the spice section of your grocery store, the little set of the two paper shakers. Great to keep with your grill supplies. Then you don’t have to make sure yours get returned!
I hope whatever you’re anticipating for fall, you’ve got some good family time planned, which often centers around mealtime. It’s kind of nice to have the grandchildren running around at the swingset while the smell of hamburgers gets everybody excited about supper.
There’s nothing better than a grilled burger. I use my trusty Longhorn Seasoning on one side, salt and pepper on the other. With this, flavor is just enough, without being a distraction. Throw on some sharp cheddar cheese slices toward the end. You can even mix up some pimento cheese* and top those hot burgers. Cook some bacon alongside these to make some awesome bacon cheeseburgers. And butter those buns and grill them just a minute at the end.
*You ever make your own pimento cheese? Plenty of freshly grated sharp cheddar, black pepper, and either pimentos or diced roasted red peppers (same thing). Enough mayonnaise to make a firm spread.
Did I explain how those links work? It’s called “affiliate marketing.” I recommend products I’ve tried/loved, as a promotion on behalf of the seller. If you purchase something through a link, the seller will thank me for sending you, though it won’t cost you any more! It does help offset the cost of running the blog, so I thank you! See a more complete explanation here.
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-Grammye
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Thank you for the concise tutorial. We’ve been thinking of adding a griddle to our patio and your article answered our questions. We just ordered one through your link!
Marmee! I am so excited! I hope you love it as much as I do. It seems like everything we cook on the Blackstone tastes better. Hoping to branch out with our recipes a little! Please let me know how it turns out. And thank you for your kind words.