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As a big smoker guy, the thought of gas grills, let alone griddles, never much appealed to me.

But my brother got me a miniature/portable one for my 40th bday to put on our boat. He’s been raving about his for a year or two and I, being older and wiser, didn’t buy it.

But then I started cooking burgers out at the lake. Super easy. 20 min process to set up, cook, clean up and take down. And the burgers were legit as good as anything you get at any burger place. Granted I’m using some dtc beef that’s high quality. So…didn’t think much of it.

But when I brought the grill home from the lake, I set it up in the garage and it’s freaking great at cooking basically anything you can cook in a skillet (eg, chicken, beef, eggs, veggies, etc).

It’s gotten to the point my kids ask for omelettes on the blackstone instead of the stove. Mrs. AW prefers it over the stove (if time allows). And it’s undeniably better than a skillet somehow.

And it’s much easier. For example on Christmas I smoked a beef tenderloin, chopped it into steaks, and finished them on the blackstone at the same time I cooked shrimp on it. 6 steaks 30 shrimp. 5 minutes to do. 2 minutes to clean.

As much as I didn’t believe it, these things are very useful and awesome.

I second this, we have a small one at our cabin and cook everything on it. The easy clean up alone makes it worth it.

I've seen these talked up in a couple places now and didn't realize they were much of a thing. Setting aside the travel/portability part, is there a particular benefit to the Blackstone compared to having, say, a cast iron griddle that spans a couple burners on a stove?

I also have a cast iron griddle that spans a couple burners on the stove. It’s not a permanent one and I’ve also used it on the grill and campfires. Regardless, the slot to collect grease isn’t nearly big enough and constantly overflows. So I rarely use it inside. And controlling temp with a campfire or even a charcoal grill is pretty difficult.

And idk what it is, but stuff on the blackstone just tastes better. Maybe it’s because I just burn everything off to clean it and don’t wash it with sponge/water. Who knows.

AWvsCBsteeeerike3 wrote: ↑

January 29 23, 8:15 pm

I also have a cast iron griddle that spans a couple burners on the stove. It’s not a permanent one and I’ve also used it on the grill and campfires. Regardless, the slot to collect grease isn’t nearly big enough and constantly overflows. So I rarely use it inside. And controlling temp with a campfire or even a charcoal grill is pretty difficult.

And idk what it is, but stuff on the blackstone just tastes better. Maybe it’s because I just burn everything off to clean it and don’t wash it with sponge/water. Who knows.

is it stainless steel?

I think the short answer is stainless steel is easier to clean and maintain, less prone to rust, but also less durable and doesn't affect the flavor of the food, which can be a good or a bad thing depending on preference or what exactly you're cooking.

haltz wrote: ↑

January 29 23, 8:22 pm

AWvsCBsteeeerike3 wrote: ↑

January 29 23, 8:15 pm

I also have a cast iron griddle that spans a couple burners on the stove. It’s not a permanent one and I’ve also used it on the grill and campfires. Regardless, the slot to collect grease isn’t nearly big enough and constantly overflows. So I rarely use it inside. And controlling temp with a campfire or even a charcoal grill is pretty difficult.

And idk what it is, but stuff on the blackstone just tastes better. Maybe it’s because I just burn everything off to clean it and don’t wash it with sponge/water. Who knows.

is it stainless steel?

I think the short answer is stainless steel is easier to clean and maintain, less prone to rust, but also less durable and doesn't affect the flavor of the food, which can be a good or a bad thing depending on preference or what exactly you're cooking.

It’s a carbon steel. It will definitely rust. But just burn everything off, turn it off, and coat it with oil like you would cast iron and it seems to do okay. It was also seasoned at first similar to a cast iron skillet.

No idea how long it will last. At the same time the whole geddyup cost $125. And I have to imagine another griddle could be purchased.

Oh gosh damn this is gonna take a sec to cleanup.

Okay, so just take this meal. Could I have finished the steaks on a cast iron griddle? Yes, absolutely. Maybe even gotten them all on there at once. I'd have done it inside on the stove because I don't want to burn this.

Could I have done the shrimp in a cast iron skillet? Probably.

But having the little blackstone just made it so much easier. The sear on the steaks was great. No cool spots/hot spots to worry about. Flames are always better tolerated by the wife outside. And it took like 30 seconds to scrape then oil a couple minutes later to clean. Done. Compared to washing, drying, and reseasoning at a minimum 2, if not 3 cast iron things on the stove, it was so much easier.

And, to date, I'd rate this as probably one of my best if not my best meal I've ever created. This was the day I was like...yep, I hate to admit it, but these blackstones are absolutely phenomenal.

These bots are out of control

I have a friend who is a foodie's foodie and she swears by her blackstone. I'm very intrigued.

I need to get one. I have a pellet smoker and a stand alone gas grill on the deck. On the patio, I have an offset smoker/charcoal grill on one side and the other side is a gas grill.

But I need this Blackstone as well.