BLACKSTONE 36″ 4 Burner Outdoor Gas Griddle

I was never really all that interested in a griddle. I’m a grill and smoker guy and anytime I have meat to cook, those were my go-to’s. I went to a friend’s house over the holiday weekend and he made smash burgers, some pork, hot dogs and sausage for dinner. I watched as he cooked and fell in love. There is so much you can cook on this!! I was stuffing my face with the food he’d cooked when I ordered my griddle. I was a little irritated I didn’t wait for Prime Days since it was discounted 30% shortly after it was delivered. But…I blame myself for being impatient and maybe a little impulsive. I digress…..

Anyway, the griddle was delivered on time and the weather was a little unfavorable so I waited a day or two to assemble the griddle. I’ve owned several grills and I usually put them together myself. Assembly was actually very easy and I needed virtually no help. The hardest part, that I needed some help with was putting the actual griddle on top. That thing was heavy. I was a little surprised it just sits on top and isn’t permanently attached, but as heavy as it is, it probably isn’t necessary. Putting it together was just a few steps like installing a couple wheels, attaching the 2 shelves, the propane tank mount, a handle and the control knobs. The whole process took under an hour. If you can use a screwdriver and a wrench, you can put this together. It really is that simple.

Next was getting the propane hooked up and seasoning the griddle cooking surface. Thankfully my friend gave me some pointers and believe me this is an important step. I watched a YouTube video to make sure I was seasoning the griddle top correctly. I recommend getting the Blackstone Seasoning and Conditioning stuff. Fire up the griddle on high and let it get hot. Take a dollop of the “griddle goop” (what I call it). Let it melt. You will likely have to chase it a little as it will immediately head to the grease trap. Using a paper towel and some long tongs, evenly spread a thin layer on the griddle surface; this includes the cooking surface and the outside of the rails around the perimeter. Don’t worry if the paper towel kind of disintegrates as you spread the oil, it can be cleaned later. This creates a non-stick surface but also protects against rust. Let the griddle burn off the oil. When the griddle stops smoking, the oil has burned off. Lather, rinse, repeat. I seasoned my griddle 4 times.

Cooking on this is a bit of a learning process. Grilling is pretty simple. Throw some meat on the flame and make sure it doesn’t get burned on a flare up. Flip. Done. Griddle cooking is a little more involved, but I have to admit it’s fun.

I cooked a steak, a salmon filet and some shrimp as my inaugural meal. Everything was very flavorful and cooked to perfection (not a reflection of me, just the griddle heat was well distributed).

A few tips if you’re considering this: get a lid as one is not provided with the griddle. At the very least, purchase a cloth cover if you’re storing this outside. I’m doing both; just waiting on the lid to be delivered. With the cloth cover, take a piece of the cardboard that comes with the griddle for transport. Wrap it in tin foil so it doesn’t get soaked in oil from the griddle top and create a tent so water will flow off the top without pooling.

YouTube is your friend. If you’re like me and never cooked on something like this, you can learn a lot from the videos on YouTube. There a lot of maintenance and care videos as well as recipes and how to cook certain foods on your griddle. I’ve only cooked what is pictured and smash burgers a day or two after that. Tip: don’t make the smash burgers too big.

Seasoning your griddle before you start cooking is absolutely essential! READ THAT AGAIN. 🙂

Cleaning the griddle after cooking is a bit more involved than cleaning a grill. Use a scraper or spatula to push left over food to the grease trap. Let the griddle cool a bit. Once cleared, squirt a little oil on the surface and use a clean rag to coat the griddle surface. That’s basically it, but scraping can require a little elbow grease depending on what you cooked.

The product is well made, VERY heavy duty, versatile, easy to use, and portable if needed. I assemble by picture, so I can’t comment on the accuracy of assembly instructions, but I had no problem getting the grill together in 30 minutes (including un-packaging which took most of the time). I’ve used cast iron pots a lot, so using this griddle was easy for me, but if you’re not used to using cast iron, carefully review and follow the steps to properly season and maintain the cooking surface. Don’t skip steps seasoning the griddle! So far, I’ve cooked pancakes, sausage, bacon, steak, hamburgers, grilled vegetables and steamed vegetables with outstanding results. All MUCH easier and better results than a standard grill! The cooking surface maintains a more even heat and with four burners it’s very easy to have different cooking zones for different foods all at the same time. I found that getting the griddle up to a medium temperature, then starting from one side turning the first burner off, the rest to low, medium, high respectively gives COMPLETE temperature variation without further adjustment. If it’s too hot, I just move the food to the lower area. I highly recommend this griddle! I also recommend getting the hard cover for the grill, a waterproof grill cover, and the disposable drip pans. Spatulas and tongs are my preferred grill tools and the Blackstone grill accessories toolkit (does not include tongs) is dishwasher safe which I find to be a must. I am completely satisfied with this grill!