Blackstone or comparable griddle owners here?

[Hogman3]

I have just ventured into the griddle world, did my first "successful" cook yesterday consisting of home fries and NY strips.......did not disappoint. Thinking today is gonna be smashburger time, need to head to Ace Hardware to get my SMASHER! Anyone else venture into this realm of cooking, what do you have, tips and tricks, and of course.......RECIPES!!!! I have the latest model Blackstone Omnivore 36", used their seasoning concoction "highly recommend", and damn if ole Blackstone doesn't have all kinds of accessories and goodies for these griddles. I am not a fan overall of Youtube, but the number of vids concerning griddle cooking is amazing. I have been threatening to get one for the last few years, and now I can see what all the hoopla is about........pretty sure I am done with any gas grill going forward.

After looking at various Blackstone griddles and trying to justify buying yet another outdoor cooking machine, I discovered that Weber offered a drop-in griddle insert for their Spirit E-310 gas grill (which I already own). I decided to break down and buy one. It fits perfectly in the grill after removing the original cooking grate. I'm like a kid with a new toy, wanting to try new & different things. So far, I've cooked the usual breakfast fare, including French toast which the wife liked. I have yet to do smashburgers, but have done frozen beef patties from Costco. Smashburgers are in the near future after I apply for a loan to buy some ground beef. My Bullseye, Weber Q-grill, and Weber charcoal grill are idly standing by for their turn to be chosen as the grill of choice for a given entree. I thought the Blackstone domed covers were a bit overpriced, so I bought a Square cake pan at Wal-mart for $1.98 which I plan to install a wooden handle on for cheeseburgers and/or over-easy eggs and anything that might need a little steaming. The possibilities are endless.

 

[Hogman3]

After looking at various Blackstone griddles and trying to justify buying yet another outdoor cooking machine, I discovered that Weber offered a drop-in griddle insert for their Spirit E-310 gas grill (which I already own). I decided to break down and buy one. It fits perfectly in the grill after removing the original cooking grate. I'm like a kid with a new toy, wanting to try new & different things. So far, I've cooked the usual breakfast fare, including French toast which the wife liked. I have yet to do smashburgers, but have done frozen beef patties from Costco. Smashburgers are in the near future after I apply for a loan to buy some ground beef. My Bullseye, Weber Q-grill, and Weber charcoal grill are idly standing by for their turn to be chosen as the grill of choice for a given entree. I thought the Blackstone domed covers were a bit overpriced, so I bought a Square cake pan at Wal-mart for $1.98 which I plan to install a wooden handle on for cheeseburgers and/or over-easy eggs and anything that might need a little steaming. The possibilities are endless.

Here’s a photo of my homemade steamer lid/cover. $1.98 for a 7” X 7” cake pan from Walmart and L brackets from the local hardware store. Plus, 2 beers (I wasn’t in any hurry to finish it).

 

[TheRicker]

After looking at various Blackstone griddles and trying to justify buying yet another outdoor cooking machine, I discovered that Weber offered a drop-in griddle insert for their Spirit E-310 gas grill (which I already own). I decided to break down and buy one. It fits perfectly in the grill after removing the original cooking grate. I'm like a kid with a new toy, wanting to try new & different things. So far, I've cooked the usual breakfast fare, including French toast which the wife liked. I have yet to do smashburgers, but have done frozen beef patties from Costco. Smashburgers are in the near future after I apply for a loan to buy some ground beef. My Bullseye, Weber Q-grill, and Weber charcoal grill are idly standing by for their turn to be chosen as the grill of choice for a given entree. I thought the Blackstone domed covers were a bit overpriced, so I bought a Square cake pan at Wal-mart for $1.98 which I plan to install a wooden handle on for cheeseburgers and/or over-easy eggs and anything that might need a little steaming. The possibilities are endless.

I have the Grilla Grills Primate and it came with the full-sized griddle (take out the regular grates). Sounds similar to your setup. We do enjoy ours.

 

[TheRicker]

View attachment 21758

Is that a dowel you have for the handle? Or something else?

 

[Hogman3]

Is that a dowel you have for the handle? Or something else?

Yes, it’s just a standard 1” dowel from the hardware store.

 

[Motodad1776]

View attachment 21758

I just love penny-tech solutions.

 

[Ol' Smokey]

This looks good. Anyone game to give it a try?

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLg1xGQP/

 

[Mike]

We have a 22" Blackstone we keep in our travel trailer when we go camping. I really love the versatility of it while out camping. There really isn't much we can't cook on it and cleaning it so dead easy and fast.

As much as I really like our Blackstone, I don't intend to get rid of our RecTeq Bull anytime soon. I see those two items complementing each other, more than I do replacing one or another.

 

[TheRicker]

We have a 22" Blackstone we keep in our travel trailer when we go camping. I really love the versatility of it while out camping. There really isn't much we can't cook on it and cleaning it so dead easy and fast.

As much as I really like our Blackstone, I don't intend to get rid of our RecTeq Bull anytime soon. I see those two items complementing each other, more than I do replacing one or another.

I have a Bull with the PCS Rackworks mod (3-shelves) and the Grilla Grills Primate (using the griddle more than the grill). I feel most all my needs are being met. My immediate family (our kids, spouses, and grandkids) is 15. So I’m often cooking for that number or more when my (or wife’s) siblings are invited.

At times I miss my little Weber Q grill. I loved that thing except for the number of times I stubbed my foot or banged my shin moving it around. I should’ve modified the frame or mounted the cooking chamber on some other homemade fram.

 

[Mike]

I have a Bull with the PCS Rackworks mod (3-shelves) and the Grilla Grills Primate (using the griddle more than the grill). I feel most all my needs are being met. My immediate family (our kids, spouses, and grandkids) is 15. So I’m often cooking for that number or more when my (or wife’s) siblings are invited.

At times I miss my little Weber Q grill. I loved that thing except for the number of times I stubbed my foot or banged my shin moving it around. I should’ve modified the frame or mounted the cooking chamber on some other homemade fram.

With a setup like that I don't think you'll ever run into a case where you can't cook or smoke something. haha

Sounds like a very nice setup!

 

[Greg Jones]

So, just throwing this out there because companies that offer great customer support deserve our support. I bought a Halo 4B griddle late last fall, got it seasoned up somewhat (honestly it needed more coats) and then life happened. The Halo is my third griddle-first was a Blackstone and I believe they make better griddles now than when I got mine, so I’d buy one again if needed. Second griddle was a ceramic Pit Boss, and I ended up giving that one away for free. I hope the recipient will eventually forgive me! I really haven’t been cooking anything outdoors in the past few months, other than on my PK grill. I went to use the Halo recently and there was a good bit of surface rust. I’ve been using a ROS to do my best to clean it up, but clearly it is going to be pitted.

So I emailed Halo, explained the situation, and asked them what a replacement top, delivered, would cost me. I sincerely wasn’t expecting anything from them other than a price. I also expected the price to be high enough that I would live with the pitting I wasn’t looking for a discount, a freebie, you name it. I got an email from them the next day (now the griddle was registered, so they knew who I was). To paraphrase, sorry to hear about the rusting, we want to help, a new griddle top is on the way to you via XXX and tracking number YYY. No cost. So this isn’t an effort to get anyone to rush out and buy a Halo, but if/when you find a company that supports you like this, please support them back!

 

[Motodad1776]

Now THAT is customer service and standing by their product and consumers, I wish them well for continued success. I would rather have had the Halo, but for the small amount of money spent, I feel overall the Blackstone is getting the job done.