Is Blackstone still considered the best? Seems like a lot of new brands have come to market lately.

I'd get a Blaze 30" built in if you can swing it. The stainless is much nicer than the carbon steel on the Blackstone.

Unfortunately I dont have the option for built in. Foolishly built out my outdoor space and didnt leave room for it so itll need to be a standalone.

Don't know if Blackstone is the best but have been happy with mine. It's the only griddle I've owned so I've got nothing to compare it to.

I have a blackstone tailgater, which has a griddle on half.

I will say, I was camping and cooking this past weekend, and was major struggling with wind.

If you have any wind in your spot, find one that protects the flame (assuming there is such a thing). I couldn't get the heat up to cook bacon and eggs for nothing. It was disappointing. I bet I restarted it 20 times if not more.

Interesting concept - I need to consider this.

I haven't had wind issues, but do lose A LOT of heat out of the sides there that really heats up anything I have on the side tables.

FIDO*98* said:

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62strat said:

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I have a blackstone tailgater, which has a griddle on half.

I will say, I was camping and cooking this past weekend, and was major struggling with wind.

If you have any wind in your spot, find one that protects the flame (assuming there is such a thing). I couldn't get the heat up to cook bacon and eggs for nothing. It was disappointing. I bet I restarted it 20 times if not more.

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https://trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/7607286/blackstone-griddle-hack-for-wind-guards

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I just picked up 8 of these for a buck and change ea, with free shipping, on Temu.

Worth a shot for under $20!

For griddles I have noticed the more burners the better. Helps with the even heating.

Flat Top King on youtube is a good resource for buying reviews. I like the new blackstone at Lowes https://www.lowes.com/pd/Blackstone/5013703333 and the Camp Chef as well. I think the camp chef griddle top can be removed and used like a traditional gas grill as well.

I've enjoyed the ability to take off the griddle plate from my tailgater (which I use for camping), and then throw it in my webber for at home.

I use a surface thermometer, I'd say it's a must for griddle cooking.

We just had a Blaze griddle installed in our outdoor kitchen. Happy thus far.

A friend of ours is moving and getting rid of some stuff they don't use much. Snagged their barely used 4 burner Blackstone for $250. I considered getting one before but didn't pull the trigger, couldn't pass up that price.

Ezra Brooks said:

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Interesting concept - I need to consider this.

I haven't had wind issues, but do lose A LOT of heat out of the sides there that really heats up anything I have on the side tables.

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Everything on the side tables is fair game for a Blackstone. Beware!

I've been down the rabbit hole lately. The 2 I'm narrowing in on are the Loco cooker and the Treager.

Both of these offer heat sync dividers between each zone to enable more precise cooking zones which I can appreciate from having the first blackstone they came out with and the selling it because I couldn't get the heat distribution right with the wind issue. The second thing both of these offer are u shaped burners to also help with more even heating.

I think both of these have superior grease drains, too.

After seeing both in person, I opted for the Traeger. All around built better, feels like a more solid build. I've had the Traeger for about 6 months and it hasn't disappointed, even heat side to side and front to back, and it's able to go low enough to cook eggs and pancakes. Wouldn't hesitate to buy the Traeger again.

The Halo looks better than the Traeger, although the they say the low setting on Halo is still pretty hot.

I compared to the Traeger before I bought and the 4 burner is huge. Its a very large footprint, but the low temp was a deal killer for me. Flattop King does a good review of it.

We sell the Halo. Really like it but will agree it cooks hot.

You can cook with lid down which is nice if you want to bake/cook indirectly. That helps with the hotter cooking too by being able to move stuff over to a non-lit zone. For that reason I'd recommend the 4 burner.

In regards to stainless griddle (Blaze), what is your strategy in cleaning them after use? I've been using Easy-off oven cleaner and it's seemed to work so far.

Also, I'm wanting to get a thermometer gun for the griddle. Any suggestions?

Silvertaps said:

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Also, I'm wanting to get a thermometer gun for the griddle. Any suggestions?

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I've been rocking this Klein for my griddle and pizza oven. https://amzn.to/3MO72X3

Not super cheap, but has survived my toddler throwing it around the back patio.

Pretty excited the outdoor kitchen is just about ready. Will report back when I get to try it out in the next week or so.

Silvertaps said:

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In regards to stainless griddle (Blaze), what is your strategy in cleaning them after use? I've been using Easy-off oven cleaner and it's seemed to work so far.

Also, I'm wanting to get a thermometer gun for the griddle. Any suggestions?

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Ice while it is still hot.

Well done. Love my Evo, hate that I put it in a corner. I should have sucked it up and put it in the middle of the wall like you, or even better in the middle but out a far enough that people could stand on 3 'sides' and cook simultaneously.

I love my Evo. Use it all the time! Very versatile and easy to clean.