Outdoor griddles

Post by **tcalo** » Wed. Jan. 18, 2023 10:59 am

I know it's only mid-January and bbq season is not very close. I'm just looking for opinions on outdoor griddles. Here's the back story. I went to a brunch at my brother-in-laws house a few months back. He had a nice Blackstone griddle setup that he was cooking everything on. It seemed very versatile, easy to use and the food came out delicious. I have a bbq grill so the thought of getting an outdoor griddle was on the back burner. My interest in griddles eventually grew stronger and I was thinking about getting a cheaper off brand one. At this point I didn't know much about them, just that the food turned out delicious! I mentioned it to my wife in passing a few times to get her opinion. Well, our anniversary passed the other day, and she surprised me with a 36" Blackstone griddle. I was stoked and quickly dove into research mode. I spent a few days researching everything and anything griddle related. Recipes, reviews, accessories, etc. I found out all the pros and cons from real time users, not just the sales pitch side of it. Many say the pros far out weight the cons. But one major flaw that nobody ever discusses is they can be very messy. This should be a no brainer but is often overlooked when focusing on the other things. The food is greasier than a grill, but that should be obvious. Many people say the grease splatters when cooking and cleanup requires more work than a grill and could be a hassle. I've yet to use it, just going off by what I have read. Any thoughts or opinions from those who have them?

Post by **theo** » Wed. Jan. 18, 2023 11:06 am

Just curious, how could the food taste much tastier just from being cooked on a griddle? I'am not knocking them, just would like to know what the difference may be? Also would that be unhealthy with the food being greasy? I know alot of food is unhealthy buy the way we cook it,,,,,, but it is good! Enjoy the griddle and post some pictures of what you cook up!

Post by **tcalo** » Wed. Jan. 18, 2023 11:20 am

theo wrote: ↑Wed. Jan. 18, 2023 11:06 am Just curious, how could the food taste much tastier just from being cooked on a griddle?

My guess is because it’s juicier. The down side is it’s probably not as healthy as grilling! Outdoor grilling season is months away, but I’ll post pics when I finally light it up!!

Post by **Lightning** » Wed. Jan. 18, 2023 11:20 am

I've always just seen them as a propane fired frying pan lol. They're just bigger. The difference being that you can get your bacon, eggs, sausage and pancakes all on one surface.

Post by **warminmn** » Wed. Jan. 18, 2023 11:23 am

Fat has a lot of taste. If you dont mind eating the fat it will taste better no matter how you cook it.... said as bacon grease drips off my chin...

Post by **tcalo** » Wed. Jan. 18, 2023 11:24 am

Lightning wrote: ↑Wed. Jan. 18, 2023 11:20 am I've always just seen them as a propane fired frying pan lol. They're just bigger. The difference being that you can get your bacon, eggs, sausage and pancakes all on one surface.

Exactly!! We have many hungry mouths here so the extra space should help.

Post by **tcalo** » Wed. Jan. 18, 2023 11:26 am

warminmn wrote: ↑Wed. Jan. 18, 2023 11:23 am Fat has a lot of taste. If you dont mind eating the fat it will taste better no matter how you cook it.... said as bacon grease drips off my chin...

Haha…gotta love bacon

Post by **waytomany?s** » Wed. Jan. 18, 2023 12:19 pm

tcalo wrote: ↑Wed. Jan. 18, 2023 11:24 am Exactly!! We have many hungry mouths here so the extra space should help.

I laughed when I saw this. All I could picture was a nest of baby birds.

Post by **theo** » Wed. Jan. 18, 2023 12:30 pm

Here u go,,,,,,,

Post by **Sunny Boy** » Wed. Jan. 18, 2023 12:53 pm

Meat "juices" is where a lot of the flavor is. Cooked over an open grill and a lot of those juices and flavor are lost into the fire. Good for anyone standing downwind, but not so good for those eating.

That is why so many recipes for beef start out searing the outside at very high temp to seal the juices in.

Paul

Post by **theo** » Wed. Jan. 18, 2023 7:35 pm

Clean your griddle

Post by **theo** » Wed. Jan. 18, 2023 9:33 pm

I see they sell griddle tops that u can set on your gas grill

Post by **McGiever** » Thu. Jan. 19, 2023 12:35 pm

What's all this chatter about cooking over gas...that's girly cooking.

We want our griddles over a anthracite fire in a forge. Yeah!!!

Post by **theo** » Thu. Jan. 19, 2023 2:06 pm

Here you go buddy,,,,,,

Post by **Sunny Boy** » Thu. Jan. 19, 2023 2:25 pm

Is that were the expression, "shoveling food in your mouth" came from ?

We had one member that bought a restored early 1900 Fairmont coal range and ordered it will a "milled finish" cooktop so that she could cook directly on the cast iron top plates, just like a griddle. It was posted about in the Cookin With Coal thread.

Not sure I'd want to be cleaning food that got down into the top plate gaps, or otherwise be left with burning food smell.

Paul