In this post, my Blackstone Griddle review, I will offer my honest assessment of the 36″ Blackstone Griddle after a solid year of regular use.
For the first time in my life, I bought myself a father’s day present last year. I bought myself a 36″ Blackstone Griddle. I’d wanted one for years.
Here we are, one year later – another Father’s Day. I didn’t buy myself something this year, but just last night, I mentioned to my wife that my favorite purchase last year was my griddle.
I even said, (Now don’t hate me), my Blackstone Griddle is even my favorite of several new guns I bought last year. 😱
The Official Blackstone Griddle Review
My Blackstone Griddle Review
Summary
The 36-inch Blackstone Griddle is a luxury item with real value as far as usefulness. I’ve wanted a Blackstone for years, and my expectations were extremely high. I was not disappointed. The griddle makes everything easier, from fewer pans to wash to a huge cooking surface, but the best feature is the quality product Blackstone builds. There are much cheaper grade griddles on the market, but Blackstone offers quality that will last. I’m so glad I didn’t go with a cheaper brand this time.
Obviously, you already know my Blackstone Griddle review will be positive – like five out of five stars positive. So rather than go on about features, pros, and cons in a technical way, I thought I’d tell you about my experience and what I like about the Blackstone Griddle.
What I Bought
First, let me share what I bought and what I could have bought. (See the accessories I bought below)
I bought a Blackstone. I’m SO glad I did. My brother-in-law bought an “off-brand” shortly after I bought my Blackstone. Then my friend did the same thing – an off-brand griddle.
Now I’m waiting for my brother-in-law to bring his generic griddle over to my garage so we can figure a way to strengthen the base/stand it sits on. The legs are so flimsy that the griddle sways back and forth when he’s using it, threatening to collapse into a hot mess on his patio. He wishes he’d spent the money on the best now – buy once cry once.
If you buy quality, you only cry once.
~ Geoff Burch – Irresistible Persuasion: The Secret Way to Get to Yes Every Time. John Wiley and Sons. (2010)
There are many different models and renditions of the Blackstone. Still, I decided on the Blackstone 36″ Cooking Station 4 Burner Propane Fuelled Restaurant Grade Professional 36 Inch Outdoor Flat Top Gas Griddle with Built-in Cutting Board and Side Shelf (1825), Black.
It’s not cheap. In fact, it’s about $30 more now than it was when I bought mine a year ago. Shop around. You have options. I would, however, buy a Blackstone brand griddle, not a cheap knockoff.
What I Make On My Blackstone Griddle
Just last night, I had my brother-in-law over with his wife for dinner. I made patty melts on the griddle using leftover meatloaf. OMG, was this an amazing dinner. I steamed fresh asparagus and mushrooms that I poured my homemade cheese sauce over. Then, I heated the leftover meatloaf as patties on the griddle.
First, I spent an hour in the kitchen, using a stainless steel deep skillet, caramelizing several large onions. They came out perfect. Then I buttered one side of eight slices of rye bread (For for sandwiches), laying four slices butter side down on the griddle.
Next, I place a slice of swiss cheese over each of the four slices of bread on the griddle. Next goes the meatloaf patties, and then I placed a generous servicing of caramelized onion slices over that. Then another slice of cheese and, finally, the last slice of bread, butter side up.
I flipped the completely built sandwiches and, after a couple of minutes, had four beautiful patty melts.
That was just last night. Just this morning, I made corned beef hash and eggs for mine and Porter‘s breakfast. Saturday morning, it was omelets.
I’ve made everything from steak & shrimp to pancakes. Tacos to stirfries, french toast to chicken lo mein, cauliflower pizza to cheesesteak sandwiches. You get the idea. I like food.
An Off-Grid Survival Item? – You Bet
What makes a survival item even more amazing than just peace of mind? A survival item that you actually use and gives you joy in the best of times. I live in Michigan and use my griddle all year long. It’s always out and ready for that perfect bacon ranch cheese wrap or to pick up the slack when the power goes out.
I do want to mention that this beast can be a huge propane hog. I’ve learned to reduce the amount of propane by only running all four burners when I need to and resisting the urge to run them wide-open on high. This griddle gets HOT! There’s rarely a time when I need to run it on high.
🌡The one exception I’ve found is when it’s below freezing outside, and the wind is blowing. When it’s that cold and windy, I do need a windshield (I tie a tarp across my porch support beams) and run the burners on high.
Side note – I have a LOT of propane safely stored. I have cases of the one-pound canisters and many 20-pound tanks. I looked around FB Marketplace, finding old, usually empty, 20-pound propane tanks. So I’d exchange them for new and filled tanks. Then, after that, I refill them at our local supplier to get a full 20 pounds with each refill.
Should The Blackstone Be An Off-Grid Survival Purchase?
Now, let’s get to the real question. Should we be looking at the Blackstone griddle as a good prep for off-grid cooking? I hate to admit it, especially in the middle of a Blackstone Griddle review, but probably not.
If your only main concern were emergency off-grid cooking, I’d say keep looking. There are so many better solutions than a propane griddle.
A few examples might be a wood-burning stove, a propane stove that allows for cooking and canning, a camp stove, and on and on.
Since I have purchased a Blackstone Griddle and now have one, it is absolutely an emergency off-grid cooking solution. It can use a lot of propane, and it’s not very portable, but when the power is out, Brian’s out there having a nice time cooking.
I have other off-grid cooking options, including that propane stove, but sometimes we WANT more. You understand, right?
Accessories I Added
What would a Blackstone Griddle review be without talking about some of the many accessories available? Some I bought and love, others I feel were a waste of money because I don’t use them.
Accessories I Needed/Wanted:
- Blackstone cover – The first thing I bought was a cover. I live on a gravel road, so I want to protect my griddle and keep dust and sand off the cooking surface.
- Blackstone Griddle Accessory Tool Kit `- I use these almost every time I use my griddle. Two spatulas, a scraper, and two plastic squirt bottles. I keep one squirt bottle filled with olive oil and the other with water. (Avocado oil is awesome for the high heat of a griddle as well. It’s just a little expensive.)
- Blackstone Hard Top Lid – I add the hardtop flat cover as well. It fits just fine under the griddle cover I have.
- Grease Trap Liners – This is trivial, but I love the clean-up value. These cheap little one-use cake pans fit perfectly into my rear grease trap. I haven’t had to clean the trap in the year I’ve had the griddle. Instead, I pull out the pan and replace it with a new one when it’s full.
- Cuisinart Griddle Food Mover – If you have a lot of food to move, this huge shovel-like spatula can take piles of food from one section to another or into a mixing bowl.
- Cuisinart Melting Dome – I actually use these more than I thought I would. It comes in great for melting cheese, keeping flies away from food if you have it sitting on a cooling side, and getting thicker or more dense foods to cook evenly. I also have the 9-inch Melting Dome.
- Magnetic Knife Holder – I don’t see the one I bought, but I screwed a 12-inch magnetic knife holder to the left shelf of my Blackstown shelf to hold spatulas and tongs. Here’s a similar 12-inch knife holder, but I have no first-hand experience with this brand or model.
Accessories I Don’t Use Much:
- Cuisinart 9-Inch Griddle Scraper – This heavy-duty scraper is high quality and very effective. I just haven’t found the need for it. I guess if you really burn something onto the griddle, it would come in handy. I try not to do that. 🙂
- Cuisinart Steel Stainless Butter Wheel – I love this thing. I feel like a professional chef just owning it. But, truthfully, I rarely use it. It works perfectly, but I don’t need to butter that much bread. LOL. With that said, what it does to hamburger buns is amazing. I use a butter knife.
- Cuisinart 4-Piece Griddle Ring Set – About the only thing I’ve found this handy for is when I’m showing off and making everyone my version of ham or sausage with egg English muffins. Then, finally, I can get that “manufactured” looking egg patty. I thought I’d use them for omelets and pancakes, but, as it turns out, I like the “natural” shapes. Tip –The next time you make an omelet on your griddle, spread the egg out in a long rectangular shape. When you’re ready to fold, keep folding about three-inch edges over until you have this almost crape-looking omelet. It’s a great-looking breakfast.
My Outdoor Kitchen Cabinet 
Blackstone Griddle Soft Cover 
Spatula Holder 
Blackstone Flat Hard Cover 
Blackstone Rear Grease Trap
Wrapping Up My Blackstone Griddle Review
To wrap up my Blackstone Griddle review, I want to say this is a luxury in my world, certainly not a necessity. It works as an off-grid emergency cooking appliance, but it’s not the best option for even that, in my opinion. But, wow, is it an amazing tool for anyone that enjoys outdoor cooking. So, if you’re like me and have been wanting a Blackstone Griddle for years, I hope you get one soon.
Call To Action
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Stay safe. Stay prepared.
Hawkins Out.
