Griddle vs. Grill

About a year ago, Wifey gave me a Blackstone griddle as a gift. It was really because she wanted a better sear on meats, but I accepted the gift anyway. I'd spent the previous 30 years grilling on a Weber (both the classic with charcoal, and later the propane model). While the propane model worked and I was able to cook great steaks, chicken, etc., it never got hot enough for a decent sear. Some may claim User Error, but I'm not alone with lack-o-sear on a propane Weber.

My first griddle action was thin-ish steaks which came out perfect. I've tried smash burgers but haven't mastered the process yet. The patties fell apart too easily. Cleanup on a griddle seems a bit more time intensive, but it's really only to keep the surface sealed and smooth.

Wifey loves skinless, boneless chicken breast, which I'm not a fan of (I prefer bone-in with skin). Today she left me with a few pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast and bolted out the door with her mother & daughter. My Mother's Day task was to cook that chicken. So, rather that plop the slabs-o-bird on the griddle, I cut them up into small pieces, put them in a bowl and added 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup of Weber's Kick'n Chicken, and mixed it all up real well. I'd never done this but had nothing to lose. Worse-case scenario: I'd be eating it all myself. I set the griddle to medium heat, spread the chicken bits out flat, cooked for about 3 minutes, flipped 'em over and cooked 'em for another 3 minutes. I liked it so much I told Wifey that I'd cook boneless/skinless chicken this way anytime.

So far, I'm in the griddle camp.

Can’t choose . The griddle is good for some things and the grill is good for some things .

I choose both !
A 36” blackstone griddle and 4 burner Weber grill with sear station burner .
Love the smell of charcoal but haven’t used a charcoal grill in years . When I’m doing a lot of grilling for a while like for party’s and Father’s Day I’ve got both the Blackstone and the Webber running and a dozen charcoal briquettes burning in an old big metal coffee can because I love the smell of a charcoal grill



Edit : ….. And I have both hooked up to the natural gas from the house . No more propane tanks for years now





And I’ll sometimes put a pile of these in the bottom of the Weber gas grill if I’m grilling a bunch of meats on and off for awhile during parties . Gives a little extra charcoal hardwood flavor .

I prefer to cook on a microwave but that wasn’t a choice

JimmyM said:

I prefer to cook on a microwave but that wasn’t a choice

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Fat equals flavor.

Why people get all excited to lose all those precious drippings to the flames has never made sense to me.

If I want smoked flavor in my foods (and you better believe I do), then I buy meat that’s, you know…smoked.

Everything else is just an excuse to play pyromaniac caveman.

JimmyM said:

I prefer to cook on a microwave but that wasn’t a choice

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Steak in a microwave Jimmy . Bite your tongue

DrummerJustLikeDad said:

...all those precious drippings to the flames...

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In the propane models, Weber covers the flames with "Flavorizer Bars". The idea being, the fats drip onto the bars and ignite, imparting flavor to the meats. It kinda worked when the grill was new, but as it aged, the flame bars became corroded making the holes smaller where the flames came out.

After replacing sets of Flavorizer Bars for years, I figure it was planned obsolescence.

Dedicated Weber charcoal guy here.

Been thinking about picking up a Blackstone to complement it…

Then I discovered that Weber and other companies make griddle tops for the kettle charcoal grills. Haven’t pulled the trigger yet but the nice time of year is young.

Will report if/when I pick one up and have formed an opinion/review.

having been a cook for 10 years before a teacher, I own and use both, but I like the taste of grilled food better. I feel like grilling is a "cleaner" taste..or...a less greasy taste. I can cook almost everything on a grill, except for runny stuff like eggs or pancakes etc. I do prefer to sauté vegetables, stir fry etc. on the flat griddle. Burgers are great on both.

TriTip on the barbee today over mesquite

I like my Weber over the Blackstone, but I think it's not the cooking; it's the cleaning.

Over50drumguy said:

Steak in a microwave Jimmy . Bite your tongue

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I didn’t realize we were talking about specific dishes. But if it helps, we just got our first gas stove ever so I am moving up a little.

JimmyM said:

I didn’t realize we were talking about specific dishes. But if it helps, we just got our first gas stove ever so I am moving up a little.

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Shoulda gone with induction. So fast. So accurate. So easy to clean.

cbphoto said:

Shoulda gone with induction. So fast. So accurate. So easy to clean.

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So expensive. Yikes! I’d have to add a 220 outlet and buy all new cookware, too.

We use a griddle in the winter, inside the house - love those fumes the next morning
Outside, we grill!

JimmyM said:

So expensive. Yikes! I’d have to add a 220 outlet and buy all new cookware, too.

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When our quartz-top electric stovetop died in a previous home, I installed an induction stovetop (the 40 amp circuit was already there). My friend who helped with the install had never heard of the tech. After installation, I filled a pot with a quart of water and within 2 minutes it was boiling. I had him touch the area around the pot (it wasn't hot) and he was baffled. I cooked the best pan fried steaks on that thing. Wifey never loved it like I did.

In our current home, Wifey was ecstatic to have/use a propane stovetop. It has a grate and burners, and cleaning is more of a hassle but to boil water (or oil for fries) we use a portable induction cooktop.

cbphoto said:

When our quartz-top electric stovetop died in a previous home, I installed an induction stovetop (the 40 amp circuit was already there). My friend who helped with the install had never heard of the tech. After installation, I filled a pot with a quart of water and within 2 minutes it was boiling. I had him touch the area around the pot (it wasn't hot) and he was baffled. I cooked the best pan fried steaks on that thing. Wifey never loved it like I did.

In our current home, Wifey was ecstatic to have/use a propane stovetop. It has a grate and burners, and cleaning is more of a hassle but to boil water (or oil for fries) we use a portable induction cooktop.

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I wouldn't mind one of those little cooktops for small stuff, but probably won't get one any time soon. It's taken us forever to get our kitchen done between our installer blowing us off twice and manufacturing mistakes, and we just got counters yesterday. So at this point I'm happy just to have a working stove of any kind!

I don’t find cleaning the blackstone to be an issue at all. Just squirt some water onto the surface after you’re done cooking while it is still hot then use a flat spatula or scraper to push the left over bits into the grease cup. Every few times I spray sone cooking oil on the surface (very lightly) and rub it around with a paper towel. Done!