Talk me into a Blackstone.

JohnnyTarheel

As seen above any negative is far outweighed by all the positives..... Get you a  Blackstone quickly and make it a 36 if you have the room...

DoubleEgger

It just depends on what type of cooking you like to do, where you cook, and how often you would use it. A lot of guys here have their griddles under a covered area and that’s a game changer when it comes to maintenance and overall cleanliness. I bought one when it was the it thing to have. I cooked on it some but found that I wasn’t using it as often as I thought I would. It was a lot more upkeep than I wanted considering I didn’t have a covered area to use it and I was cooking for two most times. It was on the deck and that area quickly became a mess. A pop up rain shower here in the South is a common occurrence and if it rained before you got everything cleaned up and the cover on (which sucks by the way), you were screwed. Grease/water everywhere. I started gravitating towards larger cast iron pans that I could clean easier than the griddle.  The CGS wok and ring also gets used pretty often for stir fry, onions etc.  I just like burning lump I guess. 

There are a lot of folks here that love them. I just wanted to point out a few things I ran across during the time I had mine. You’ve got to decide if it’s the right thing for you and your cooking needs. 

r8rs4lf

I purchased the 36" back in the day when they first hit this board. Also purchased the cover and the attachment to turn it into a grill with the carry bag. Spent a nice bit of coin on everything only to not use it much because it became a bear to pull it out of the garage when I needed it. Also because of the grease trap design, I would put down some commercial rugs underneath so not to stain my cement in the patio. Just recently sold it all off to a friend with a new house and I'm relived I got the garage space back.

Before I sold it, I purchased the the 22" Blackstone from HSN. I didn't want to miss it this time around. So glad I went this way instead. I have it set up on a cut down stainless table purchased from Sam's club along with my BGE MM. Not much room to work with both units on the table, but way better IMO for me. I plan on cutting a cutting board to fit on the 22" griddle so I can at least chop there if needed when not using the 22".

RRP

I know I knocked my 17" last night, but like @r8rs4lf said I also bought both the cover and the carrying bag. Reason was I thought it would be easier to pack and carry on road trips than my MINI egg. Only thing is we have not been able to travel since I bought it. So here I sit with 7 of those green bomb propane tanks and a never used travel bag...but maybe next year...

Carolina Q

RRP said:

I know I knocked my 17" last night, but like @r8rs4lf said I also bought both the cover and the carrying bag. Reason was I thought it would be easier to pack and carry on road trips than my MINI egg. Only thing is we have not been able to travel since I bought it. So here I sit with 7 of those green bomb propane tanks and a never used travel bag...but maybe next year...

@RRP, Ron, I have the travel bag too ( but only because it was included with purchase from Cabela's) and never use it. I also bought the cover so I can leave it out in the weather at home. I just put the 17 in the trunk with the cover on when I travel with it. 

"Travel" usually means the 800+ mile round trip to visit my 101 year old mom. Last couple of trips, I took the Akorn Jr and my pressure cooker, but didn't bother with the Blackstone.

The food pics in this thread look wonderful... but I just don't use mine. A skillet is usually plenty for my needs, either on the egg/akorn or on the stovetop.

tarheelmatt

@DoubleEgger brings a great point about a covered area, which mine is under, and does make a heck of a difference.

One thing for me too is time. I can whip breakfast up faster than ever as you can have several items going at one time. 

To each his own, I couldn't imagine life without one. 

Jupiter Jim

I resisted getting one for a long time because I wasn't sure I would use it enough. Got a 36 last summer and love it, gets used a couple times a week missed having one at my winter home in Okeechobee FL a Motor Home so not a lot of storage space but plenty of room for  17"! I find the quality to be very good, the grease trap on the 36' sucks but for $25.00 an after market fix works perfect.

I enjoy cooking outside very much.

I still use my BGE's too.

baychilla

Any ideas why the 22" table top version costs as much as the 28" that has its own standalone cart?

HeavyG

baychilla said:

Any ideas why the 22" table top version costs as much as the 28" that has its own standalone cart?

For the moment I'm guessing that because the 22 is only available from HSN that limits a lot of the price flexibility we see with the other models which are widely available from lots of retailers.

caliking

Tbonez3858 said:

Let me try to talk you out of a Blackstone...

I have a 36 and I've not been too happy with it.. The food that comes off of it is great but the griddles design is awful. My unit leans legs are broken (no clue why it's never been moved), it rust if you don't constantly oil it, the grease dump system is garbage and spills grease all over the ground. My grease trap/hanger broke after about a month simply from picking it up and dumping the oil. The weld broke/cracked. The Blackstone cover I bought lasted about a month and a half before it was faded completely white. My BGE cover is still jet black after four years and it's on the same deck with the same level of sunlight.  I would absolutely buy another griddle but it wouldn't be a Blackstone. Quality is not there...

my my neigbor has the same problems with his minus the leaning legs.

*Ive done all of the grease trap fixes outside of using a welder (washer lift on one side, paper clip in the drainage hole, etc, etc)...still leaks all over the ground.

Where do you live? My 28" BS (and cover) have been out in the Houston heat, humidity, and rain and I haven't had any of the issues you mention. Cut the top off a beer or soda can and stick it under the drain spout. You won't have grease going anywhere but into the can. 

@leemschu - depends on what you want from it. The pics of various cooks above show what can be done. I had guests last spring ( 6 adults, 5 kids) and the BS griddle was lit up for almost every meal for 4 days. I usually use it for weekend cooks (mainly breakfast) - eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage all go on together. Cranks out a load of burgers and is great for stir fry cooks, fried rice, etc. 

MaskedMarvel

tarheelmatt said:

@DoubleEgger brings a great point about a covered area, which mine is under, and does make a heck of a difference.

One thing for me too is time. I can whip breakfast up faster than ever as you can have several items going at one time. 

To each his own, I couldn't imagine life without one. 

Fantastic pictures. We cook on ours as it’s needed - and look for a reason to use it. We love it. 

But, we’re burning through gas. So much that we’re considering a craigslist 100lp tank. Are you refilling your 20 pounder as frequently as us? 

leemschu

tarheelmatt said:

@DoubleEgger brings a great point about a covered area, which mine is under, and does make a heck of a difference.

One thing for me too is time. I can whip breakfast up faster than ever as you can have several items going at one time. 

To each his own, I couldn't imagine life without one. 

I do have a half covered patio but I don’t know if it will fit under there with the egg as well. Will the 36 fit through a door? I thought about moving my outdoor freezer and keeping it in my storage room. Don’t know that I will have room to keep it outside since I have a box for the dogs to get on when it’s wet. They would probably start climbing on it. They have rollers correct?

tarheelmatt

@MaskedMarvel those are some nice pictures bro and some good looking groceries!  

In regards to my propane consumption.  My brother is the Hank Hill of the town, I rotate (4) 20 lb propane bottles.  I also have two 100lb tanks for my gas logs.  

I go through a lot of propane, but we cook a lot.  

@leemschu I think it would fit through a door if you roll with the narrow end.  There's also guys making metal covers for them that looks great to use.  I also have the surround on mine, which really helps with work space.  

oldgeezeystax

I'm another - bought it but probably didn't need it / don't use it as much as I thought / kinda wish I didn't get it / anyone interested in buying locally? - guy.  I'm also in the 'no roof over my blackstone' camp.

Last summer I rushed to buy a 36" before a family vacation to help cook for 8 adults and 3ish kids and it preformed this task remarkably.  Having 36" makes cooking for this many a breeze, especially breakfast.  Transporting the 36 is a bit cumbersome and ate up a lot of real estate in my vehicle.  

For the rest of the summer I used the griddle a handful of times and, while I really enjoy cooking on it, it's a bit bigger than I need and the cleanup process is annoying.  I didn't like the idea of using up half a roll of paper towels every time I fired up the blackstone so I picked up a 5 pack of cheap towels from Walmart which works pretty well until I end up with a pile of greasy rags that don't seem to get fully clean in the washer (anyone have suggestions here?).

All that said, last year was an off year for outdoor cooking for me as I spent a lot of time helping to manage my newborn daughter (born in April) and puppy.  We are adding a fence to our backyard this year which should really help with the dog and allow me to spend more time cooking.  As the number of mouths I need to feed increases I think the blackstone will become more valuable.

EDIT:
Regarding storage, I use the folding table method that a few others on here use.  I also put a tarp over top of the folding table and secure the tarp with a strap or two.  I haven't taken the table/tarp off in a month or two, I'm afraid of what I may find...

Hans61

Not to hijack but what about this? Kettle Q

The Cen-Tex Smoker

well...if what you have seen so far does not tickle your fancy, I certainly don't have anything that will. 

EggMcMic

I (now after Christmas) own two. In honesty, neither is a Blackstone. First is a CampChef I used for camping. Liked it so much there I set it up on the front porch. Family loves smash burgers and Cheesesteaks. Also use it for big breakfasts and fried rice.

Son works at Bass Pro so he got me a new one for Xmas. Bigger, less portable. When weather improves it will find it's way out to the deck by the egg. No report on it yet and no comparison to a Blackstone.

Use it about once a week and wife appreciates the lack of mess in the kitchen. I find it easy to cook on and the care is pretty easy plus it has added some variety to my cooks.

Aviator

Get whatever griddle you want. I cook, quick clean and scrape it with water, turn it off and we eat. By that time it has cooled enough to put the cover on. Done. By far and away the easiest way to cook. 
Like Cali, mine is out on an open deck, just the BS cover over empty milk jugs so water does not pool. 

Tspud1

Once you get one, then you may have to take the big leap

Tspud1

Once you get one, then you may have to take the big leap

baychilla

Is there an OT section for recipes for this thing?  Due to posts on this forum I now have the 17" version (generally only cooking for 2).  However 99% of the recipes seem to be missing most of the useful instructions.

THEBuckeye

Be the ball. Don't think Do. 

THEBuckeye

Tspud1 said:

Once you get one, then you may have to take the big leap

Nice rig! 

THEBuckeye

Too many forks in those pics! 

NO FORKS