Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

metal choice for a homemade flat griddle

Options
RRP
RRP Posts: 25,888
in EggHead Forum
While I have a 3/8" pizza steel it is too thick for just heating up for smash burgers. I want to make my own round griddle by cutting out from a flat sheet. Any experience with which metal would be best - aluminum or stainless steel? I am planning on just 1/8" thick so it would heat fast, but laying flat against a grate it shouldn't distort at 400º. Any recommendations, gang?

I'll probably make 2 - a small and a large.
Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
«1

Comments

  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    Options
    RRP said:
     I am planning on just 1/8" thick 
    With the above said, SS will be far superior to aluminum. 1/8 thick aluminum will be mighty flimsy and easy to distort and warp. SS wins this one. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Options
    Don't use aluminum as a cook surface. Why not A36? Cheap and readily available. And it's what all the cool kids use. =) 1/8" will warp like a K-Mart griddle. I thought you already had an "official" 1/4" Baking Steel. No?

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • epcotisbest
    epcotisbest Posts: 2,171
    Options
    I got a Lodge platter for just this purpose and it works great. Hard to beat cast  iron and they do have some round stuff that will work. I made blackened steak not long ago on it.






    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Options
    Ron, what did I say that you disagree about? 

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
    Options
    1/4" A36.

    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • epcotisbest
    epcotisbest Posts: 2,171
    Options
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
    Options
    Carolina Q said:
    Don't use aluminum as a cook surface. Why not A36? Cheap and readily available. And it's what all the cool kids use. =) 1/8" will warp like a K-Mart griddle. I thought you already had an "official" 1/4" Baking Steel. No?
    No 1/4" but a 3/8" A36 which is 14" in diameter. I really want a round griddle for my small and for it to be thin enough to heat fast. That 3/8" steel takes too long just to do a couple quick smashburgers. As for flat steel sheets cheap and readily available not so here! Even with industrial Peoria nearby any scrap is bought up fast by Keystone Steel and Wire one of the countries' largest wire producers which just gobbles up scrap! 
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,344
    Options
    Get a 17" Blackstone Griddle instead.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • blasting
    blasting Posts: 6,262
    Options
    Ron, thin stainless will get warpy on you.  If you aren't welding braces to it, I'd go with @Focker recommendation of 1/4" steel.

    Just a thought, you might consider one of these - great piece.  Fits your large, and perfect for smashburgers.


    https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-P14P3-Seasoned-Baking-Pizza/dp/B0000E2V3X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491160363&sr=8-1&keywords=lodge+pizza

    Phoenix 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
    Options
    At a minimum Ron, you could try to hunt down some 2mm grey cold rolled steel.

    I would avoid Al and SS altogether.

    Black steel would work too, preseasoned, but harder to hunt.
    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
    edited April 2017
    Options
    HeavyG said:
    Get a 17" Blackstone Griddle instead.
    Yessir.  Having the sides to butt up your spatula comes in handy.  I used it for panchetta, and scrambled eggs today.  Would have been a hot mess on a flat piece.
    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
    Options
    Carolina Q said:
    Ron, what did I say that you disagree about? 
    Accident. Removed.
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    Options
    Focker said:
    At a minimum Ron, you could try to hunt down some 2mm grey cold rolled steel.

    I would avoid Al and SS altogether.

    Black steel would work too, preseasoned, but harder to hunt.
    Good advice as is the out of the box Blackstone.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
    Options
    epcotisbest said:
    Thanks but the hypotenuse of 15 X 12 would be 19" which is bigger than my small could handle.
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
    edited April 2017
    Options
    Thanks everybody for your input. Looks like I'll keep thinking this over. BTW I already have a round cast iron Lodge griddle with the handle cut off, but it's too good to leave outside.

    That was why I was thinking aluminum or ss, but I see those metals are not recommended. BTW I resist the Blackstone due to storage issues for me.
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,344
    Options
    I keep a few of my cast iron things in my grills when not in use. As long as they are dry and "greased" rust hasn't been a problem.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Cookinbob
    Cookinbob Posts: 1,691
    Options
    I made my own from a piece of 1/4" cold rolled steel plate, 14 x 16".   I bought  it for $14 from a local metal supplier. It filled the egg surface more than I thought it would, so I rounded two  corners so I could get it closer to the edge.  Note that rounding the corners was  a slow process, done with a sabre saw outfitted with a hacksaw blade.



    I seasoned it with canola oil, and have used for burgers, steaks, and more.  It gets a great crust on the meat.   With no edges, it would be no good for eggs, but I have CI skillets for that.    I usually use a couple of bricks to have direct heat under the steel, and the area in front for indirect  (once the meat comes off the steel).  Note, the meat cooks much faster on the steel that it will over direct heat.   It also works great as a pizza stone/steel. 
    XLBGE, Small BGE, Homebrew and Guitars
    Rochester, NY
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Cookinbob
    Cookinbob Posts: 1,691
    Options
    By the way, mine is for an XL, so you would need something smaller.  For a small egg , I would but a lodge 10.5" griddle pan (under $15 at Amazon) and cut off the handle.
    Lodge L9OG3 Cast Iron Round Griddle Pre-Seasoned 105-inch
    XLBGE, Small BGE, Homebrew and Guitars
    Rochester, NY
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • epcotisbest
    epcotisbest Posts: 2,171
    Options
    RRP said:
    epcotisbest said:
    Thanks but the hypotenuse of 15 X 12 would be 19" which is bigger than my small could handle.
    Sorry, my poor reading comprehension missed the part about wanting one for the small and large. I just passed along what worked for me, which did not help you at all. And I got my Lodge platter to use on the old Weber gasser that has been unused for a long time. Anyway, good luck with whatever you come up with.
      
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RedSkip
    RedSkip Posts: 1,400
    Options
    @epcotisbest. That's a fancy platter, I like.
    Large BGE - McDonald, PA
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
    edited April 2017
    Options
    FWIW, I've parked my perfectly seasoned 16" Baking Steel in the egg, it rusted completely, and I would not recommend storing A36 in the egg.  Mine takes up residence in the oven, comes out when needed.

    Mangrates, Raichlen CI Tuscan grill, are parked in both the egg, and kettle.  The Lodge CS grill pan hangs on a pot rack.
    CS, A36, are much more finicky than cast iron.
    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Aviator
    Aviator Posts: 1,757
    Options
    Ron, by the time you engineer a suitable flat plate, add sides to it .......
    Just get a 28" Blackstone and find a place to put it. Be done.
    All of us have spent way more money on egg accessories than what a BS costs. 
    All you have to worry about is whats for dinner. :)

    ______________________________________________ 

    Large and Small BGE, Blackstone 36 and a baby black Kub.

    Chattanooga, TN.

     

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
    Options
    The Blackstone table top 17" does not take much storage space and mine came with a travel bag. Way faster than lighting the Egg and heating up the steel.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,740
    Options
    you can still find the 17 inch blackstone griddle for under 100 bucks with free shipping, then buy the hose at home depot for a bigger propane tank. im eating burgers in a couple minutes fridge to patio table and cooked. and go pick up those pickles at aldis ;)
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
    Options
    Photo Egg said:
    The Blackstone table top 17" does not take much storage space and mine came with a travel bag. Way faster than lighting the Egg and heating up the steel.
    where? My knees are getting weak! LOL
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,740
    Options
    heres one for 80,  i paid 50 getting an amazon card last year

    https://www.wayfair.com/Blackstone-17-Table-Top-Griddle-BSTN1021.html

    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 14,610
    Options
    #spendronsmoney
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,740
    Options
    Legume said:
    #spendronsmoney
    i just saved ron 20 dollars on the griddle and 3 dollars on a jar of pickles ;) he is rolling in cash now =)
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
    Options
    fishlessman said:
    heres one for 80,  i paid 50 getting an amazon card last year

    https://www.wayfair.com/Blackstone-17-Table-Top-Griddle-BSTN1021.html

    Thank you! ye ol' Master Card balance just went up $84.99. =) Amazon wanted $97.99 plus tax!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Options
    Wow! I bought my 17" at Cabela's for $79 back in December. Just looked and they want $130 now!

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories