Should You Buy a Blackstone Griddle? Pros, Cons & What to Cook
Flat-top griddles are everywhere right now, and customers keep asking us if they are worth it. Here is an honest, butcher's-eye breakdown of where a Blackstone shines, where it falls short, and what to throw on it.
Flat-top griddles have taken over backyards, and barely a week goes by without someone at the counter asking whether they should get one. The honest answer: a griddle is a fantastic tool for a specific kind of cooking — just not a replacement for your grill. Here is how we think about it.
The case for a griddle
The Pros
- Unbeatable for smash burgers — the flat steel gives that lacy, crispy crust you cannot get on a grate
- Huge, even cooking surface for feeding a crowd breakfast: bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, and links all at once
- Perfect for foods that fall through grill grates — diced vegetables, shrimp, smaller cuts, fried rice
- Fast to preheat and easy to cook on; great for weeknight dinners
- Edge-to-edge consistent temperature once you learn the zones
The Cons
- No live-fire char or smoke flavor — a griddle sears, but it will never taste like charcoal
- You cannot cook thick, indirect items like ribs or a whole chicken well
- Seasoning and rust management is real maintenance — it needs care like a cast iron pan
- Takes up significant space and is not very portable
- Grease management can be messy if you let it build up
What it is genuinely great at
A griddle earns its keep at breakfast and at burger night. There is no better surface for a big weekend breakfast — lay down bacon and breakfast links on one side, crack eggs on the other, and crisp hashbrowns in the rendered fat. For dinner, smash burgers are the killer app: a screaming-hot flat top is the only way to get that crispy, craggy edge.
Regular Bacon
Our house bacon renders beautifully on a flat top — and that fat is your cooking oil for everything else.
Breakfast Links
Breakfast links brown evenly across the whole surface — perfect for cooking for a crowd.
So, should you buy one?
If you already have a grill and love big breakfasts, smash burgers, or cooking for groups, a griddle is a joyful addition. If you are choosing your one and only outdoor cooker and you crave smoke and char, get a good charcoal grill first. For most backyards, the dream setup is both — a charcoal grill for fire and flavor, and a griddle for volume and versatility.
Our take
A griddle is a "second cooker" that punches above its weight. It will not replace your grill or smoker, but it will absolutely earn a spot in the rotation.
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