Trying to decide between Camp Chef and Blackstone griddles? As an owner of both, its important to let you know they do have some differences worth mentioning here to help you make a decision.
Outdoor griddles are cooking staples in most homes. Camp Chef and Blackstone are two prominent brands that have some of the best outdoor griddles available today.
But which of these two brands has the best outdoor griddle? In this comparison review, we look at Chef Camp’s 37-inch Flat Top Grill and Blackstone’s 36-inch Flat Top Griddle.
Psst! Considering a Blue Rhino Griddle vs Blackstone? Check out our Guide here.
Camp Chef Flat Top Grill
Camp Chef is a brand that has been around for more than a century. It has some of the best flat-top grills in the market and its 35-inch flat-top grill has the following design features:
Cooking Surface
Camp Chef flat top grill has a cooking surface of 604 square inches. Besides that, it comes with a grill grate and so you can conveniently change from the flat-top cooking surface and use the grill grate in case you want to cook meat with high-fat content or it’s highly marinated.
The efficiency of cooking is enhanced by a pair of side shelves that you can conveniently use when your hands are already full. The outdoor cooking device comes with 2 large folding shelves that can hold cooking pans and other utensils.
Heat Burners and BTUs Ratings
Camp Chef’s premium grill is made with outstanding features. Its superior build features 4 burning units. The flat-top grills are powered by propane gas that’s stored in a propane gas tank holder. Each of the 4 stainless steel burners has a 12,000 BTUs rating bringing the total BTU rating to 48,000.
They are designed to effectively distribute heat evenly to the grill’s non-stick surface. This model is made with a matchless-ignition system that’s used to power its heating system. To shield the burners from external interference and ensure that they remain lit, this grill comes with shielding bars.
Grease Management
This outdoor cooking device is made with its own distinct grease management system. This features an in-built macro and micro leveling system that help to ensure that the grill remains clean during and after use. Both the leveling systems are effective in managing grease.
To enhance the grill’s efficiency, there is also a grease cup that can perfectly hold up to 3-cups of run-off grease. It’s quite big and this makes the grill ideal for preparing larger meal portions without the need to constantly empty the cup.
Cleaning the grease cup is easy. You simply need to wash it frequently with a mild cleaning detergent and warm water to prevent a buildup of grease.
Warranty
Camp Chef has a no-hassle warranty for all its products. The brand takes pride in its customer support. This flat-top grill comes with one-year warranty coverage. It should be noted that the warranty is only valid to the original purchaser.
In case of any defects or issues, it’s upon the brand to decide if they replace the product with a new one or change the defective part of the product. Note that any replacement will be without any extra charge.
Price
Camp Chef Flat-Top grill costs $440.
Blackstone Griddles
Blackstone’s 36-inch griddle is a classic outdoor device that’s ideal for non-stress cooking. It’s powerful and great in preparing epic meals. Its design features include:
Cooking Surface
Blackstone has the best outdoor cooking griddle with a large cooking space. The griddle can effectively hold meals that can feed a crowd. You can use it to prepare up to 72 hot dogs or 28 burgers or even premium quality steaks.
Any party size can be conveniently served by this Blackstone griddle. It’s designed with a 720 square-inch cooking surface with side shelves that provide an additional meal preparation space.
The fact that this griddle has a wide and flat cooking surface not only makes it ideal for home use but also a commercial environment.
Therefore, you can use it places such as fast food joints, delis, and diners. Blackstone’s 36-inch griddle doesn’t have any gaps or grates.
So, it can effectively handle all types of food varieties that your usual basic grills can’t handle. The cooking surface can effectively hold pancakes, eggs, sliced vegetables, etc.
In terms of appearance, the cooking surface is made with a stainless steel frame for durability. Generally, this outdoor cooking machine’s surface is wider, visually appealing, and ideal for long-lasting use.
Heat Burners and BTU Ratings
Blackstone griddle is made with premium heat burners that effectively produce heat. The burners are designed to bring real heat. Its gas griddles can reach the scorching highs of 60,000 BTUs. The outdoor cooking machine’s burners are powered by propane gas.
Once you have correctly hooked up that canister on the griddle’s right side, then you are set. You simply need to push the igniter and the propane will burn. (The ignition system might require batteries)
For efficiency during use, Blackstone Griddle is designed with several burners that create several heating zones. depending on what you want to prepare, you can always change the intensity of the fire simultaneously between:
- Low temperature
- Medium temperature
- Medium-high temperature and
- High temperature
Grease Management System
The 36-inch Griddle outdoor cooking station is designed with a grease cup. All accumulated grease will flow directly into it since it’s designed with a grease management griddle at the front.
Blackstone griddle’s grease cup is patented due to its efficiency. The combination of this innovative feature plus the flat tops means that most of the juices will remain locked in the food. Only the leftover will stream into the grease collector.
This makes it easier to clean and maintain the cooking machine since you only need to gently scrape the dirty grease towards the collector and then wash that cup.
Warranty
Blackstone offers a one-year warranty on all its products including parts and finishes. It should be noted that it’s upon the manufacturer to replace or repair any defective item. Understand that the purchased product’s warranty is strictly limited to only the original purchasers.
Buyers also have the option of extending the warranty to 2 or 3 years. However, be prepared to pay an extra amount of money.
Price
Blackstone Griddle with one year warranty costs $360
Blackstone vs Camp Chef: Cooking Surface
One of the biggest advantages of buying a griddle is that you will have plenty of cooking space. Blackstone Griddle is deeper and wide and offers a broad working space to work with. It’s designed with a 720 square-inch cooking surface.
On the other hand, Camp Chef’s flat top griddle has a cooking surface of 604 square inches. It’s quite spacious for an outdoor grill.
Winner: Blackstone Griddle
Blackstone vs Camp Chef: Burners
Burners are responsible for bringing in heat. The higher the firepower, the more easily you can prepare meals efficiently.
Blackstone Griddle has a total BTU capacity of 60,000. This makes it a hotter griddle that facilitates easier preparation of meals.
On the other hand, Camp Chef has a total of 48,000 BTUs. This makes it ideal for low-temperature cooking since it provides the cooking surface with moderately good heating cycles.
Both of them are designed with multiple burners. Blackstone’s burners use propane gas to produce heat while Camp Chef normally uses a matchless ignition system.
But if we were to primarily consider the effectiveness of the burners based on the total BTUs, then Blackstone griddle stands out.
Winner: Blackstone Griddle
Blackstone vs Camp Chef: Pre-seasoning
Before using Blackstone Outdoor Griddle, you must preseason its surface. The whole process normally involves the application of a thin layer of cooking oil before letting it burn off at high temperatures. You need to repeat this procedure several times in order to create a non-stick coating after the oil has successfully bonded with the hot metal plate.
Meanwhile, Camp Chef Flat top Grill is designed with a pre-season cooking surface made of cast-iron. While you might need to recondition it regularly for maintenance purposes, you don’t have to go through the tedious pre-seasoning task every time you want to prepare your favorite meals.
Winner: Camp Chef Flat Top Grill. Although this is more of a personal choice, some people just like the seasoning process, but for “plug and play” qualities, the Camp Chef takes the edge here due to it coming pre-seasoned.
Blackstone vs Camp Chef: Heat Controls
Heat controls are the dials that are used to control the intensity of firepower. Both cooking machines are designed with more than one heat control.
Camp chef is designed with a -/+ 20-degree temperature controller. On the other hand, Blackstone Griddle has four temperature control options.
Winner: Draw.
Blackstone vs Camp Chef: Shelf Space
Camp Chef Flat Top Grill and Blackstone Outdoor Griddle are designed with a pair of side shelves. They are helpful, especially when you need a place to set down your utensils, pans, and plates. Besides that, you can use the shelves to hold your seasonings and condiments.
Winner: Draw
Blackstone vs Camp Chef: Cleaning
Camp Chef’s flat-top grill makes it easier to drain grease. The combination of micro and macro griddle levers in addition to the large catch bucket makes it easier to remove accumulated grease.
On the other Blackstone Griddle comes with a grease collector that makes it easier to collect grease. So, if you hate the stress that comes with cleaning dirty cooking appliances, you no longer have to deal with that.
Both of them are generally easy to clean. You need to use warm water, a grill sponge, or a scraping tool to eliminate the dirt. In most parts, you will need to wipe down the food remnants with the grill sponge.
Winner: Draw
Blackstone vs Camp Chef: Warranty
Both Camp Chef Grill and Blackstone Griddle come with a one-year warranty. It’s also upon the manufacturers from both sides to decide on the type of replacement.
However, Blackstone usually gives its customer to extend the warranty period at an extra fee. You can extend the warranty by one, two, or three years.
Winner: Blackstone Griddle
Blackstone vs Camp Chef: Customer Reviews
To determine the best outdoor griddle when comparing Blackstone vs Camp Chef, we also have to consider customer reviews from other customers.
Looking at Camp Chef Flat Top Grill, here is what most customers like:
- Availability of grates that can be used for grilling
- The outdoor cooking machine uniformly retains the warmness on its cooking surface
- It’s made with shielding bars that help to ensure that the burners are well-lit
- The grill has two caster wheels to facilitate movement
- It’s backed with a one year warranty
However, customers were not impressed by the griddle top that’s heavily rolled.
On the other hand, most people were impressed by the following features in Blackstone’s flat top griddle station:
- Lots of cooking space that allows you to maximize on grilling. It’s perfect for hosting many guests.
- Great in providing pre-seasoned goodness thanks to its non-stick surface
- It’s easy to assembly without prior experience or knowledge
- It’s a heavy and durable machine
- The cooking griddle comes with one year warranty.
However, it also comes with a couple of downsides, for instance:
- Draining the grease from the cup can be frustrating
- You need to buy a few extra tools e.g. griddle spatulas and grease scrape.
From the customer reviews, Blackstone Griddle is slightly ahead when it comes to the outdoor cooking machine’s durability. It’s made with a high-quality rolled-up steel top measuring 3/16-inch thick.
However, Camp Chef’s cooking surface design makes it ideal for outdoor use, especially in windy environments. Its burners are protected with shielding bars.
When it comes to transport, reviews show that most people loved Blackstone’s Griddle ease of transportation. If you are planning to take the cooking device down the road for some outdoor activities, then you can easily fold it and store it in a compact space for transportation.
While Camp Chef grill may be difficult to transport, once you are outdoors you don’t have to worry about the heat distribution since the burners are shielded.
On the other hand, Blackstone Griddle is easy to transport due to its foldable nature. But it’s also heavy and doesn’t come with a burner shield. Both units have different features that make them stand out.
Winner: Draw
Blackstone vs Camp Chef Grill: Conclusion
Blackstone Griddle and Camp Chef griddle are both designed with different functionalities that make them stand out. They are both excellent for outdoor use and easy to clean.
Looking at their distinct features and costs, these cooking machines offer value for money. However, the 36-inch Blackstone Griddle is clearly ahead of Camp Chef’s flat-top grill. It offers more cooking space, has more BTUs, and it’s easier to transport.