Griddles are everywhere! Look I get it, we all keep hearing about the Blackstone Griddle craze and all the praise from users that comes with it.
I am no different, I have several, I cook on them all the time, and frankly, I’m not bashing them at all, they are great!
But, if you are about to run out and buy one, you should probably have an honest review that covers all the reasons you don’t want to buy a Blackstone Grill.
So, buckle up, let the haters gather, and let’s discuss 9 reasons you do NOT want to buy a Blackstone.
My History With Blackstone Griddles
A few years back, the wife and I were looking for an economical, yet, practical grill to take on our camping adventures instead of lugging out BBQ smoker.
We randomly found a Blackstone Griddle (the Adventure 17-inch with the griddle carry bag) and bought it because it looked unique and fit the bill regarding budget, size, and cooking surface real-estate.
After taking home the Blackstone Griddle and giving it it’s first seasoning, we wasted no time in cooking up all sorts of awesome meals.
Fast forward a few years and I now own 3 griddles ranging in sizes, from small camping griddles, electric indoor griddles, to full-sized backyard Blackstone Grills, I’ve tested them all.
It’s safe to say, I found more reasons to love my Blackstone Grill than I have found to hate it.
9 Things To Know Before Buying Your Next Grill
From the versatility of food options to the size and cooking area to cooking multiple things at once, I just became a Blackstone Griddle fan pretty quickly.
BUT, there were some issues that I just didn’t like then, and I still don’t like now about my Blackstone Griddle.
So, enough with the love affair, and on to the bad stuff and let’s finally see if Blackstone Griddles are worth it and talk about the pros and cons of Blackstone Griddle.
The Griddle Learning Curve Is Real
Ok, I should kick off this entire article with the elephant in the room, the Blackstone Griddle learning curve, and it’s a real thing y’all.
If you are considering a Blackstone Griddle, you are probably not new to backyard cooking and outdoor grills.
We have all had gas grills and we generally know what to expect with a new grill. Well, that changes with a Blackstone Griddle.
Everything on a griddle grill requires a bit more work from the user.
One of the best examples that comes to mind is learning about cooking oils and their smoke point (for seasoning your griddle, more on that below) to the seasoning process, how to cook multiple foods on a shared surface, etc, the list goes on.
If you think you are just going to grab a one, take it home and start cooking, you are wrong.
You will spend hours learning to season it correctly and then weeks to months perfecting the flat top grill cooking experience.
So, you hear me, you don’t care, fair enough, let’s move on.
Seasoning A Griddle
As mentioned above, you need to learn how to season a Blackstone Griddle.
A Blackstone Griddle Grill does not come seasoned from the factory, so you must season your griddle top before ever cooking on it.
Not only does your Blackstone need an initial seasoning before you ever use it, you will also need to season it after the EACH meal.
Sure, it gets easy over time and is essentially a part of the cleaning process, it’s just a headache sometimes.
If you don’t know where to start with seasoning, you can check out our guide to seasoning a Blackstone here.
Rust
Moisture and Blackstone Griddles do NOT mix. But, here is the problem, you have to use your Blackstone outside and most sane people store their Blackstone Grills outside.
Do you know what else is outside waiting for your pretty new Griddle?
Rain, yard sprinklers, humidity and they all get together and make an ugly baby named rust, and that baby is crawling all over your pretty Blackstone.
Sure, you can take steps to avoid rust and prevent it (most of the time), but if you season your griddle, leave it out and go back two weeks later to cook again? You are very likely to find rust, and a lot of it.
Now, don’t panic, your Blackstone Griddle isn’t ruined and it’s rather simple to fix, but it adds another layer of annoyance when you just want to walk outside and fire up the grill.
For a guide to removing rust from your Blackstone Grill Griddle, check out our article here.
Grease Gets Everywhere
There is no getting around it, if you cook on a Blackstone Flat Top Grill, you are gonna get grease everywhere, it’s just the nature of griddle cooking.
At first glance that’s no big deal right? Not really, but if you are trying to cook clean and healthy, you are going to be frustrated when everything you cook is dripping in cooking oil and butter and fat.
Sure, you can just scrape the excess grease into the (front or rear) grease trap on Blackstone’s, BUT, it’s a constant struggle to cook up a nice meal without it all dripping in grease.
While you may not care, your cardiologist will.
Warping With Griddles
This one is a big one, and that’s the fact that Blackstone Griddles can warp, and I don’t mean a little bend here or there, I mean a whopping 20-30 degree warp that will RUIN your Blackstone Griddle.
Warping on griddles occurs when there has been a sharp increase (or decrease) in temperature on the cold-rolled steel griddle cooking surface.
If it’s a freezing day and you crank up the heat to 11, you can quickly ruin your Blackstone Grill.
There isn’t anything much more annoying than dropping $500 on a new backyard cooking beast for it to warp and be ruined a short time later.
Again, Blackstone Griddles are a learning process. Read up here on taking the steps to try and fix a warped griddle.
Blackstone Griddles get STICKY
This is a very common frustration for most and a quick Google search will yield you results from lots of folks trying to figure out why their Blackstone Griddle is sticky.
Griddles get sticky for two main reasons. The first reason is primarily due to the user leaving too much excess cooking oil on the griddle surface when they are done cooking (or after seasoning).
When you leave too much oil on your griddle top that doesn’t become a part of the seasoning, you are left with a tacky, sticky mess to cook on.
Having a sticky grill will make all your food stick, it will lead to excessive smoking and overall ruin your cooking experience.
The best way to avoid a sticky griddle (and how to fix it) can be found here.
Blackstone Griddles Flake and Peel
Another reason to NOT buy a Blackstone Griddle is the dreaded Blackstone flaking.
Flaking on a griddle occurs when too much water is used during the cleaning process, or, when the existing seasoning starts to dry up and will eventually peel and flake off.
Now, with all the frustrating issues with a Blackstone Griddle, flaking is another problem that can be fixed.
But again, you just stepped outside with some seasoned steaks, and you are greeted with a flaking, rusty mess because it’s been a few weeks since you last cooked on it.
So, rather than cooking, you are now met with spending the next hour scraping off the flakes, and re-seasoning your griddle.
Learn more about fixing a flaking/peeling Blackstone Grill here.
Your Blackstone Will Need A Hood
Your Blackstone likely didn’t come with a hood.
I still don’t understand why, but the Blackstone Griddle lineup is very hit or miss with which models come with a hood (or sometimes called a lid).
Here’s the deal, you are definitely going to need a hood for your Griddle. Remember when I was whining about moisture and rusting earlier?
Yeah, a hood will drastically reduce the frequency of these issues (but won’t prevent it altogether). Dont get me wrong, they are built well, but weather and materials make a rust baby every time.
Also, a hood when cooking outdoors is almost a must anyways. From rain, bugs, wind and retaining heat, a hood on Blackstone Grills is just one of those things you will need.
But, you just spent $400 on a new Blackstone 36, and NOW you need to go out and buy a hood for it for another $100. What’s up with that?
Not sure if you need a Blackstone Grill hood? Read up here on if Your Griddle Needs a Hood.
Blackstone Griddle Cleaning
So, up until now, most of my complaints have come down to the Blackstone learning curve, and the daily maintenance of owning a flat top grill…..until now.
Cooking on these can be very MESSY, there is no avoiding it.
Think of it this way. When you cook on a stovetop and cook food in oil, there is going to be some splatter, some grease popping, and just a little mess here and there.
Now, when you cook on a Blackstone, you can multiply that mess by about a factor of 5.
You just have more cooking area, fresh cooking oil getting hot, fat and butter everywhere and before you know it, your t-shirt needs to be changed due to the grease splatter everywhere.
Not only that, but each time you cook, you need to reseason.
Seasoning requires either a big wad of paper towels or a couple of kitchen rags to the season that is now just going to be dripping in your cleanup and seasoning gunk.
Between the food cooking, the cooking oils, and the mess associated with cleanup and seasoning, a Blackstone just plain messy.
Final Word of Advice
There you have it! My 9 tips to know before buying and my pros and cons to Blackstone Griddle. Are you convinced yet? No?
Ok, I get it, you read it all, you don’t care and you are ready to go out and join the Tik Tok crew of Blackstone Grill chefs!
Well, if you keep those issues in mind, don’t mind the small learning curve and little mess here and there, you will absolutely LOVE cooking on your griddle!
What did you think I was gonna say? I love mine too!
But, don’t say you were never warned….Anyways, I’ll be cooking and looking forward to the release of Blackstone Model 2023
If you have already gone out and bought one, take these 5 Steps BEFORE You Cook on a new Blackstone Griddle.