I fired up the Blackstone griddle for a full meal yesterday, and I have to say, it did not disappoint.
I started off with a simple but delicious dinner of corn, sliced potatoes, and chicken. The griddle performed like a champ, handling everything I threw at it.
The heat distribution worked fairly well, though I did notice some quirks along the way.
Overall, it was a great introduction to Blackstone cooking, but there were definitely some lessons to take away from this first goround.
Table of Contents
The Dinner: Corn, Potatoes, and Chicken on the Griddle
As someone who loves grilling but hadn’t used a Blackstone before, I decided to start with something simple for dinner.
The choice was a mix of corn on the cob, sliced potato pieces, and marinated chicken. The corn roasted up beautifully.
I kept turning it every couple of minutes, and it got that perfect char that everyone loves—crispy, sweet, and just a bit smoky from the griddle.
The potatoes were sliced thin, and I seasoned them with a mix of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
I threw them right onto the griddle and let them crisp up. They browned nicely on the outside while staying soft on the inside, though I had to be a little more vigilant with the heat settings than I expected.
Some pieces cooked a little faster than others, and I quickly realized the center of the griddle cooks hotter than the edges, so I had to move the food around to avoid burning anything.
The chicken was the star of the meal. I marinated it beforehand in a mix of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and a few herbs.
When I put it on the griddle, it sizzled and cooked up with a nice, even sear. I could feel the power of the Blackstone as it locked in those juices, leaving me with crispy, flavorful skin on the outside and tender, juicy chicken on the inside.
All in all, dinner turned out great, but I walked away from the experience with a few key takeaways.
Most notably, I realized that the heat distribution wasn’t entirely even, especially in the middle, where things cooked faster than expected.
The center gets incredibly hot, so food there browns quickly, sometimes too quickly. I had to shuffle things around a lot to keep everything cooking evenly. Still, it was a successful first meal.
Breakfast on the Blackstone: Bacon and Eggs
After last night’s success, I couldn’t wait to try cooking breakfast. There’s something about a hot breakfast outdoors that just feels right, and the Blackstone seemed like the perfect tool for the job.
The plan was simple: bacon, eggs, and maybe a little hash brown action if I was feeling ambitious.
Cooking the Bacon
I started out in a regular tshirt but quickly switched to an old gray one that I didn’t mind getting dirty. I had hoped that I could fit an entire 24ounce package of bacon on the griddle, but I overestimated the space available.
I ended up having to cook the bacon in two rounds, which worked out fine, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re feeding a big group.
One thing that stood out during this process was the heat distribution again. Just like last night, the middle of the griddle cooks a lot hotter than the sides. I kept an eye on the bacon to make sure it didn’t burn in the hotter spots.
Some pieces ended up a little darker than I’d like, but that’s part of the learning curve with any new cooking equipment.
I’m sure that with more practice, I’ll get a better handle on managing the heat.
Grease Management Challenges
The design of my Blackstone’s grease tray wasn’t quite what I expected. The tray didn’t seal in properly, which made it a little messy.
I’m not sure if it’s a common issue or something specific to my unit, but it’s definitely something I’ll need to figure out for future cooks.
Another challenge with grease management came during cleanup. The grease trap at the back of the griddle is incredibly hard to clean out.
After cooking, the grease collects there, and it’s not an easy task to scrape everything out neatly.
Next time, I think I’ll try lining it with aluminum foil or find some kind of insert to make cleanup easier. I’m also considering searching online to see if there are any accessories designed to help with this issue.
Either way, the grease trap was one of the more annoying parts of using the Blackstone, and it’s something I’ll need to improve on for the next cook.
Eggs on the Blackstone
After the bacon was done, it was time for eggs. By this point, I was a little more comfortable with how the heat was distributed, so I felt more confident about cooking the eggs.
I lowered the heat a bit since eggs don’t need that same intense heat as bacon or chicken. The eggs cooked up nicely, though I did have to shuffle them around to avoid the hottest spots.
The trick with eggs is to keep them moving. I cracked a few eggs directly onto the griddle and used my spatula to gently lift them off the surface, making sure they didn’t stick.
The nonstick surface of the Blackstone was a big help here, and cleanup was surprisingly easy once breakfast was done.
Overall Thoughts on the Blackstone So Far
After cooking two meals on the Blackstone, I’m pretty happy with how it performs, though I’m still getting used to some of its quirks.
The high heat in the center takes some adjusting, and the grease management could definitely use some work, but these are small tradeoffs for the overall convenience and power of the griddle.
It’s clear to me that the Blackstone is a fantastic tool for outdoor cooking. Whether I’m making dinner or breakfast, it’s great to have such a large cooking surface that allows me to prepare multiple items at once.
The meals I’ve made so far have turned out delicious, and I’m excited to keep experimenting with new recipes and techniques as I get more comfortable with the griddle.
