CharGriller Flat Iron Premium Four-Burner Griddle

[MidwestSmoker]

I will try to remember. I hate taking pics with the camera on my cell phone and then having to SMS them to my email account to I can download them to my computer for subsequent attachment to forum posts. When doing griddle cooks, things move quickly, so it is easy to forget photos.

Dropbox is your friend! All my cell phone photos automatically go to the Dropbox cloud and then show up on my computer. There are many other services, such as from Google, that do the same thing.

 

[MidwestSmoker]

Now that you are griddle owner you need to start making the 5 items that it is perfect for (not fish!):
1. Breakfast spreads
2. Cheesesteaks
3. Smashburgers
4. Tacos, fajitas and quesadillas
5. Fried rice

 

[RayClem]

Tonight's dinner:
1. Pulled pork (smoked previously on Ironwood 885) drizzled with Eastern Carolina vinegar BBQ sauce on a toasted Brioche bun.
2. Grilled onions and redskin potatoes. It was very windy with gusts to 25-30 mph making it difficult to keep the air temperature above the griddle as hot as I would have liked. Thus, the potatoes were not quite well done. Next time, I will try to remember to cover them with a dome to block the wind.

Another learning from the cook is that I really like cooking with the New Star spatula that Flat Top King recommends. I used the spatula in my right hand and a bench scraper in the other. That seemed more natural to me than two spatulas. That also allowed me to clean the top as the cook progressed.

I have some boneless, skinless chicken breasts marinating in the refrigerator for tomorrow evening. I plan to start them off on the Traeger to add some smoke flavor. Then I will sear them on the Flat Iron to add some char.

@MidwestSmoker- Thanks for the advice on using cloud services to transfer photos. I do have both Dropbox and Google Drive, so I should be able to figure something out to make things easier next time. I hope everyone is happy with the way this photo turned out.

 

[Murphy's Law]

Now that you are griddle owner you need to start making the 5 items that it is perfect for (not fish!):
1. Breakfast spreads
2. Cheesesteaks
3. Smashburgers
4. Tacos, fajitas and quesadillas
5. Fried rice

I like to cook salmon ‘steaks’ on the griddle. They get a good sear/crust that I enjoy.

Also very good to reheat certain meats. I took some left over Easter ham and heated, melted sole cheese over, and made great sandwiches!

 

[RayClem]

Last night I cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Normally when doing them on the Traeger Ironwood, I prefer split chicken breasts with skin and bone, but they are messier to deal with afterwards. I tried something different this time.

I took the large chicken breasts and sliced them to make two slabs of similar slickness so they would cook more uniformly.
I marinated the chicken for 24 hours in Stubbs Citrus and Onion Chicken Marinade.
Before cooking, I coated both sides of each piece with Famous Dave's Chicken Rub.
I smoked the chicken on the Ironwood at a cook temperature of 200F to add smoke flavor.
I removed the chicken from the Traeger when the internal temperature reached 150F.
I then moved the chicken onto the Flat Iron griddle preheated to medium (around 450F).
The chicken developed some nice char on both sides and was removed when the internal temp hit 165F.

Although the entire process was lengthy, this is the first time I have cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast without the meat drying out. The white meat was tender, juicy and flavorful. Even my cat gave her seal of approval.

I will definitely try this again.

Sorry guys, no photos, too much going on.

 

[RayClem]

It is Friday night so the menu typically includes seafood. Tonightt was no exception.

First up was sauteed onions and grilled zucchini and yellow squash.

Next up was some frozen steak fries (thawed), even though no steak was on the menu.

Finally, the main course: 1 filet of Atlantic salmon, 1 filet of Orange Roughy, and a handful of shrimp.

Everything was good, but not perfect. The onions were not quite caramelized. The squash was a little softer than my wife wanted. We usually do the fries in the oven or Traeger; my wife was not impressed with the texture on the griddle. Oh well, you cannot win them all.

The two fish fillets were different thicknesses, so they finished at different times. An instant read thermometer is necessary to insure proper doneness without overcooking. My wife is not a fan of shrimp, so she only ate one and stated she did not like the texture.

I have some NY strip steaks in the refrigerator for Saturday night. I plan to cook them medium rare on the Traeger and then sear them on the Flat Iron. My wife is not a big steak fan, either, but a man has to have a good steak from time to time. My wife is from Eastern Tennessee and the typical fare for her family was pot roast, ham, pork chops and chicken. Seafood and steak was not something she was accustomed to eating.

 

[Shedd]

Ohh so much you can cook on a griddle. I use my griddle more than my stove. Comes in handy for big gatherings and I’m fortunate to have an outdoor kitchen so I never have to cover it up. Just a few steps out on my screen porch and I don’t have to worry about smelling up the house.

 

[RayClem]

This afternoon, I smoked three 1lound NY strip steaks on my Traeger. I cooked them to medium rare. Then I took them to the Flat Iron grill for searing. Unfortunately, shortly after placing the steaks on the griddle, we got a five minute spring shower. Every time a drop of rain hit the griddle surface, I was splattered with hot oil. As you might expect, as soon as I completed the sear, the rain stopped and the sun came back out.

The steaks were vacuumed sealed and placed in the freezer. When I need them, I will place them in the Sous Vide circulator for about 3 hours at 145F. That should make them even more tender and bring them to a final doneness of just below medium, which is my preferred level. My wife used to demand that her steak was well done, but she has learned to tolerate a little pink as long as the steak is cooked for a few hours Sous Vide.

 

[JPSBBQ]

This afternoon, I smoked three 1lound NY strip steaks on my Traeger. I cooked them to medium rare. Then I took them to the Flat Iron grill for searing. Unfortunately, shortly after placing the steaks on the griddle, we got a five minute spring shower. Every time a drop of rain hit the griddle surface, I was splattered with hot oil. As you might expect, as soon as I completed the sear, the rain stopped and the sun came back out.

The steaks were vacuumed sealed and placed in the freezer. When I need them, I will place them in the Sous Vide circulator for about 3 hours at 145F. That should make them even more tender and bring them to a final doneness of just below medium, which is my preferred level. My wife used to demand that her steak was well done, but she has learned to tolerate a little pink as long as the steak is cooked for a few hours Sous Vide.

That’s definitely a labor of love.

 

[RayClem]

That’s definitely a labor of love.

Absolutely.

My wife has cooked meals for me faithfully for the past 50 years. I am trying to repay her for that dedication, but I will always be in her debt.