What's cooking on your FlatRock or Griddle today? 🥞🥓🍔

[DaveS]

Yesterday’s cook. Tortellini with mild Italian Sausage

 

[EDC-Trainer]

I did not take any pics but I threw a lone Sirloin on the griddle today. Was home alone and decided it would be a good time to test a steak. Seasoned it and let the griddle warm up. I turned all 3 burners on as I wanted to do comparisons with the Infrared ThermPro. Started with low and they were pretty close. Moved to medium and the left and middle were anywhere from 5-10 degrees hotter than the right. The middle was hotter than the left. Went to high and the middle was still staying 5 plus degrees hotter than the left except down near the grease opening where the left side was the hottest of the entire griddle. I certainly do not expect these to be all even temps but was just curious. But back to the steak. Used some Beef Tallow and cooked this fairly thin sirloin at around 500 degrees to give it a char. I watched the color change along the sides then flipped again for a few more minutes. Actually came off pretty much perfect for me with a hot pink center. Would have liked more char but I still liked the steak. Anyone else use Beef Tallow or do you have something better for steaks?

 

[BobbyQ]

I've done whole steaks and sliced/cubed steaks (a la Benihana). Have not tired tallow. I just use some veg oil. I prefer boneless steak when whole but bone in will work. I might pick up some tallow.

 

[MarkC18]

Just picked up a 36 inch Blackstone to add to my Traeger and Weber. Going to get it seasoned up this week and break it in this weekend. Any tips?.

 

[BobbyQ]

I don’t have a Blackstone but my Cuisinart had a layer of shipping oil that was more like varnish. Solvent would have worked but I didn’t want to use it on a cooking surface. I went with Simple Green and a wire brush.Hope it goes better for you. Also take your time seasoning. Took me four or five passes.

 

[Shedd]

Just picked up a 36 inch Blackstone to add to my Traeger and Weber. Going to get it seasoned up this week and break it in this weekend. Any tips?.

I’ve had my 36” Blackstone close to 10 years and the only thing I’ve ever had happen is the ignition button broke after a few years and that’s it. I use it almost every week or more and it’s as dependable as the day I bought it. I seasoned it initially at the beginning and it’s still holding up well today. I’ve had it under an enclosed porch/ outdoor kitchen for its lifespan so I’ve never covered it up. I’ve never had any issues with hot / cold areas, I’ve just cooked right on without issues. I think I paid like $189 on sale at Cabelas. I scrape it after each use and wipe it off. Depending on what I’ve cooked (buildup) I’ll pour water over it when hot and use a long handled spatula with a folded rag to scrub. Be careful, the steam will burn you. I sometimes use a rough grill scrubbing pad also. I believe you’re going to really enjoy it!

 

[Shedd]

I had some shaved ribeye leftover and cooked up Phili steak sandwiches for the wife and I tonight. Just something quick, packing up to head out in the morning for another cruise, this time the Bahamas for a 5 day getaway from Charleston SC (3 1/2 hour drive from my place) with several friends.

 

[MarkC18]

Thanks for all of the replies. Looking forward to cook8mg some eggs and bacon on Saturday morning for the first cook!

 

[RayClem]

I don’t have a Blackstone but my Cuisinart had a layer of shipping oil that was more like varnish. Solvent would have worked but I didn’t want to use it on a cooking surface. I went with Simple Green and a wire brush.Hope it goes better for you. Also take your time seasoning. Took me four or five passes.

I am pretty sure that all manufacturers use some sort of food safe vegetable oil to protect the grills during shipping and storage. You should not have to scrub it all off the surface of the plate. It is not like machine parts that are coated in Cosmoline, which is a petroleum based oil/wax and has to be cleaned with solvent.

If you turn the griddle on high to season it, the vegetable oil will polymerize resulting in a non-stick surface. You should wash the surface when it is first used using a mild dish detergent like Dawn to remove contaminants, but household cleaners like Simple Green should not be necessary. If you strip off all the factory oil, it does not hurt anything; you can even take Wet/Dry sandpaper and sand the surface down to bare metal. However, if you do that, you will need multiple thin coatings of oil to develop a non-stick surface. Each layer should be allowed to come up to temperature until it stops smoking before applying another thin layer of oil.

 

[BobbyQ]

I am pretty sure that all manufacturers use some sort of food safe vegetable oil to protect the grills during shipping and storage. You should not have to scrub it all off the surface of the plate. It is not like machine parts that are coated in Cosmoline, which is a petroleum based oil/wax and has to be cleaned with solvent.

If you turn the griddle on high to season it, the vegetable oil will polymerize resulting in a non-stick surface. You should wash the surface when it is first used using a mild dish detergent like Dawn to remove contaminants, but household cleaners like Simple Green should not be necessary. If you strip off all the factory oil, it does not hurt anything; you can even take Wet/Dry sandpaper and sand the surface down to bare metal. However, if you do that, you will need multiple thin coatings of oil to develop a non-stick surface. Each layer should be allowed to come up to temperature until it stops smoking before applying another thin layer of oil.

Probably true but the instruction manual states that the oil should be scrubbed off before seasoning. As I recall, the odor off the griddle surface resembled a petroleum product. I worked in refineries for over 25 years so I know petro. I decided to play it safe.

 

[CMTiger]

Breakfast. Bacon, sausage and eggs on griddle. French toast casserole and turkey bacon inside.

 

[MarkC18]

Finally got a chance to fire up the new Blackstone. Whipped up some Cowboy Stir Fry. Came out pretty damn good!

 

[EDC-Trainer]

Question from a griddle newbie. Grilled for many years now trying a Traeger Flatrock. I've only cooked a pretty tasteless Sirloin on this griddle so far. I'll have the house to myself this weekend with the wife off to visit one of our grandsons. Going to pick up a great Ribeye from one of the local meat markets near us vs that grocery store stuff. I no longer eat like I did when I was younger so I am not getting the Flintstone cut of meat. I'll get maybe something 2 inches thick and no more than 1 lb and there will be leftovers. But has anyone here tried using Ghee butter as a means to help get that char/crust on the hot griddle? I've purchased some Ghee and want to test it out.

 

[RayClem]

Finally got a chance to fire up the new Blackstone. Whipped up some Cowboy Stir Fry. Came out pretty damn good!

Looks great. THIS is the reason you NEED a 4-burner griddle rather than a smaller one, even if you are not feeding an crowd.

 

[RayClem]

Question from a griddle newbie. Grilled for many years now trying a Traeger Flatrock. I've only cooked a pretty tasteless Sirloin on this griddle so far. I'll have the house to myself this weekend with the wife off to visit one of our grandsons. Going to pick up a great Ribeye from one of the local meat markets near us vs that grocery store stuff. I no longer eat like I did when I was younger so I am not getting the Flintstone cut of meat. I'll get maybe something 2 inches thick and no more than 1 lb and there will be leftovers. But has anyone here tried using Ghee butter as a means to help get that char/crust on the hot griddle? I've purchased some Ghee and want to test it out.

Do you also have a smoker? I smoke my steaks on my Traeger pellet grill and then sear them on my griddle (CharGriller FlatIron) to finish them off to my preferred temp. The added smoke flavor is nice, but not necessary.

Part of the taste has to do with the seasoning. I try to season my steaks the day before the cook to allow the seasonings to penetrate deeply into the meat overnight. If you are buying thick steaks and seasoning them right before you cook them, the seasoning will only be on the surface. Salt, pepper and garlic powder is the basic seasoning, but you can always use whatever seasoning you like.

The rest of the taste is developed through the sear. Make sure your griddle is 400F or higher in temp. Be sure to pat your steaks dry with a paper towel before placing them on the griddle. Any moisture on the surface of the steak will drop the temperature of the griddle surface causing the steak to steam rather than sear.

You can certainly use Ghee, which is clarified butter. The milk solids are separated from the fats. That significantly raises the smoke point to prevent the butter from burning on the griddle. I do not normally use Ghee, but when searing, I start the sear in a high smoke point oil, I use peanut oil.. Then part way through the sear, I add some regular butter to which I have added garlic and rosemary. Baste your steak with the butter and aromatics until it reaches your preferred temperature. You will never have a tasteless steak again.

My opinion on steaks is that if a good cut of beef is properly cooked and properly seasoned, you should not need a steak sauce at the table, but it might take a few tries to get things to your liking. On those occasions when I do need a sauce (like with pork chops), my choice is Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce.

I used to be terrible at cooking steaks at home. They never turned out like I wanted. The only time I ate steak was when I went to a restaurant. Now that I have the Ironwood pellet grill and FlatIron griddle and learned how to use them, I prefer steaks cooked at home to those from chain restaurants. My wife is not a steak lover and always ordered chicken at steak restaurants., Now she will eat the steak I cook at home. That is nothing short of a miracle.