If you are any kind of an outdoor cooking enthusiast, you’ve probably heard of Blackstone Griddles. In this ultimate Blackstone Griddle Starter Guide, I’m going to give you all of the tips for getting to know your new griddle, and you’ll find all of my favorite Blackstone Griddle Recipes too!
Blackstone Griddle New Owners Guide
If you are new to the griddle life, don’t let it intimidate you! With a few tips, accessories, and practice, you’ll be a griddle pro!
Read on for information on how to properly season your griddle, how to re-season if things get out of hand, and some of my favorite tools to use that make the griddle life MUCH easier.
I’ll also share my favorite recipes for beginners too, so scroll on and hit up the comments below or our Easy Griddle Recipes Facebook group with questions!
Get all of my BLACKSTONE RECIPES here!
What is a Blackstone Griddle?
Blackstone Griddles are gas flat-top griddles of various sizes that are one of the most effective ways of cooking so many different things. Just ask 98% of restaurants in the world who cook on flat-top griddles. (That’s a totally made-up statistic, by the way, but is true of every restaurant that I’ve ever worked in!)
From eggs and the most epic breakfast to steak, chicken, pork, and more. You can cook almost anything on these versatile grills. They are perfect for camping too!
80+ of the Best Blackstone Recipes here!
Where to buy a Blackstone Griddle
Blackstone Griddles are available at a lot of brick-and-mortar stores, so finding one in person shouldn’t be too big of an issue. I like to order this kind of stuff online, so it winds up delivered right to my door.
There are various sizes depending on who and what you are cooking. I suggest going big. Even if you don’t cook for an army all the time, having more cooking space is never a bad thing.
Buy a Blackstone Griddle at Lowe’s!
Buy a Blackstone Griddle on Amazon!
Griddle Seasoning FAQ
Seasoning your griddle is easy, but there are a lot of questions that pop up about the process. I’m going to detail those for you below so you can get to cooking a bit faster!
The most important thing to know about griddle seasoning is that you’ll need LOTS of paper towels and patience. Blue shop towels are best. Kitchen paper towels can leave lint behind sometimes.
The key is to spread a SUPER THIN layer of oil on the griddle and then you let it cook over high heat until it smokes. Continue cooking until the smoking stops, and then turn off the griddle and let it cool completely.
Repeat this process 3-4 times for the best results.
What type of oil is best for seasoning a Blackstone griddle?
The type of oil isn’t as important as the way you apply it. Use flax, canola, olive, avocado, or peanut oil to season.
Can I use bacon to season a griddle?
No. Animal fat is not suitable for the initial seasoning of your griddle. It IS good, however, for maintaining your seasoning or to help any sticky parts NOT be so sticky, or to stave off a re-seasoning for a while.
My griddle has a little rust on it! What should I do?
A little rust is nothing to worry about. Just use a griddle scraper to remove as much as you can, and then cook some bacon on the spot that’s lost the seasoning.
If the rust is extensive, it may be time to re-season the griddle. We typically have to scrape down and re-season once a season (usually after the wet rainy winter.)
How do you prevent rust on a griddle?
Prevent rust by ensuring there is no moisture left on the griddle when it is being stored, and you wipe a thin coat of oil on the top before covering. If it’ll be stored for a long period of time, some people like to place wax paper or parchment paper over the top, after it is oiled. Just make SURE to remove it before you fire the griddle up again! 😉
MUST-HAVE griddle accessories for beginners
Having the right tools makes griddling so much easier! If you are new to griddles you’ll want to get these tools ASAP and it’ll make your griddle life way more enjoyable. Also, check out my whole post, Must-Have Griddle Accessories. It makes a great gift guide if you are looking for a present for the resident Griddler in your life.
MUST-HAVE Griddle Accessories
Griddle Scraper
A griddle owner's best friend. Get scraping and make sure nothing is left behind after a cook! The extra length protects your arms from the heat.
Trays
These trays are lifesavers when it comes to carting food and ingredients back and forth from the kitchen to the griddle.
Picnic caddy
While this is designed as a picnic caddy, it is PERFECT for griddling. Bring out plates for serving or for cooked food, and the utensil caddies are great for utensils and seasonings you need to run back and forth.
Chef's Squeeze Bottle Set
You'll need squeeze bottles for so many things when you are griddling. Keep one with oil and one with water around for a start!
Metal Spatula Set
These are going to be your best friend. From Smash Burgers to pancakes and everything in-between, get lots of spatulas and keep them handy!
Pack-N-Roll Folding Collapsible Service Cart
This cart would be amazing for making big meals that have a lot of different ingredients. Minimum trips back to the kitchen by prepping and loading up your cart.
12 Inch Melting Dome
Melt cheese, baste foods and help ensure even cooking from all directions with this large melting dome.
12" Wire Warming Rack
Need to get something off the cooking surface, but keep it warm? This rack + a melting dome will do the trick!
How to RE-SEASON your Blackstone
How to clean and maintain your Blackstone Griddle
The best way to maintain your griddle is to let it cool for 4-5 minutes after the heat has been turned off, and then scrape it well to remove all the residual food from the surface, and then rub oil all over it until the paper towel comes back relatively clean.
If you have cooked something with a sticky sauce on it, you may want to put down some water over the particularly sticky parts while the heat is still on low, and use your scraper to clear off the griddle prior to oiling and wiping.
The key is before you are done cleaning you want the griddle to be free of food debris, lightly oiled, and you should be able to rub a paper towel over the top without a bunch of stuff coming up. It won’t be 100% residue-free, but it’ll be close.
Then, cover your griddle well and ensure that no moisture can creep in. If you’ll be leaving your griddle uncooked on for more than a couple of days, some people like to put down wax paper or parchment paper on top of the surface to maintain the seasoning.
It is also a good idea to empty and clean your grease trap so animals don’t get in there.
Blackstone Beginners Recipes
All the recipes that are perfect for beginners learning about their new griddle! If you master these, you'll be well on your way to be an official Blackstoner!
Dona
Friday 14th of April 2023
Hi! Got the 36” griddle for Christmas and just now moved it to the patio. Went through the steps to season.
There’s no way to tell what the temperature is. Can you recommend a good thermometer? I’m thinking an oven thermometer but is it ok to just set it on the grill surface?
Can’t wait to start cooking!
Nicole Johnson
Saturday 15th of April 2023
Hey Dona! That's great! What you need to really determine the griddle's surface temp is called an "IR Gun". It is a laser that will handle that. Very cool! My favorite one is this one by Thermoworks. It also has a quick-read temperature probe for meats too! The best of both worlds! You can buy it here: https://www.thermoworks.com/Thermapen-IR?tw=ORWHATEVERYOUDO
Monty
Monday 16th of January 2023
Have been reviewing the Blackstone 1984 on Amazon sold by the Blackstone store with many customer replies after purchasing 1984 model grille being sent cheaper 18.. model grille instead. Supposeably a cheaper model of grille supplied.I am leery of ordering grille model 1984 because when you order product by description supplied that is what I expect to get. Do not want a refund compensating model difference or shipping back issues-just want the product I ordered.
Nicole Johnson
Wednesday 18th of January 2023
Yikes. That sounds like a situation that isn't super fun to deal with. I don't work for Blackstone, so I can't help directly, but I hope you get it resolved soon!
Teresa clark
Sunday 5th of June 2022
We purchased a Blackstone grill a 28 inch with two air fryers on it and it didn’t come with no instructions or no booklets or nothing so we were wondering if there was a way that we could get that information how do use the grill
Nicole Johnson
Monday 6th of June 2022
Hey Teresa! I don't work for Blackstone, I just create recipes using them because we love the tool and use it often. They have all of their product manuals on the website though. Here's the link! https://blackstoneproducts.com/pages/product-manuals
Gary Roszell
Tuesday 24th of August 2021
Does the temperature differ with different recipes
Nicole Johnson
Tuesday 24th of August 2021
Yup! Different recipes should definitely be cooked at different temperatures.
Donna
Tuesday 25th of May 2021
We bought the accessories kit and it has 3 black mats,what are they used for?
Nicole Johnson
Tuesday 25th of May 2021
Which kit is that? I'm not sure I know what one you are referring to. Sorry!