Griddle on a Grill

[pmillen]

I haven't used most of the outdoor cooking equipment listed in my signature line since I bought my pellet grill.  The Weber kettle and Bradley smoker languish in storage.  The CharBroil Gasser is still on my deck but is used so sparingly that some mice became squatters.

I have had plans to make a mild steel griddle top for it but the cost projections were too high.  I couldn't shake the griddle yen though so I recently yielded by purchasing this Little Griddle brand.


I sterilized the grill and broke in the griddle with a quick batch of hamburgers tonight.  Taste-wise they rank third behind hamburgers cooked over a pellet (wood) fire and charcoal.


Teppanyaki stir-fry tomorrow night.

[teesquare]

That is a neat griddle! Where did you find it, and what did it cost - if I may ask...?

[muebe]

Would be curious what kind of surface temps your getting. You got a infrared temp gun to check?

[Pappymn]

That is a neat griddle! Where did you find it, and what did it cost - if I may ask...?

X2

[muebe]

This looks like the one...

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Griddle-GQ230-Professional-Series/dp/B00CBDBV8Y/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1378691938&sr=8-10&keywords=little+griddle

[pmillen]

That is a neat griddle! Where did you find it, and what did it cost - if I may ask...?

http://www.littlegriddle.com

It's a GQ-230.  Dimensions (Handles Attached) - 25" W x 16.0" D x 6.5" H
Weight - 16.0 lbs.

They have several sizes.  Prices vary by size and material gauge.

[pmillen]

Would be curious what kind of surface temps your getting. You got a infrared temp gun to check?

My temperatures may not be an indication of yours.  My gasser was originally a CharBroil infrared with three 10,000 BTU burners.  I deep sixed the infrared generators and replaced them with GrillGrates.  Temperature control is difficult.  I watched the burner flames one evening as I turned the gas down.  Flame control was coarse, almost like a light switch, either full on or off.

I have an IR thermometer with adjustable emissivity but I monitored the griddle temperatures with a ThermoWorks surface probe.  I was trying to obtain 350° but it was always way above or way below.  If I could control the propane with the sensitivity of my kitchen range I might be able to find the sweet spot.  It won't be possible with the CharBroil.

[deestafford]

Paul,  I have one similar to yours and it is really handy.  Dee

[sliding_billy]

Good idea.

[pmillen]

Paul,  I have one similar to yours and it is really handy.  Dee

It should be handy, Dee.  Teppanyaki chicken tonight for the first time.  I'm working on the onion volcano and practicing flipping food morsels into open mouths.  I'll audition at Benihana in a few weeks.

Oddly, I'm looking forward to grilling garlic toasts.  I can't seem to get it right on regular grill grates.

I'm also thinking about cold smoking steaks, cooking them sous vide and searing them on the griddle.  A cast iron frying pan would sear just fine but the griddle has greater capacity.

[drholly]

Paul,

A griddle is fun - sometimes there is nothing better than a flat top burger (at least in my mind...  ) I like using my big ol' Blackstone for teppanyaki (did a video once - not sure where it is anymore.) When we have softball parties - we do a ton of sliders on the flat top along with philie cheese steaks and fajitas. Haven't gotten too good at the volcano - let me know when you figure out the tricks! 

My girls love breakfast cooked on the flat top and served on the deck in the summer and fall.

[pz]

I love a flat top - I wish that my stove manufacturer would have made an accessory that would turn the entire 4-burner into a large thick steel flat top.  Might have one fabricated one of these days

[pmillen]

[W]e do a ton of sliders on the flat top along with philie cheese steaks and fajitas.

My girls love breakfast cooked on the flat top and served on the deck in the summer and fall.

David, I've also been thinking along those lines—pancakes, eggs and hash browns on the griddle.  I'll probably continue to cook the bacon in my pellet pit.  It's the best bacon I can cook.

If I do Philly cheese steak sandwiches or fajitas I'll be cooking for just myself.  They aren't for Marcia's Norwegian palate—BUT I saved a Philly cheese recipe before I bought the griddle.  (One of us has to be disappointed.  I'd rather it be her.) 

(I hope she never reads this.)

[drholly]

Paul,

Breakfast on the flat top / griddle is fantastic. I have found that eggs are difficult (unless you want scrambled.) I have been doing the eggs in a cast iron skillet on the flat top - a cook I met at a dive told me that's the right way to do it to get them just right. It does seem to work better... go figure. My kids love breakfast burritos - scrambled eggs, peppers, onions, hash browns, sausage - wrapped up in tortillas warmed on the flat top. A side of pancakes and bacon, lots of orange juice and milk. They can pack it in when we do the cooking on the deck! Their friends always want to stay over when they know breakfast is on the deck.

I totally understand the Norwegian palate. We have the same issues here.

I did find my OLD flat top video - it wasn't teppanyaki - it was yakisoba.

[pz]

Nicely done, David - the video and the food