Blackstone
Blackstone 36-Inch Griddle
The Blackstone 36-inch is the best-selling outdoor flat-top griddle in America, a 4-burner propane cooking station with a huge rolled-steel cooktop. It's the go-to for smash burgers, breakfast, hibachi, and big-batch cooking.
Specifications
Features
Pros
- ✓The massive 768 sq in flat top cooks for a crowd - dozens of smash burgers, full breakfast spreads, fajitas, and hibachi all at once
- ✓Four independently controlled burners create distinct heat zones, so you can sear on one side and keep food warm on the other
- ✓Smash burgers come out with an unbeatable crispy crust that you simply can't get on a grill grate
- ✓The rear grease management system funnels drippings into a rear cup for fast, clean cleanup
- ✓At under $400 it's an incredible value for the cooking real estate and versatility you get
- ✓It heats edge-to-edge quickly and the rolled-steel top, once seasoned, becomes a naturally non-stick surface
- ✓Casters make the big unit easy to roll around, and the side shelves give ample prep and plating space
- ✓The enormous owner community shares endless recipes, seasoning tips, and accessory ideas
Cons
- ✗The bare steel cooktop requires seasoning and ongoing rust prevention - leave it uncovered in the rain and it'll rust
- ✗It's purely a griddle, so you can't grill with grate marks or do low-and-slow smoking on it
- ✗Maintaining the seasoning is a chore - you oil it after every cook and re-season periodically
- ✗The base model has no lid/hood, so wind affects heat and you can't easily melt cheese or steam without a basting dome
- ✗Build quality is value-grade and the 1-year warranty is short; burners and igniters can need replacing over time
- ✗It's a big 64.5-inch footprint that takes up significant patio space and storage
- ✗The igniter is a common weak point that owners often end up lighting manually with a torch
- ✗Without a cover, condensation and humidity alone can cause surface rust between cooks
Owner Insightssummarized from Reddit and owner forums
The Blackstone 36-inch is practically a lifestyle on Reddit — r/blackstonegriddle is enormous and overwhelmingly positive. The love is all about smash burgers, hibachi, and big-batch breakfast: people describe the crispy-edged burgers as something you simply can't replicate on a grill grate, and the four-burner surface as perfect for feeding a crowd.
The recurring headaches are rust and seasoning. New owners are constantly warned to buy a cover immediately, because bare rolled steel will rust from rain or even humidity, and maintaining the seasoning layer takes diligence. The other common complaint is the cheap igniter, which a lot of people bypass with a long lighter or torch.
The community framing is that it's not a grill replacement but a second cooker that opens up a whole category of food. At under $400 for that much real estate, it's seen as one of the best values in outdoor cooking — as long as you accept that you're signing up for seasoning maintenance and a cover.
What owners like
- +r/blackstonegriddle is one of the most active cooking subs — endless recipes and mod ideas
- +Smash burgers and breakfast for a crowd are the killer apps people rave about
- +Incredible value — owners are amazed how much cooking surface you get under $400
- +Four independent zones make it easy to cook proteins, veg, and keep food warm at once
- +Once seasoned, the surface becomes naturally non-stick and cleanup is fast
Common complaints
- −Rust is the dominant topic — leave it uncovered in the rain and you'll be re-seasoning
- −The base model has no hood, so wind and melting cheese are a hassle without a dome
- −Igniter is a known weak point — many owners light it with a torch instead
- −It only griddles — no grill marks and no low-and-slow smoking
Common Questions
36-inch or 28-inch Blackstone — which should I get?
How do I keep my Blackstone from rusting?
Is the Blackstone hard to season?
Do I need the hood/lid accessories?
Can a Blackstone replace my grill?
Compare the Blackstone 36-Inch Griddle
The Blackstone 36-Inch Griddle is one of 4 sizes in this line.
See every size, to scale →Related grills
More from Blackstone →
Blackstone
Blackstone 28-Inch Griddle
The Blackstone 28-inch is the compact 2-burner version of America's favorite outdoor griddle, offering the same flat-top cooking in a smaller footprint suited to smaller patios and families. It's a top-selling entry griddle.
Blackstone
Blackstone 22-Inch Tabletop Griddle
The 22-inch tabletop is the best-selling portable griddle in America and the default answer whenever r/blackstonegriddle gets asked about camping, tailgating, or balcony setups. Two independently controlled H-burners give you a real two-zone flat top - eggs and pancakes on low, smash burgers screaming hot on the other side - and 361 sq in is legitimately enough to feed six to eight people, which no portable grate grill this size can match. It screws onto a 1 lb propane canister and hits searing temps fast, though owners recommend the 20 lb tank adapter hose because it burns through the little green bottles quickly. Honest downsides: like every bare-steel Blackstone the cooktop rusts if stored damp, so seasoning and a cover are mandatory; the burners struggle in wind without a shield; the low-end simmer is touchy; and at 32 lbs it's luggable, not light. Quality control complaints (warped tops, sticky regulators) show up in reviews at a low but real rate, and the warranty is only a year. For the price of a nice dinner out, though, nothing else cooks this much food this portably.
Weber
Weber Slate 30
The Slate 30 is Weber's answer to the mid-size Blackstone, and its whole pitch is lower maintenance: the carbon-steel cooktop is case-hardened and pre-seasoned at the factory, and owners consistently report it shrugs off the surface rust that plagues bare-steel Blackstones left outside. Reviewers and r/grilling owners also praise how evenly it heats edge to edge — three burners under 540 sq in with far fewer cold corners than the 4-burner Blackstone 36 — and the front-corner grease trap is easier to manage than rear-scrape systems. The build is classic Weber: heavy, rigid cart, good casters, and a 5-year warranty versus Blackstone's 1 year. The honest trade-offs: at $649 it costs roughly twice as much as a Blackstone 28 with similar cooking area, the digital temp display is reserved for the $799 premium trim, rust resistance is explicitly excluded from the cooktop warranty, and you still need to season and oil it like any griddle. If you griddle weekly and hate rust babysitting, the Slate is worth the premium; occasional smash-burger cooks will get 90% of the experience from a Blackstone for half the price.
Weber
Weber Slate 36
The Weber Slate 36 is Weber's flagship flat-top griddle, pairing a pre-seasoned rust-resistant carbon steel cooktop with four independent burners, a built-in digital cooktop thermometer, and the storage and side tables that made it an instant Blackstone rival.
Char-Broil
Char-Broil Performance Series 4-Burner
The Char-Broil Performance Series 4-Burner is a budget-friendly stainless gas grill with a side burner, one of the most popular value gas grills at big-box retailers. Char-Broil targets the affordable mainstream.
The Weber Master-Touch 22 is the upgraded version of Weber's iconic charcoal kettle, adding a hinged Gourmet BBQ System grate, a built-in thermometer, and a Tuck-Away lid holder. It's a benchmark backyard charcoal grill.