Home Setup Griddle/Grill Advice

Hi All - found you while doing some research. I've read all the various threads about Blackstone vs. Camp Chef but figured I'd ask for my "unique" situation and see what you think.

I live in Boston - Charlestown actually and I'm looking for a replacement for my gas grill which is going out on the curb this week for the local scrap scavengers to scoop it up.

I'm looking to replace it with something that will allow me to both grill and griddle (and really looking forward to doing a lot of griddling!)

I've narrowed down my choices to:

Blackstone Tailgater

or

[ame="https://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-Explorer-EX-60LW-2-Burner/dp/B0006VORDY"]Amazon.com: Camp Chef Explorer Series EX-60LW 2-Burner Modular Cooking System, Black: Automotive[/ame]
This second one I'd add a griddle and a grill box to.

Questions for Your Wisdom:

1. The downside of the BS one is that the griddle space isn't that large and you can't just plop a bigger griddle on top - wish they had that option

2. Wondering about the relative sturdiness of them

3. Like the ability of the Camp Chef to take a wide range of modules - larger griddle, smaller griddle, grill box, etc.

4. Would I be smarter buying the bigger BS 36" griddle and worry about a grill option later (the big grill top seems a bit unwieldy though to replace the whole kit and kaboodle?)

Welcome all opinions! (Also for purchasing I'm going with Amazon because I've got about $175 in gift cards loaded up on the account so even if there are better deals elsewhere a chunk of the purchase price is "free" ;-)

Thanks in advance!

Hudson

Imp81318 said:

Watching the video for the Blackstone, it looks like you can take the "stock" griddle and grill box off and replace them both with a single larger griddle that would cover both burners.

Click to expand...

They don't make one though - maybe in the future they will. Or I guess I could figure out how to have one fabricated.

Thanks guys - I've heard some good things about this one:

[ame="https://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-Flat-Top-Grill/dp/B00L9XAMTQ/ref=sr_1_1?srs=2586718011&ie=UTF8&qid=1466445226&sr=8-1&keywords=flat+top"]Amazon.com: Camp Chef Flat Top Grill: Sports & Outdoors[/ame]

Is the lack of a lid a big limiting factor?

Thanks all for the advice. I popped into a Lowes yesterday to take a look at a Blackstone 36" griddle. Seemed like good construction, sturdily built. What I don't like is the need to buy a whole secondary grill top - it seems like a huge PITA to deal with/store/etc.

At the same time - the Camp Chef Flat Iron grill looks great and at $350 seems like a TON of value for the money. Being new to the griddle though, I'm not sure how much use I would get out of it. My expectation is that I'm going to be a griddle convert - but until I'm consistently using it I don't think it would be a smart purchase at this point.

I asked around about the height of the Blackstone Tailgater and two guys (one who's 5' 11") said it was about the same height as a regular grill when you extend the adjustable legs. I read through all the various questions/answers on different reviews like Amazon as well.

There's one other benefit that I can see getting from this here in New England - and that is being able to take off the grill box and/or griddle and use the burners directly with a big pot for lobsters if I don't feel like firing up my big 3' square steamer box. Would love to get that done outside instead of in the kitchen!

I'm going to take a chance on the Tailgater - for $170 on Amazon with free shipping - if it's a disaster I won't be kicking myself and if it's my entree to the griddling world then it's a great piece of transition equipment.

Thanks again for your help and advice and giving me some food for thought. I'll report back as I get it up and running.