A bittersweet day


 
Bradley Mack

Bradley Mack

TVWBB Pro
As the titles suggests - I sold the first quality bbq I had purchased shortly after we bought our first house. Before I knew anything about real bbq, she kept our family fed with chicken legs, thighs and what seemed like countless hotdogs for the little ones. A 2014 Genesis. I kept her in tip-top shape and sold it off today to a friend. She had not seen a lot of use over the last 2 years, since my WSM, Summit Kamado and Searwood see most of the action. I’d occasionally make smash burgers on her with an aftermarket steel insert. It felt like a waste just letting a great grill sit around. So, off to a new home she went. In her place, is now a 28” slate griddle which seems more appropriate for our needs. Smash burgers, breakfasts, fajitas and more. New beginnings I suppose.
 

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I just can't see giving up a grill for a griddle. I kind of get the griddle craze but it "ain't no grill" and will never replace a grill. I can see it augmenting a grill and if I had the space, I'd maybe even spring for one but never to replace a grill or pellet grill. That is Fo Sho
 
At least it went to a good home and should get more use. Im with Mike, I have been waiting for someone on here to give an honest review of the Slate. They look far nicer than the Blackstone (imo), and I am intrigued by the rust resistant metal they are using.
 
It's hard to say good bye to BBQ's, there's something about a BBQ that wins your heart. I bought my son a 4 burner Blackstone a couple Christmases back, he makes all kinds of good stuff on it, but our favorite is to smoke steaks until they're about 110 degrees, and then sear them up on the Blackstone. I bought my daughter the 2 burner Blackstone, she buys a lot of marinaded meats from local Mexican stores, and makes amazing tacos on hers. One of these days I'd like to get a Blackstone (but probably a Slate, I'm still pretty Weber loyal)
 
Bradley Mack said:
As the titles suggests - I sold the first quality bbq I had purchased shortly after we bought our first house. Before I knew anything about real bbq, she kept our family fed with chicken legs, thighs and what seemed like countless hotdogs for the little ones. A 2014 Genesis. I kept her in tip-top shape and sold it off today to a friend. She had not seen a lot of use over the last 2 years, since my WSM, Summit Kamado and Searwood see most of the action. I’d occasionally make smash burgers on her with an aftermarket steel insert. It felt like a waste just letting a great grill sit around. So, off to a new home she went. In her place, is now a 28” slate griddle which seems more appropriate for our needs. Smash burgers, breakfasts, fajitas and more. New beginnings I suppose.
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Congrats on the new purchase.....
Took me a while to get my hands wrapped around how the slate works....more use makes it easier.
I pledged to the MRS earlier this month that we are going to try a bunch of new stuff this year and really use it a lot more than I did last year.
I have to admit I love bbq taste and when I can eat a burger on the flat top or bbq I almost always go with bbq.

My advice is pay attention, it cooks real fast. You get used to indirect for almost everything and then this is ludicrous speed.....
Sorry had to get that in there.
 
Last week I has a chance to use my slate on her maiden voyage. I did a few steaks with some mushrooms and onions. A bit of a learning curve to get the crust, but they turned out decent. Tonight I decided on smash burgers as my parents and in-laws were over for dinner. I will say that compared to my Genesis that had a steel insert - the slate was much easier to use - AND clean. Such a simple process to scrape the griddle in between sets of burgers and push everything into the grease catch pan. I’m still learning as I go, but I’m really enjoying the slate thus far.

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Bradley Mack said:
Last week I has a chance to use my slate on her maiden voyage. I did a few steaks with some mushrooms and onions. A bit of a learning curve to get the crust, but they turned out decent. Tonight I decided on smash burgers as my parents and in-laws were over for dinner. I will say that compared to my Genesis that had a steel insert - the slate was much easier to use - AND clean. Such a simple process to scrape the griddle in between sets of burgers and push everything into the grease catch pan. I’m still learning as I go, but I’m really enjoying the slate thus far.

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Your Smash burgers look great! Fun and delicious twist on burger.

FYI… breakfasts are fun to make on griddle especially hash browns. Fish and veggies are also especially good on griddles. For an easy meal, we often griddle Salmon fillets (salt & pepper) to carmelize outside and Zuchini (garlic salt) sliced longways. Use vegetable oil.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
Times change, tastes change. But, I will keep my grills, thank you very much. Whether or not I add a griddle to the mix is yet to be determined.
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Griddles at minimum are a great companion to charcoal grills.

For instance, last night I did wings and cheese burgers on kettle. Right beside it, I sautéd onions, bacon, and toasted buns on the griddle (a Traveler set up with 2 griddle plates). The marriage made mean bar burgers. The griddle is very easy clean up and leaves all the grease/smells out of the kitchen.

I may eventually upgrade to a Slate because of increased size, the clever accessories you can integrate and it is just cool looking.
 
"Better to have than need!"

I get the griddle. A dedicated thing even allows you to do zone cooking, which is cool. I won't have one, a gas grill and a kettle are both multi-purpose machines that get me partially there.

What I don't really get is... Isn't a grill just a griddle with grates and flavorizer bars above the burners? I recently watched a few griddle videos, and some people wished the weber slate would have a hood which you can close during a cook. Like... a grill?
 
Jonas-Switzerland said:
"Better to have than need!"

I get the griddle. A dedicated thing even allows you to do zone cooking, which is cool. I won't have one, a gas grill and a kettle are both multi-purpose machines that get me partially there.

What I don't really get is... Isn't a grill just a griddle with grates and flavorizer bars above the burners? I recently watched a few griddle videos, and some people wished the weber slate would have a hood which you can close during a cook. Like... a grill?
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I’m relatively new to griddle use, but I’m no stranger to BBQ. I think where some get turned off on a griddle is thinking it’s a replacement for a grill. And while that could be true for some, I don’t think it’s perfect substitute for a dedicated bbq. A griddle is designed for cooking without a lid. If you walk into a commercial kitchen with a huge griddle, do you often see a lid? My answer would be “no.” I can’t help but feel that if someone is wishing their griddle had a lid to close during a cook- they’re probably using the wrong tool for the job. Sure, there’s the use of a dome accessory if you’re using it to cook eggs or steaming vegetables on one section of the griddle, but then that just emphasizes the versatility of being to cook in different ways at the same time.

You’re correct in saying that a grill is like a griddle with flavourizer bars and grates. Isn’t a truck just like a car with more ground clearance and the ability to carry more payload? They just offer different benefits depending on your needs.

For me, I needed convenience and more surface area. My grill only offered me the extra cost of the griddle insert and less space cook. I was able to bang out 10-12 smash burger at once instead of 6 on the slate. It may not sound like a big deal, but when you have 8-10 people waiting for dinner, time is of the essence.

I’m not here to convince anyone that one is better than the other. But I think it’s important to remember that what works for one, may not be the answer for another.


Cheers.

B.
 
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