Blackstone: The Complete Buyer's Guide
By Reed · Reviewed October 2026
The quick answer
Blackstone is built the modern outdoor griddle category . Made in Logan, Utah (2005).
Who is Blackstone?
Blackstone built the modern outdoor griddle category. Founded in Logan, Utah in 2005, the company bet that a flat-top gas griddle — not a grill — was the right primary cook surface for the backyard. Two decades in, that bet is the catalog spine: rolled-steel griddle plates, H-style burners, patented rear grease management, and a lineup that spans tabletop campers to built-in outdoor-kitchen heads.
The cooking surface is what separates Blackstone from any grill brand you'd put next to it. The seasoned rolled-steel plate holds temperature across the entire surface at a given BTU input — no hot spots, no cold spots at the corners, so smash burgers, Teppanyaki fried rice, hibachi stir-fry, and a 12-egg breakfast all cook with the same surface temperature from one edge to the other. The H-style burner pattern underneath distributes heat evenly instead of the hot-stripe pattern that single-tube burners give you.
The Select Series is the current flagship — 304 stainless cabinet construction, soft-close drawer, pre-tapped gas inlet for propane or NG conversion, and the Air Fryer Combo variant that pairs a 36-inch griddle with twin ventilated air-fryer drawers for a true outdoor-kitchen cooking station. The 28-inch XL and 36-inch built-in griddle heads drop into any outdoor-kitchen island with standard 28-inch or 36-inch cutouts, with insulating jackets available for every size.
At a glance
What Blackstone prioritizes
Rolled-steel griddle plate
Thick cold-rolled steel surface that seasons like a cast-iron skillet — holds temperature uniformly across the whole plate, so a 12-burger smash cooks the same at the edges as the center.
H-style burner pattern
Patented H-shaped burners under each cooking zone distribute heat evenly across the plate instead of the hot-stripe pattern that straight-tube burners produce. Independent zone control at the 28-inch and larger.
Rear grease management
Patented rear grease catch channels drippings into a collector cup instead of pooling on the plate — keeps the cooking surface clean during long cooks and makes between-session wipe-down a 30-second job.
Convertible + built-in ready
Every freestanding Select Series ships with a propane/NG conversion kit; the 28-inch XL and 36-inch built-in heads drop into standard outdoor-kitchen cutouts with matching insulating jackets available.
The current Blackstone lineup
38 Blackstone pieces in stock today across our catalog. Representative models below.
Blackstone Select Series Black 36" inch LP Griddle W/Cart
From $999
Blackstone Select Series Black 36" inch NG Griddle W/Cart
From $999
Blackstone Select Series Black 28" inch LP Griddle W/Cart
From $799
- Image coming soon
Blackstone Select Series Black 22" inch LP Griddle W/Cart
From $599
GRIDDLE SEASONING & CONDITIONER
From $12.99
Large Spatula Mat
From $17.99
Blackstone Griddle Rear Grease Cup Liners - Pack of 10
From $10.99
Tabletop Griddle to RV Quick Connect
From $79.99
When Blackstone is the wrong choice
Blackstone isn't the right fit for every buyer. Logan, Utah (2005)-made manufacturing adds cost that competitors overseas skip If your budget is below the entry tier, or your install is temporary, or you're sourcing a single piece without the matching outdoor-kitchen ecosystem, ask us for a side-by-side with alternatives we also carry — getting the brand match right matters more than any single feature on the spec sheet.
Blackstone — the questions buyers actually ask
Why a griddle instead of a grill?
Grills cook over flame — great for steaks, chops, and anything you want sear marks on. Griddles cook on a flat seasoned-steel surface — the right tool for smash burgers, Teppanyaki, Korean BBQ, pancakes, eggs, bacon, fried rice, hibachi stir-fry, and anything you'd otherwise send to the stovetop. Most BBQs.com customers who buy a Blackstone keep their grill too — the griddle covers the breakfast-through-dinner cooking a grill doesn't do, so the two live side-by-side rather than one replacing the other.
Do I need to season a Blackstone griddle?
Yes — every rolled-steel Blackstone griddle needs an initial seasoning (3–4 passes of thin oil at high heat) to build the first polymerized layer that keeps food from sticking and the plate from rusting. After that, routine cooking adds to the seasoning naturally. The 304 Stainless Pizza Oven Cart with the rotating stone doesn't need seasoning — the stainless hearth works differently.
What's the difference between Original, Select, and XL?
Original is the entry-tier freestanding griddle — rolled-steel plate, H-burners, basic black-powder-coat cart. Select Series upgrades to 304 stainless cabinet construction, soft-close drawer, and a cleaner build quality. XL versions are 28-inch wide instead of the standard 22-inch, built on the Outdoor Kitchen Series base so they can also drop into a built-in cutout. The Select Series Air Fryer Combo is the top of the current lineup — Select construction plus twin ventilated air-fryer drawers.
Can a Blackstone go into a built-in outdoor kitchen?
Yes — the 28-inch XL and 36-inch Outdoor Kitchen Series Built-in griddle heads are designed for drop-in installation into standard 28-inch or 36-inch outdoor-kitchen cutouts. Matching insulating jackets (and the 36-inch trim kit) are available separately. The freestanding Select Series carts work as roll-up stations alongside a built-in grill.
Can I convert propane to natural gas?
Yes — every freestanding Blackstone ships with the conversion fittings and orifices needed to swap between LP and NG, and the built-in Outdoor Kitchen Series ships in your choice of LP or NG at order time (the SKU suffix is `NG` for natural gas, no suffix for propane). Changing fuel on an installed built-in is a dealer-tech job because it requires regulator and orifice swaps.
More Blackstone on BBQs.com
Last reviewed by the BBQs.com editorial team on October 2026.
