Stand-alone propane flat-top griddles from brands such as Blackstone and Camp Chef have become very popular over the last couple of years. The versatility of flat top griddles to cook a wide range of foods in their own juices/fat easily and quickly obviously has its benefits. With this article, I thought I would discuss the options for adding a griddle to an existing pellet grill but also discuss pellet grills that come with a propane griddle. Lots to discuss. Enjoy š
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The Benefits & Versatility Of Griddles In A Pellet Grill
While its possible to cook a wide range of foods over standard grill grates, there are certain foods where its just not practical/viable to try and cook them on standard grates.
The image above is a perfect example. There are pancakes, bacon, and eggs all cooking at the same time over a large griddle insert on the Pit Boss Austin XL pellet grill seen in that image.
While you may be able to cook bacon on standard grates without them dropping through, much of the fat would drip away. Whereas on a griddle, the bacon is cooking in its grease, improving the flavor.
However, its not just cooking breakfast where a griddle can shine. Cooking finely chopped vegetables or seafood is also where a griddle can be the most practical option, along with smash burgers.
Below I’ve separated the various pellet grill/griddle options under each brand. I discuss which pellet grills are going to get better griddle cooking performance than others.
I’ll discuss griddle hot spots and searing performance, as the facts are that some pellet grills are going to be able to get a cast-iron/steel griddle up to a higher temperature than other models.
Camp Chef Pellet Grill Griddle Options
Camp Chef is one of the leading brands when it comes to stand-alone propane griddles. But we’re interested in their pellet grill griddle options with this article.
First off, if you already own a Camp Chef SmokePro, Woodwind, or Woodwind Pro pellet grill, there are various different sizes of Camp Chef cast-iron griddles that could fit inside the cooking chamber.
When it comes to cooking performance, while all Woodwind models feature direct-flame access, only certain SmokePro models have the feature, and its a feature lacking in Woodwind Pro models.
Therefore, in terms of getting the griddle up to temperatures around 600 degrees for good searing performance, that will be limited to Camp Chef Woodwind Models.
To have a griddle capable of searing with a Camp Chef pellet grill, that’s where the propane SideKick accessory can come in handy. For instance, when reverse-searing steaks on a Camp Chef.
However, the size of the griddle on the SideKick at only 14 inches wide is obviously its weakness. You’re not going to be cooking breakfast for the whole family on this size of the griddle.
If that’s what you’re looking for, when it comes down to it, there is no Camp Chef pellet grill better suited for a large griddle than the Apex, with the assistance of its multiple propane burners.
So as you can see from the image above, the Camp Chef Apex is a full-width pellet/gas grill. The 24″ model features four gas burners, and the 36″ model features six burners, not including the side griddle.
Hence, with a large 36″ wide cast-iron griddle, the 36″ Apex is the best-suited pellet grill currently on the market for a large griddle as it can replicate the performance of a dedicated propane flat-top griddle.
As I’ll discuss later in the article, the limitation of placing a griddle in a dedicated pellet grill is a hot spot on the griddle directly over the pellet burn pot, which is not the case on the Apex.
Pit Boss Pellet Grill Griddle Options
Whether you currently own a Pit Boss pellet grill and you’re looking for a griddle option, or you are in the market for a pellet grill/griddle combination, Pit Boss offers a series of options.
As pretty much all Pit Boss pellet grills offer direct-flame access getting a griddle insert up to 600 degrees for the optimal searing performance of burgers or steaks is not a problem.
Pit Boss sells two cast-iron griddle inserts for their pellet grills, a 10″ x 20″ version and a larger 14″ x 28″ version which can fit inside larger Pit Boss pellet grill models.
However, if you are in the market for a pellet grill/griddle combo, you may want to consider one of the many Pit Boss pellet/gas combo models where a griddle can be placed over the gas burners.
With a setup such as this, the pellet grill/smoker side of things can be smoking, and you can be searing on the griddle insert on the gas burner side of the BBQ. Think reverse-seared steaks, for instance.
Pitts & Spitts Pellet Grill Griddle Options
If you’re in the market for a high-quality pellet grill from a US manufacturer, then a Pitts & Spitts pellet grill should be on your radar. Well, Pitts & Spitts also offer a very nice griddle option for their grills.
For each of the different Maverick pellet grill models, you can order a griddle option made from 10 gauge stainless steel, which runs on slide rails which makes it very easy to use indeed.
Another reason why I particularly like this pellet grill griddle accessory is that it is designed to work with the drip pan removed. Hence, the griddle will get very hot, hot enough for good searing.
Due to how Pitts & Spitts have designed their pellet grills, the griddle still has grease management that will direct grease to the grease bucket and away from the pellet burn pot.
Now, this stainless steel griddle option is not cheap, with prices ranging from $174 to $549, depending on the specific size. But this is a quality made product for these high-quality pellet grills/smokers.
Furthermore, its one of the best-designed griddle options on the market for a pellet grill where direct heat from the burn pot is achieved while retaining good grease management for safety.
Traeger Pellet Grill Griddle Options
You may be aware that Traeger has now entered the propane flat top market with the Flatrock, which came as a surprise to many (including myself). What about griddle options for their pellet grills?
Well, Traeger sells three different cast-iron griddles to suit different Traeger pellet grill models. First, there is a tiny griddle for the Traeger Ranger, their small tabletop pellet grill.
Then there is a larger 20″ wide reversible griddle that can fit inside most full-sized Traeger pellet grills/smokers such as the Pro Series and Ironwood Gen 1, and Timberline Gen 1 models.
Finally, Traeger is now offering a ‘Modifire’ reversible griddle which is designed specifically for Ironwood Gen 2 and Timberline Gen 2 models with grease management into the EZ-Clean keg.
While placing any of these cast-iron griddles inside a Traeger pellet grill will provide the convenience/flexibility of cooking on a griddle, their searing performance will not be the best.
No Traeger pellet grill to date has a temperature setting over 500 degrees, and no Traeger to date offers direct-flame access.
Therefore, a Traeger griddle insert will struggle to get over 500 degrees for optimal searing performance which is around 600 degrees for the Maillard reaction.
Weber Pellet Grill Griddle Options
All versions/generations of the Weber SmokeFire pellet grills have a maximum temperature setting of 600 degrees and direct-flame access. Therefore, getting a griddle to temp is not a problem.
Don’t be under the impression that the latest SmokeFire Sear+ models will get a griddle up to a higher temperature. There is actually very little difference between Sear+ versions and previous models.
Weber does offer their own porcelain enamel cast-iron griddle (Weber 7598), which typically retails for around $120. However, I’ve come across a better option for less money and more cooking space.
The above ‘Washington’ griddle insert from Grid Iron Metal Works is available in carbon steel ($84) or in stainless steel ($126), and its currently one of the best options for a griddle in a SmokeFire.
Z Grills Pellet Grills Griddle Options
While there are a couple of Z Grills pellet grills that offer direct-flame access, most are similar to Traeger models with a maximum temperature setting of 500 degrees and no direct-flame access.
As I’ve discussed above with regard to Traeger pellet grill griddle inserts, this means getting the griddle up to 600 degrees for optimal searing performance can be an issue.
However, Z Grills, with their cast-iron griddle insert, are recommending something Traeger is not, to remove the heat-deflector/grease tray and to place their griddle directly over the pellet firepot š¤.
Would positioning a griddle directly over the firepot in a pellet grill with no heat deflector/grease tray get the griddle to a higher temperature? Unquestionably, but its not without its risks.
As the grease management has been removed from the pellet grill, as the grease builds up on the griddle, it will drip down into the bottom of the cooking chamber, next to the fire pot, and it could ignite.
As I discuss in my article on how to use a pellet grill safely, a grease fire in a pellet grill is more dangerous than a grease fire on a gas grill, as it can take longer to put the grease fire out on a pellet grill.
Generic Pellet Grill Griddle Inserts & Things To Consider
While I’ve provided examples above of pellet grill griddle inserts from several brands, there are obviously lots more pellet grill brands on the market and models of all different shapes and sizes.
There are, therefore, many generic griddle inserts available on the market which you can find which may fit your pellet grill perfectly to get the maximum cooking space possible.
When purchasing a custom-made griddle for your pellet grill, they will be either from carbon steel or stainless steel. Stainless will cost more, but rust will not be a concern.
When comparing griddles, carefully look at what guage/thickness of steel they are using. A thicker steel griddle will provide a more even temperature across the cooking surface.
This is particularly important for a pellet grill griddle insert, especially if you are going to remove the heat deflector/grease tray when you insert the griddle.
Propane flat tops have multiple gas burners across the griddle. With a pellet grill, you have one heat source, so you need a thick steel griddle to help avoid a significant hot spot on the griddle.
Now, a hotter area on a griddle can actually be useful when cooking a wide range of foods at the same time, but just bear my comments in mind when choosing a griddle for your pellet grill.
Finally, carefully consider grease management for your pellet grill griddle insert, especially if you are going to be removing the grease tray to get the griddle as hot as possible.
Final Thoughts On Pellet Grills & Griddles…
A griddle really is an excellent tool for cooking a wide range of foods and particularly small/delicate foods that easily break apart, or that would fall through traditional cooking grates.
While dedicated propane flat top griddles are growing in popularity, they are obviously very limited compared to a pellet grill/smoker, no baking, no roasting, no low & slow etc.
Therefore, being able to get the benefits of a griddle in a pellet grill obviously has its benefits. But you also need to consider their limitations in some cases.
Some pellet grill griddles will not be able to get as hot as others, as discussed above. Furthermore, you need to carefully consider grease management on a pellet grill griddle.
That’s it! Thanks for reading. I hope the above has given you much to think about if you are looking for a pellet grill/griddle combination.
Please check out my Pellet Grill/Smoker Guide to learn more, and my Smoking/Grilling Guide is also growing with more cooking articles to help you out. š
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