7 Best Outdoor Griddles, Tested by Experts

A powerful, do-it-all stationary griddle. This is one you buy for life.

This is everything you need. There’s a lot of griddles out there, and there’s a lot of people that say you need one of the fancier, hotter, and bigger ones. Those people are liars. We’ve fired this thing up for some weekend smash burgers, and it was incredible.

We love the versatility of this griddle. The fold out prep areas are stable, and the underside storage makes it a good stationary model. But if you buy the carry bag for the griddle and choose the portable model, you can take it anywhere. For the stationary model, you can still tie it down in a truck bed and take it to a tailgate, though it’s a team event at that point. And unless you’re cooking for a crowd, either model might be a bit overkill.

We say it might be overkill because of the size and power. The 604 square-inch cooktop putting out 48,000 BTUs could feed the neighborhood. If you really went for it, you’ve got the space and power to cook 100 smash burgers in an hour. Our experts could cook about six short-order breakfasts at a time on it. But how often does our New York-based editorial team whip up that much food? Never. For a family out in the suburbs or someone who loves to be burger guy at the tailgate, this isn’t a setup you’ll outgrow. For an urban smash burger appreciator or weekend car camper, this might be a bit overpowered.

That said, there’s not a better griddle out there. The cook surface gets hot and heats evenly. It’s gentle on propane even after an hour of hardcore cooking. It comes pre-seasoned with palm oil, which we don’t love. But after the first cook the cast iron griddle takes a season really well, and you can use whatever fat you want. We also love the hood. We don’t trust “wind blocking” breakers. We trust a hood. On cold, windy days, this one keeps you from losing heat.

One note we do have, there’s a newer model from Camp Chef that will rival this one. The Gridiron 36 is made to be a true stationary model. Stainless steel is swapped out for powder-coated, and the side tables have a bit more heft. We still give the edge to the Flat Top 600, but if you want something that’ll look good with built-ins around it, maybe consider the Gridiron.