Grillmasters

Newfoundland Grillers Smokers & Boil-Ups Guild

Mike and Sandra's new Blackstone Cooks 2023

As you get older peer pressure does not go away, however the subject matter becomes way cooler and much more enticing than it was in our younger days. Such was the case when we started looking into outdoor griddles after listening to a couple of the 'byes go on and on about how awesome they are.

Sandra actually surprised me in June showing up home with this beautiful 36" Blackstone from Costco in the back of her rig!

The first step with an un-treated rolled iron cook top is to wash it, burn off the impurities, then start the seasoning process. After a lot of research we chose grape seed oil as it is long lasting and durable.

It was applied to the hot surface, smoked for 12-15 minutes and subsequent coats added at the same rate for a total of 6 coats which was a solid initial seasoning.

The coating will continue to darken and even out as we begin to use the griddle on a regular basis.

First cook was a dandy breakfast feed of eggs, sausages and bacon. It's a learning curve, but putting on the items that take longest to cook to fastest at the right times will ensure its all finished at the same time. This timing gets better and better as you cook more and more.

Instagram Reels got us trying stuff already!

Today we tried a Big Mac/Soft Taco thing we seen online and they came out pretty decent for a first go round.

Toppings were what you'd typically find on a Big Mac, Beef, lettuce, onion, cheese, pickles and sauce.

Temporary rain cover while a proper one is in the works.

On our cooking wish list was to do stir-fry, which means we needed covers to steam the vegetables for a faster more even cook. We could have bought a set but we already had these brand new stainless bowls in the storage room.

A single hole, a wooden drawer pull and a stainless screw and we had a full set of cooking covers for under $10.

For stir-fry, we kept chicken separate from the vegetables until the chicken was cooked then combined.

Breakfast is a delicious regularly reoccurring item on our Blackstone.

Even pancakes are a breeze on the griddle, and yes that is the right amount of Blueberries!

After only a couple weeks the seasoning on the Blackstone has become nice and even.

Steak on the Pitboss, stir-fry vegetables on the Blackstone. Summer outdoor cooking at its finest!

We started off with some inexpensive griddle tools from a department store, but upgraded to these Blackstone tools when they went on sale. The bottles are way better than what we had, we especially use the water one all the time for cleaning the griddle. The Spatulas are also an upgrade over the flimsy cheaper ones we started out with.

This week we made proper Smash Burgers for the first time, click on the link to find out more about this simple, quick and delicious summer time favourite!

Putting our new burger press to work on our new favourite burgers!

In July the boys at Jenkins and Puddicomb Sheet Metal had my new cover custom finished for my Blackstone. This will keep the cook top clean and dry in between uses. I had them crease the top to stop rainwater from pooling on the new lid.

Beautiful craftsmanship.

Some etch primer, regular primer and gloss black fleet coating will keep the cover protected and looking great. I did not use high heat paint as the cover will only ever be in place when the griddle has cooled.

I think Rob Squires sent me this recipe to try, and he hooked me up with a package of his favourite taco seasoning to make them.

This recipe was Crunch Wraps, check out the link to find out more as these came out great!

Breakfast sandwiches brought to you by Blackstone!

Unfortunately on those rainy days we have to resort to our old ways of indoor cooking, at least until we get around to building an outdoor cookhouse similar to our buddy Rob!

It's OK but just not the same. I guess we'll try and survive the winter cooking indoors again!

Cheers, MIKE