How to Clean a Blackstone Griddle – The Ultimate Guide

A good BBQ wouldn’t be possible without a good griddle. A great BBQ, now that’s just impossible without a Blackstone griddle.

Cooking your meat on a Blackstone griddle virtually guarantees restaurant-quality food, with the iconic cross-hatch marks included.

But whether it is Blackstone or not, a griddle needs to be clean and tidy in order for us to squeeze the best flavor out of it.

We are here to show you how to clean a Blackstone griddle to perfection.

What is a Griddle?

A griddle, sometimes referred to as a skillet, broiler, and girdle (if you’re from the UK), is a usually flat cooking surface used around the world.

Depending on your place of origin, griddles can be made out of stone or metal. Since you’re reading up on Blackstone products, you’re interested in the top-of-the-line griddles available.

Griddles are mostly flat and are not exclusive to BBQ – even pancakes can be made on griddles.

And since they have a simple design, it’s easy to learn how to clean Blackstone griddles.

The BBQ-focused griddles are of interest to us, which either come as flat, uniform, metal  plates or ridged metal surfaces (which gives us the cross-hatch we all know and love).

Traditionally, you would heat up your griddle with wood or coal, but nowadays brand-new griddles that run on propane or electricity can be purchased.

Blackstone Products

Blackstone is a leading name in the outdoor cooking scene today. In their own words, their vision was to prepare food outside as a family – “to cook everything outside.”

They burst onto the scene in 2008 with the 36” Blackstone griddle, and they’ve been on the up and up ever since. Blackstone has cemented itself as one of the top brands on the market.

Today, they offer outdoor griddles ranging from 17” to 32”, with even an E-Series of electric griddles available.

However that is not all – you can also find Blackstone pizza ovens, griddle accessories (including cleaning kits, covers, sauces, seasonings, and apparel), and even recipes.

Suffice it to say, their best-selling items are their famous griddles.

Let us now get to the meat of the matter – how to clean Blackstone griddles.

How to Clean a Blackstone Griddle

Blackstone griddles follow Blackstone’s main principles – they’re affordable and offer an outdoor cooking experience for all.

To have the absolute best and tastiest experience possible, a clean and tidy grill surface is of paramount importance.

Thankfully, Blackstone offers all necessary cleaning accessories so you can keep your griddle in tip-top condition.

But just owning the equipment isn’t enough – we need to know how and when to use it.

To clean a Blackstone griddle you must:

1.  Lightly scrape the griddle top to get rid of food particles and loose grease
2.  With a paper towel wipe the food crumbs into your grease cup
3.  Apply oil onto the griddle cup and wipe it into the hot surface with a paper towel

If the griddle surface is really greasy (like after stir-frying), apply water onto the hot griddle while scraping to remove all the grease and sugars from the entire surface.

The rest of the steps remain the same.

Keep in mind that the state of the griddle dictates how much time and effort you’ll have to spend on cleaning it.

There are three “levels” of greasiness that may need to be cleaned. We go over them here:

Grilled Cheese Level

This level of greasiness does not only include the grilled cheese sandwich. It is just a representative of simple, non-messy foods you can make on the griddle.

There’s hardly any grease or crumbs on this level and cleaning the griddle is straightforward.

Hamburger Level

All types of burgers and steaks belong on this level.

The griddle top is noticeably messier than on the Grilled Cheese level, but it’s still manageable.

Here, you can employ a dedicated metal scraper to scrape off the food particles from the griddle top into a grease trap.

Stir Fry Level

This is the messiest the griddle can get. Due to the way the food is prepared, and the sauces used, the griddle gets greasy and glazed.

Here, applying clean water is absolutely necessary in order to get the sugar and grease out of the griddle top into the grease trap.

If you’ve been cooking basic food like grilled-cheese sandwiches for hours, or you cooked up just one really messy meal, scraping might take a bit more effort.

It is important to note that the griddle should be cleaned while still hot. Don’t worry about missing out on your meal time with your family – the whole cleaning process takes 2 to 3 minutes at most.

Yes, that is 2 to 3 minutes no matter how bad the griddle top might look to you. The secret lies in doing it while it’s still hot.

If the grease is left to cool down and solidify, the cleanup would be really messy and a hassle.

Applying oil after the process ensures that the griddle is both ready for any eventual cooking afterward, or ready to be stored with the oil protecting the seasoning layer you applied onto the griddle previously.

Now you Can Grill up a Storm

Taking care of your equipment can sometimes be a hassle, but with a top-of-the-line Blackstone griddle at your disposal, upkeep becomes a joy.

Proper cleaning ensures that the clean griddle will help us serve delicious food for years to come. And all it takes is a few minutes.

Now that we know the ins and outs of how to clean Blackstone griddles, we can show off our spotless Blackstone griddle at the next family or neighborhood cookout.

About the Author

Tamara J. Sims
EXECUTE CHEF

As a seasoned kitchen and food writer, Tamara has a remarkable ability to weave words together, transporting readers to the heart of the culinary world. Tamara’s articles are written with an engaging blend of insightful commentary, honesty, and real-world examples based on personal experiences. She has the ability to captivate seasoned food enthusiasts and novice cooks alike.