Blackstone Griddle 28 vs 36: In-Depth Review
When it comes to picking out a top-quality grill, Blackstone is one brand that seems to stand out much more than the rest. They offer durability, a larger cooking capacity, and reliable performance that makes them very popular.
In the product lineup from Blackstone, their two biggest sellers are the 28 and 36.
They differ in size, the number of burners, weight, cooking area, durability, convenience to clean, portability, and more.
So, knowing the differences will help you weigh in on which grill is better between the 28 and 36. In turn, you’ll be able to pick out the grill that fits your personal tastes and needs.
We’ve put together a comparative analysis of both of these grills to make it easier for you to make your final decision, and we included the following points for both models:
- Affordability
- Assembly
- Convenience with Cleaning
- Heat retention and distribution
- Number of Burners
- Portability
- Prep Areas
- Weight and total cooking surface
Blackstone was originally founded in 2005, and it’s a proudly USA-owned company. The first griddle that they produced was their Blackstone 36-inch griddle.
Since this first one, they have built their lines to be able to offer a number of tabletops, outdoor flat tops, and patio-style grills.
The company has solidified itself as a prodigy when it comes to outdoor cooking products.
Their unique product features have garnered the respect of thousands of happy customers, and the company has a history of experimenting with their griddles to give you the best grilling experience you can possibly have when you use them.
However, each product also has downsides, and it’s important that you know what they are on both grills to get a clear picture when you shop.
The Blackstone Griddle Series
Blackstone offers a versatile range of outdoor patio models, and this includes the Blackstone 28-inch griddle and the Blackstone 36-inch griddle.
They also offer the Flattop, Air fryer, and Tabletop range of griddles in several variations.
The following are some of the most popular items from this company:
- 17-inch Tabletop Griddle
- 22-inch Tabletop Griddle
- Airfryer Griddle Combo
- Griddle and Charcoal Grill Combo
- ProSeries 36-inch Griddle Cooking Station
- Rangetop Combo with Deep Fryer
- Tailgater Combo with a Grill and Griddle
In-Depth Overview of the Blackstone 28-inch Outdoor Flat Top Griddle
If you’re someone who uses the griddle a lot, you want an affordable price with more portability, and this is why the Blackstone 28-inch griddle is a good choice.
If you have it on your backyard patio, it can cook enough food to satisfy four or five people at one time because it offers impressive 470-square inches of cooking surface. There are also two individual heating zones.
It’s important to note that this griddle size is a little short when you compare it to a few other Blackstone products, but the construction on all of the products is top-notch. The steel frame and the black powder coating will help the grill withstand a lot of use for years.
If you purchased this grill a few years ago, you might have noticed a problem with grease dripping, but the company has since resolved this problem to make it more convenient to use.
They put a welded knob with a drainage hole in to allow the grease to drain when you twist it.
Pros:
- Improved grease management system
- Easy to clean and maintain
- Steel frame and black powder coating gives it excellent endurance and durability
Cons:
- No current way to inject a smoky flavor into your food
In-Depth Overview of the Blackstone 36-inch Gas Grill Griddle Station
Blackstone first introduced the Blackstone 36 back in 2005 as the first griddle lineup.
Since then, this product has built a strong reputation inside the grilling community, and you’re getting a better and more upgraded version each time you buy it since the company is always working to improve it.
You’ll get a restaurant-grade cooking experience on it because it has a commercial shape and offers more than 700-square inches of cooking space.
The bigger cooking surface ensures that you can sizzle or cook any sort of meat while toasting your potatoes at the same time.
It’s an impressive model that comes with four 15,000 BTUs independent burners, and you can cook for two or a huge group at once.
You can easily put on a show when you cook on this product due to the size and design, and it offers a very versatile use because you can quickly and easily control how high the flame is. A few of the biggest pros and cons for this model include:
Pros:
- Extendable side trays
- Onboard storage space for your utensils
- Offers a huge grilling area where you can cook an array of food at once
Cons:
- Weighs in at a bulker 135 pounds but has casters to make moving it easier
Feature-by Feature-Comparison Guide: Blackstone Griddle 28 Versus 36
If you’ve managed to narrow down your griddle choices out of the hundreds available, congratulations. Now, let’s compare the Blackstone 28 and 36 side-by-side to allow you to make your final choice.
Affordability
When it comes to affordability between these two griddles, there isn’t a huge difference. Both of the prices reflect the features you get.
Since the 36-inch model is the older version and comes with a more expensive cooktop than you’ll get with the Blackstone 28-inch, you’ll pay more for it.
However, it also features more burners and a bigger cooking surface to help justify the price.
With this being said, both griddles also deliver the same food quality, so we had to focus on the capacity to help get a clearer picture.
If you want a bigger surface, more burners, and an adjustable heat zone, you should go with the Blackstone 36-inch. You can justify the slightly higher price with the additional features.
On the other hand, the Blackstone 28-inch model has fewer cooktops, so the price seems a lot lower.
Assembly
Both grills come with mostly the same things when it comes to assembly. But once you open the box, you’ll find out that the burner, area of the cooking space, and BTUs all stack up to make a difference in the assembly process. Generally speaking, both models shouldn’t take more than 15 to 20 minutes to set up.
The griddles come in a single box, and you need to cut both plastic straps off before you can pull the box lid straight off.
All of the parts of both grills come nicely wrapped in bubble wrap for extra protection. To assemble both products, you’ll need a 10mm wrench, Philips screwdriver, and an adjustable wrench.
The larger model will take closer to 20 minutes to set up on average, and the smaller model is closer to 10 or 15-minutes to assemble.
Note that the large model is far bulkier at 135-pounds, so you may enlist help to move it when you put it together.
Convenience with Cleaning
Any flat top grill will always win when it comes to cleaning convenience over a traditional grill.
Also, Blackstone has an easy-clean feature because it includes the dripping facility where the grease can easily pass through as you use it. Both griddle sizes come with this channel for the grease to drip into to make cleaning it easier.
When you test both griddles using bacon because it produces more grease as it cooks, we found that the Blackstone 36-inch model has a slightly better capacity for catching grease. The 26-inch model is satisfactory for smaller batches of food.
Heat Distribution and Retention
Does your griddle retain heat when you have the flame on low and high, and does it heat every spot on the cooking surface evenly?
Trying to cook on an unevenly heated surface is frustrating, but both models luckily offer even cooking temperatures on the individual burners. So, you’ll be able to see those long strips of bacon cook flat instead of crunching up.
The big difference for this category comes with quantity and how much of whatever you’re cooking you want to prepare at one time.
The heat retention will depend on having cold-rolled steel, and both griddles have this feature. So, it all comes down to whether or not you want to cook for a crowd or a few people.
Number of Burners
Blackstone offers a flame that can sear any cut of meat in no time, and the Blackstone 36-inch model comes with four burners that can accumulate 30,000 BTUs to give you more heat to cook your food.
Each of the four stainless steel burners can perform individually as well.
So, if you want to lower the flame to make your potatoes crispy on one or two burners, you can very quickly and easily.
For searing meat, you can use the other burners and turn them up as high as you want without disturbing your lower flames. This offers a huge deal of versatility.
On the other side, the 28-inch model has two H-style burners on it, and the maximum BTUs drops down to 15,000. So, this model will give you less freedom and versatility when it comes to the cooking zones.
Both use liquid propane for fuel, and it’s possible to have longer cooking times on both by burning more propane.
Portability
You’ll get more equipment with the Blackstone 36-inch model that makes it challenging to bring out in the yard to use it.
The Blackstone 28-inch model is almost half of the size of the 36-inch model, so it’s easier to move around.
You can easily use the Blackstone 28-inch model as an outdoor flat top griddle with minimal hassle. Both come with secure footing and caster wheels to make it slightly easier to move. The bigger model has four casters, and you want to lock the wheels to keep it in place.
Prep Areas
Any griddle that offers more prep areas will naturally give you more room to store your utensils.
Because it’s a bigger griddle in general, the Blackstone 36-inch model offers you more prep areas due to the fact that it comes equipped with two folding side shelves and a tray under the griddle. The 28-inch model doesn’t have either of these features.
Weight and Cooking Surface
It’s important that you consider the griddle size when you’re trying to decide between two models.
Ideally, you’ll get enough cooking surface with a single product to easily cook for 4 to 10 people, but this will depend entirely on your preferred gathering size.
On the other hand, if you want to entertain a few close friends and take the grill out into the yard, a smaller model would work best.
Take into consideration how you plan to use your griddle. You can either pick the big patio with 720-square inches of cooking space or the smaller option that has 470-square inches of cooking space.
If you go with the smaller one, keep in mind that you’ll get something that is easier to store and more affordable.
Blackstone 28-inch or 36-inch Griddle – Which One Should You Pick?
You’ll notice a lot of similarities with both models when you look at this guide, including ease of use and assembly, black powder coating, convenient and quick electrical start, durability, user-friendly knob design, and durability are all similarities between the two.
Simply put, if you’re in the market for a bigger griddle that offers restaurant-style cooking and more prep area, go with the Blackstone 36-inch model.
You get an impressive 700-square inch cooking space where you can have different foods going at one time because you can adjust each burner individually.
On the other end of the spectrum, if you only need to feed smaller groups of people at once, the Blackstone 28-inch model will be perfect. This grill allows you to enjoy portability at its best while saving your budget.
