Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I don't know about you folks, but I'm not a huge fan of char-grilled food. Let's just say that growing up, my family members seemed to spend more time drinking beer rather than focusing on what they were cooking on the old Weber. Who likes a burnt burger? NOT ME! When it comes to food, such as burgers, breakfast, tacos, etc. - I love them to come from a flat top. I had been researching purchasing a legitimate commercial kitchen griddle, such as one from Vulcan. There are advantages to do this (stainless, thick griddle plates, thermostatic controls if desired, and there are some great deals on used commercial kitchen equipment out there. With that said, it just seemed a bit overkill at this point in time. I started looking at the Blackstone and noticed they had updated the model since I had looked at it last. I read a lot of good reviews on the 1554 Griddle and decided to order one since it was a fraction of the price of the Vulcan griddle I was looking at, plus it was portable and fueled by LPG. Assembly: Straight forward if you can use basic hand tools. It took me about 15 minutes to assemble the griddle by myself but I'm a very mechanically inclined guy. I would say even if you've hardly ever handled a screwdriver, it shouldn't take more than 45 minutes to assemble. Everything fit together without any issues and I found no defects in the construction. Mobility: Very mobile with decent wheels. The only issue is that it makes it difficult to level. Portability: You can break it down and fold it up for transportation in less than 10 minutes. Is it the easiest thing in the world to do? No. However it's certainly feasible if you want to take it camping or to a friends house a few times a year. Quality: The construction is solid and adequate for the backyard cook. It doesn't feel unstable or flimsy. Will it last 20 years? Probably not, but then again for the price I don't think that would be realistic expectation. Heat Distribution: This is a highly important item for me. I've done some testing with an IR thermometer to check the heat distribution. It's fairly even between each burner, however the left and right edges are cooler than the center for obvious reasons. I find that this is an advantage, since you can move items to the outside edges to reduce the cooking speed while other items are finished up. With four burners, you can also have a hot and cool side on the griddle. It does vent heat around the full perimeter of the griddle, which means you're going to get warmed up a bit while cooking. In comparison, the 24" griddle on my Camp Chef outdoor stove blocks the heat from leaving the front, so it's a little cooler for the cook to use. Not a big deal and if it's cold, this becomes an advantage. Capacity: It's plenty big to cook for the average family get-together. You can also use a section of the griddle for smaller cooks, though some of the hit will wick away due to the rest of the griddle acting like a heatsink. Grease Management: If this griddle has a glaring oversight, it's in grease management. Had they installed leveling legs on the griddle base to the burner assembly, it would have allowed some precision leveling. That doesn't exist, though you can shim the griddle slightly with washers sized to go around the pins which sit within the burner assembly. The main issue here is the shallow grease trough and the poorly designed drip hole/grease tray. For a griddle this size, the grease tray is small. It's also a pretty bad design, since thinner grease/oil will find a way to miss the grease tray at random times. That can create quite a mess on whatever surface your griddle is sitting on. Had they installed a nipple to better direct the grease flow, it would have helped considerably. In addition the trough is very shallow, so caution must be used to prevent spillage. This is even more of an issue if the griddle isn't perfectly level. I'll be using my fabrication skills to modify the grease tray and also the griddle itself so that a small nipple is installed to direct the grease flow downwards. Considering the rest of the griddle is pretty well designed, this is the one area in my opinion where they fell short. Overall: It's a great piece of cooking equipment. Even temps, heavy griddle, pre-seasoned, solid construction, great capacity and a price which is very reasonable for the capabilities it adds to your "cooking toolbox" at home. I've made some really good food on this griddle already and it will be something I use for years to come. I'd buy it again without hesitation. Tips: Get some liquid butter, such as Phase Oil Liquid Butter Alternative sold here on Amazon. It works great for cooking most foods on the griddle. Also make sure you have a good scraper, a set of griddle spatulas and a screen/Scotchbrite griddle cleaning tool. A set of squirt bottles for water (to lift grease/debris after cooking), oil and liquid butter are very helpful. Some self sealing bottles are sold here on Amazon which work perfectly for dispensing these items while cooking. Lastly get some seasoning shakers, because you'll want to be well equipped once you start cooking on this thing.