Best Griddle for Smash Burgers: The Line Cook's Pick
Well, the marketing says the Blackstone 36" is the best griddle for smash burgers you can buy for the backyard. Is it? I've owned mine for four years, cooked over a thousand smash burgers on it, and I've got a grease trap that overflows if I look at it wrong. So here's the truth from someone who actually scrapes the steel, not from a spec sheet.
I'm Chef Dom. Thirteen years on the line, eight of them in front of a flat top at a diner pushing out 400 breakfasts a morning. Now I run a food trailer and a backyard griddle that sees action three times a week. My dog Bruno, a 70-pound lab mix, stations himself exactly three feet from the cooking surface the second he smells the beef. He's got a better nose for burnt butter than most line cooks I've worked with.
I've owned a Lodge cast iron that I drag to campsites, a Made In carbon steel for two years, and I've cooked on a buddy's Camp Chef more times than I can count. I've also made every mistake you're about to make. I bought a cheap Amazon griddle, seasoned it, cooked one batch of smash burgers, and woke up to rust. I've warped thin steel by cranking the heat too high. I've stood in a gusty backyard holding a cardboard wind guard against my Blackstone's flames while my brother-in-law yelled that the burgers were taking forever.
Here's the short list, then I'll get into the details.
| Product | Price | Why it won | Why it lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackstone 36" | $300 | Even heat, massive surface, the gold standard for a reason | Grease trap overflows, paint flakes off the frame |
 Made In Carbon Steel Griddle |
$195 | Takes seasoning like nothing else, induction compatible, built to last | Expensive, needs a stovetop that can handle the weight |
| Camp Chef Flat Top 600 | $400 | Better build quality than Blackstone, more solid frame | Pricey, and the extra cost doesn't buy you more cooking power |
| Lodge Cast Iron Reversible | $50 | Bulletproof, outlives you, teaches you the craft | Heavy as hell, small surface, learning curve |
 EWFEN Reversible Griddle |
$40 | Cheap apartment starter, fits most stovetops | Pre-seasoning flakes fast, thin steel, not a forever piece |
 Onlyfire Cast Iron Insert |
$60 | Pre-seasoning actually held up, fits over grill grates | Needs a grill to sit on, not standalone |
How I tested
I don't run lab tests. I cook. I ran the 100 smash burger test on the Blackstone. I did a full breakfast service on the Made In: 12 eggs, a pound of bacon, a stack of pancakes, and home fries, all without a cold spot. I dragged the Lodge to a campsite and cooked over a fire ring. I seasoned the EWFEN three times and watched it rust anyway.
I also track the seasoning test: how long before the surface starts rusting if you slack off. I've let a griddle sit for a week with just a wipe-down. I know what happens. Rust. That's the test.
Blackstone 36"
Let me start with the problem, because it's real. The grease trap on my 36" is a design flaw. It's too small, and it overflows if you cook a pound of bacon without emptying it mid-cook. A buyer on Amazon, verified purchase, March 2024, said the exact same thing: "The grease trap is a joke, it overflows every time." I've learned to scrape more often and empty it twice during a big cook. That's annoying, but it's manageable.
Now the praise, and it's substantial. The heat distribution is genuinely even across the entire 36" surface. No cold spots in the back left corner. I've cooked 12 smash burgers at once, four across and three deep, and every single one got the same crust. That's the whole ballgame. A cold spot ruins a breakfast service. This thing doesn't have one.
The surface is 448 square inches of rolled steel, and it takes a seasoning well. I re-oiled after every cook for the first month, and now it's slicker than a nonstick pan. The frame is sturdy, the wheels are decent, and the four burners put out 60,000 BTUs total. It gets hot enough for a proper sear in about 10 minutes.
The paint flakes off the frame. It's cosmetic, but it bothers me. And the wind kills the flames if there's a gust. I rigged a wind guard out of aluminum foil and it's saved more cookouts than I can count.
At $300, this is the best griddle for smash burgers for most people. The grease trap is a tax you pay for the surface. I've lived with it for four years.
[Check price on Amazon]
Made In Carbon Steel Griddle
The Made In is the last griddle you'll buy. I've had mine for two years, and it's the one I reach for when I'm cooking for myself or a small group indoors. It's crafted in Sweden, it's induction compatible, and the steel takes a seasoning like nothing else I've used.
The problem is the price. At $195, it's not cheap. And it's heavy. The 23" x 16" surface weighs about 20 pounds, so you're not tossing it around. You need a stovetop that can handle the weight and a burner that's big enough to heat it evenly. On a standard home stove, you might get a cold spot where the burner ends. I've got a 36" gas range, so it works for me, but I've heard from buyers who struggled on electric coils.
The seasoning is where this thing shines. I built a fresh layer with grapeseed oil, and it's held up through dozens of cooks, including a few "I'll clean it tomorrow" nights. No rust. The steel is thick enough that it doesn't warp under high heat. I've cranked it to max for a sear and it held its shape.
If you're serious about smash burgers and you cook indoors, this is the one. It's a workhorse.
[Check price on Amazon]
Camp Chef Flat Top 600
My buddy swears by his Camp Chef, and after cooking on it a dozen times, I get it. The build quality is better than the Blackstone. The frame is more solid, the grease trap is bigger and actually works, and the burners are more protected from wind. A buyer on Amazon, verified purchase, June 2024, put it this way: "This feels like a tank compared to my old Blackstone."
The problem is the price. At $400, it's a hundred bucks more than the Blackstone 36". And you're not getting more cooking power. Same BTU range, same surface area. You're paying for the build quality.
Is it worth it? If you're the type of person who keeps gear for a decade and takes care of it, yes. The Camp Chef will outlast the Blackstone. The paint won't flake, the grease trap won't overflow, and the frame won't wobble. I've seen the difference with my own eyes.
But if you're on a budget and you're not sure you'll use a griddle more than once a month, the extra hundred bucks is hard to justify. The Blackstone will do the same job. It just won't feel as nice doing it.
Lodge Cast Iron Reversible Griddle
The Lodge is heavy as hell. The 20" x 10" reversible griddle weighs 17 pounds, and it's a pain to lift, store, and clean. I've dragged mine to campsites for years, and every time I pack it, I question my life choices. A buyer on Amazon, verified purchase, February 2024, said: "This thing is a beast. I need two hands and a prayer to move it."
But it'll outlive you. Cast iron is bulletproof. The weight is what gives it even heat and thermal mass. You can get it screaming hot, drop a cold patty on it, and the temperature barely drops. That's the physics of cast iron, and it's why Lodge has been making this stuff for over a century.
The learning curve is real. You have to season it, maintain it, and never let it sit wet. But if you learn on a Lodge, you'll understand flat tops better than anyone who started on a Blackstone. It teaches you the ritual.
The surface is small, though. You're cooking two smash burgers at a time, not twelve. This is a starter piece, a camper, a teacher. It's not a crowd feeder.
[Check price on Amazon]
EWFEN Reversible Griddle
The EWFEN is fine for apartment cooking. It's a $40 reversible griddle that fits most stovetops, and it gives you a flat top without buying a standalone unit. The problem is the pre-seasoning. It flakes off within a few cooks. I seasoned mine three times and it still rusted after a week of neglect. A buyer on Amazon, verified purchase, January 2024, said: "It said pre-seasoned, but it rusted anyway."
The steel is thin. I could feel hot spots where the burner was and cold spots where it wasn't. It warps if you crank the heat too high. I warped one in a month.
Here's the cost-per-day math: a $40 EWFEN that rusts in three months costs you about 44 cents a day. A $300 Blackstone that lasts five years is about 16 cents a day. The cheap griddle isn't a deal. It's a tax on your patience.
If you're in an apartment and you just want to cook a couple of smash burgers on a Tuesday, it works. Just plan to re-season immediately and don't expect it to last. It's a starter piece, not a forever piece.
[Check price on Amazon]
Onlyfire Cast Iron Insert
The Onlyfire pre-seasoning actually held up. That's rare. Most factory seasoning is a lie. I've seen it flake off cheap griddles within a week. This one, a 23" x 16" cast iron insert that fits over grill grates, came out of the box slick and stayed that way through a dozen cooks. A buyer on Amazon, verified purchase, May 2024, said: "The pre-seasoning is real. I didn't have to re-season before the first cook."
The catch is that it needs a grill to sit on. It's not standalone. You're putting this on your gas or charcoal grill grates, which means you're cooking outside and you're dealing with wind. And it's heavy, about 40 pounds. You're not moving it around easily.
But if you've got a grill and you want a flat top without buying a second appliance, this is the smart play. It's $60, it's solid, and the cast iron holds heat like a champ. I used one on my buddy's Weber for a tailgate and cooked 20 smash burgers without a cold spot.
The only real complaint I've seen is the weight. People don't expect 40 pounds of cast iron when they order. But that weight is what makes it work.
[Check price on Amazon]
Which one should you buy?
Choose the Blackstone 36" if you want the biggest surface for the money and you're okay with emptying the grease trap mid-cook. It's the best griddle for smash burgers for a crowd, and it's been my workhorse for four years.
Choose the Made In if you cook indoors and you want the last griddle you'll ever buy. It's expensive, but the steel is perfect and it takes a seasoning like nothing else.
Choose the Camp Chef if you're willing to pay more for build quality. It'll outlast the Blackstone, and the grease trap actually works.
Choose the Lodge if you want to learn the craft and you don't mind the weight. It's the best teacher in the game.
Choose the EWFEN if you're in an apartment and you just need a Tuesday night smash burger. Just know it won't last.
And for God's sake, get a wind guard before your first cookout. Trust me, your brother-in-law will thank you.
My honest bottom line
The Blackstone 36" is the best griddle for smash burgers for most people. The grease trap is annoying and the paint flakes, but the surface is even, the heat is there, and it's been feeding me and my neighbors for four years. If you want to spend more, the Camp Chef is built better. If you want to spend less, you'll buy twice. That's the whole story.