Grill or Griddle?

I cooked professionally for a food manufacturing company.  We had stainless gas grill to par-cook proteins and put grill marks on.  
Everything was transferred to sheet pans;  put on rolling racks and wheeled into ovens to finish cooking.  
When we wanted to put seared marks on the food;  we had a stainless griddle that sat directly on the grill.     We were able to produce over eight hundred pounds of 4 oz chicken cutlets in a shift.  
A team of ladies hand cut the cutlets.  Two people made the marinade and marinated.  One person ran the grill/ seat station and one person operated the ovens.   I was the research and development chef and designed all recipes and set up the production process.   Walmarts sold millions and millions of our cryosealed finished plates.  It was quite the experience!  
So, to answer your questions,  there are commercially available grill/ griddle options available that work really well!  For about $250-$300 you can get the best of both options!   Oh!  It does take some extra time to get the griddle hot;  but like you said,  no big deal! 

I used to swear by my grill pan for veggies (wife is vegetarian) and makes sense for things like julienned peppers or asparagus that would fall through the rack.  I loved it.   

But with regards to taste, it sure doesn't come close to a grill flavor.  Not sure a griddle on a grill gives that same effect with out the ventilation but you can get racks that have smaller holes for fish and veggies that will work just fine.  So that's the route I'd go.

We also had a griddle for our stove top in the old house.and would rarely use it.  Even for pancakes I preferred my cast iron skillet as the temperature was easier to manage.  . 

>>>......they rust out faster than a chronic pot smoker's Bic lighter empties.

I'm not a griller, but i am a chronic pot smoker.  Not me in this pic, but the empty lighter problem is for newbs. There are solutions ;)

https://siamagazin.com/guy-builds-the-worlds-biggest-lighter-with-fully-...

I was a Weber kettle guy for years, but then I picked up one of their Q Series gas grills a few years back, and I'll never go back to charcoal.

https://www.weber.com/US/en/gas/weber-q-series/

I'm still a weber round charcoal guy, but looking to upgrade.  Have been stymied by the gas/ charcoal/ pellets decision. 

Chronic pot smoker here. Also chronic meat smoker. It's rare I'm grilling much except burgers or corn on the cob. Lately we've been using the cosori indoor grill for quite a few things (veggies, chicken, salmon, etc.) and it's really unbelievable. No messing with wood or charcoal and no propane. I made some strip steaks last week on it (and still did end up using the cast iron to sear), but they were laughably good. Usually I'm an anti-gadget guy, but this thing has really won me over.

I'm smoking mozzarella as we speak on a traeger pellet smoker which has a sear option

no complaints. set the temp and walk away

but I feel bad for the trees and probably won't replace it when it dies

Weber Spirit II.

decent.

i like to turn it on and cook 5-10 mins later. no f'in with charcol.

i do not smoke....the meat...yet.

my buddy is pretty handy with those green eggs.

> traeger pellet smoker

A buddy of mine has one of those and I want one so bad. We did some pork tenderloins a couple of weeks ago that were done in about 90 minutes. But I'm also trying to get my cholesterol numbers down, so a smoker is on the back burner for me for now.

I love that lighter. Adjust it higher!

Have the 4 burner Blackstone griddle. It's tremendous. Can heat one side at a higher and the other a lower temperature if need be, depending on what your cooking. 

Great for veggies. Have done shrimp and chicken lo mein and  fajitas, burgers,  dogs, Monte Cristos, all came out great. 

Also awesome for breakfast. Pancakes, hash browns, bacon, eggs, you can get a ton of food going at once if you're feeding a lot of people. 

The initial seasoning was pretty easy and now that it's broken in, clean up is simple. Just squirt a little water on it and scrape. Takes a minute or two. 

I prefer gas to charcoal. I use a smaller griddle on the side fir vegetables!

I use an older propane Weber Go Anywhere Grill. It's fairly small but works great.

I use it for lots of vegetables and almost all of the meat and fish I cook, rarely cooking either of those in the house.

Griddle!  Way more possibilities. 

I only use my Weber kettle with charcoal anymore. I had a small portable Weber gas grill but sold it before we moved.

I equate Traegers and the outdoor griddle to an oven and a frying pan, not really outdoor cooking imo. Great food but not much of a challenge. Outdoor cooking is a Sport. 

A griddle might be a better look for you, Alan.

Aw, man. That sucks. I hope you get over it quickly.

$125 at Home Depot about 4 years ago.  Starting to rust out inside also - time to shop again.

Sorry to read that you tested positive for Covid, Alan. I hope you get through it quickly and completely, without too much discomfort on the way. That's a real bummer.

That Covid shit is going around again.   It's unfortunate.  

A speedy and full recovery, Alan.

We got a 36" Blackstone from Walmart on sale fro $249, been wanting one for some time. You can cook just about anything on that bad boy and clean up is so easy. The family seems to really like the smash burgers.

We also have a Trager pellet grill/smoker. This is another fine unit I got on sale at Ace Hardware. It weighs  212 pounds, Ace assembles it all and delivers it to my front porch, my back thanks them.

We smoke everything from brisket, chicken wings (phenomenal) to smoked shrimp to smoke cream cheese

With my son back from college with a job we all eat very well

I really feel like the Paxlovid has helped the 2 times I have used it.
But was a strange fucking taste experience. It's just so profoundly weird & overpowers tasting anything properly, until you are done with it.
Wellwishes.

Flat top griddles are great for proteins because you get a very even Maillard reaction. That said, I haven't used my Blackstone at all this year. It's. Great concept, but the Blackstone isn't the greatest quality and requires a lot of care. I guess if I used it all the time it wouldn't, but I don't. 

I got a Fuego propane grill this Spring and I love it.

Now, pellet smokers are right up my alley, and generally what I use the most. Sadly, my Camp Chef Woodwind 24 got fried in July's flood. I just ordered a replacement yesterday.

Personally, I'd stay away from Traeger because you're paying for the name, not quality. You'll get a much better product for less money with many other brands. I keep going back to Camp Chef because I love their controller. You can set both the temp and the smoke. I got the MZGX 24, which is $200 off right now. The pellets make a difference. I get the Camp Chef competition blend and mix in some Camp Chef CharWood, either apple or cherry.

I got the small Fuego. I'm pretty sure there's room to share with a vegetarian. Mine doesn't have any shelves. That fucker is only 17,000 BTU, but heats to 700 in minutes. The big pros for me are the small footprint, the amazing ease of cleaning, and the 2 zones that allow for unique indirect heating.

Which model Brian?

I have the round 21" one. It's perfect for what I need.

Thinking about that small Fuego myself. I love my Weber and charcoal, but I used my old gas grill a lot more than the Weber because of how easy it is to get going. 700 degrees sounds sooo sexy, plus the small footprint will fit my small porch better than the Weber kettle with built in table. 

Looks like the new 21" is now 22,000 BTU/hr. 399.00

That Fuego Element Hinged F21C-H is one dead-ass sexy grilling machine, and it's got a serious feature set too. But I can't justify buying a new grill now when I don't even have a smoker :-(

For the Dr. Who fans, it looks like a Dalek.

$399 is a great deal. I paid almost $500.

Oh yeah, the 45 degree hinge is the most simple and profound development in grill technology. You can open and close the damn thing without having to reach over the flame. Its brilliant.

sounds like the majority of the zone is missing out on the magic of wood and charcoal. unfortunate. smoking meats has allowed me to keep eating really tasty meat without spending to much as prices rise. ill get a brisket, pork butt, ribs, whole chicken, tri tip, london broil etc, smoke it, and seal portions in ziploc freezer bags in the fridge. stays good all week, and every day im eating super tasty high quality meats for a pretty low price. stuff like brisket, pork butt and ribs i cook texas style with post oak, chicken, tri tip and london broil i bring to temp over the course of 2-3hr on the smoker(130 for beef, 140 for chicken), and then i sear the shit out of it over direct heat.

most veggies are probably better on propane and get a funny taste when youve got to much smoke going on, but other than that, the magic of a real wood fire is not to be missed out on.

Lifestyle choices, Daylight. It's a bit of a trade off. Any way you cut it, propane is way more convenient. On weekdays I leave the house at 7:30 and don't get home until 6:30, and by then I'm starving. I'll be done eating long before your coals are even ready. Pellet smokers don't impart as deep a smoke flavor, but for me that's a bonus because I burp heavy smoke for days. I can also do an overnight smoke and get a good night's sleep.

Mark, there is also 10% off of that price on their website 

Weber with meat and Brussels sprouts in foil pouch.  I use the briquettes.

I pulled the trigger on the 21" Fuego $359.10 with free shipping from their website. The old Weber will be moving to the garage and pulled out for larger bbqs 

thats what i use for all my outdoor cooking fabes. im able to get near pro-bbq results by using one of those little charcoal baskets to make a well contained indirect fire and adding chunks(not chips) of post oak, pecan and apple wood. i usually start with kingsford briquettes for an even fire, and then as the cook goes on i add hardwood lump charcoal to keep things going without introducing the off flavors that can come from briquettes that have not ashed over yet.

it takes a ton of practice and dialing in to do a 10 hour cook with a little pile of charcoal in one of these babies, staying in the 200F-275F range almost the whole time, and you have to constantly tend the fire, but its worth it for me and produces considerably better bbq than a pellet grill.

How low a temp can you get you get and maintain Daylight? 
was think yesterday about designing a charcoal basket that is only one coal wide and snakes around for slow burning coals one at a time 

I am pretty much the only one in the Family that likes smoked meats so lately I have been cheating and doing my 10 hours cooks in the oven.

I can't really get close to 200, about 225 is about as low as I get and maintain 

I'm still a weber round charcoal guy, but looking to upgrade.

>>> No upgrade exists.

Grill !

Although i have a large unassembled pellet grill and a second small unassembled pellet grill i plan on trying next year.

I broke in the new pellet smoker the other day:

Fabes, I don't see that grill on their webpage.

Bk coming in with the dinosaur bones

looking proper

https://www.fuegoliving.com/collections/element-professional/products/ne...
 

here you go, Mark

Thanks. Now I get it. The pic is of your old weber.

Fred Flintstone BBQ action.

The pellet grills will be tested next year. I still don't ever see giving up my Weber Classic charcoal grill. I don't think its necessary to pick one, why not have multiple grills?

I have had the small Fuego about a week now, and love it.

when I first got it I thought it was a bit flimsy compared to the old Weber but....

after using it and seeing how efficient it is and how fast it reaches those high temps, I love it.

BK talked about indirect heating, and I didn't get it, not on a gas grill, I thought. 
 

the lid is small and somewhat Weber shaped, and the gas burners are circular and on the outer edges. This leaves the center as a great place for indirect cooking, and at 600-700 degrees it is fast. The small lid keeps that heat in. We have an old stone pizza disc for cooking pizza on in the oven. Put it on the grill and made some flatbread pizza last night, awesome. 
 

happy camper 

Wait until you see how easy it is to clean!

Ha, I already did. I like that big grill plate you cook on better than the wire grates that rust over time.

but with the wire grates and rust my motto was "'Dust off those rusty strings, just one more time"