Flat Top Griddle vs Gas Grill: Which Should You Buy First?

Choose a flat top griddle if

• Breakfast outside, smash burgers, cheesesteaks, fajitas and stir-fry are what you want to cook.
• You feed kids who want food fast: a 36 inch top cooks 30 burgers at once.
• Flare-ups make you nervous.
• You will oil and cover the top after every cook.

Choose a gas grill if

• Thick steaks, chicken on the bone, ribs and roasts are the meals you care about.
• You want to cook with the lid down and one side off, which a griddle cannot do well.
• You want low maintenance: a cast-aluminum cookbox like the Weber Spirit E-325 Gas Grill (Propane) will not rust through.
• You want grill flavor from drippings hitting hot metal.

For many weeknight menus, yes. Burgers, chicken thighs, sausages, shrimp and vegetables cook well on a flat top, often faster. It cannot replace a grill for thick-cut steaks you want to sear and then finish gently, bone-in chicken halves, ribs or anything you would roast with the lid down, because a griddle hood traps little heat around the food. If those foods are on your table every week, a griddle alone will frustrate you.

The reverse is also true. A grill cannot do eggs, pancakes, fried rice or delicate fish without an insert or pan. Households that cook outside four or more nights a week often end up owning both, which is why our intermediate outdoor cooking setup pairs a grill with a griddle.

It is a good compromise if you griddle occasionally. The Charbroil Pro Series Amplifire 4-Burner Gas Grill with Side Burner ($649.99) ships with a griddle insert and charcoal trays alongside 535 sq in of primary grate. The Weber Genesis E-325 Gas Grill (Propane) grates accept Weber's Crafted frame, and you can add a Weber Crafted griddle insert to it. An insert covers part of the grate, so you cook a smaller batch than on a dedicated 36 inch flat top, and you still sear steaks on the rest of the grates.

It is a poor compromise if you griddle more than you grill. Heat under an insert is less even than under a purpose-built flat top with a burner under every zone, and you lose grate space for the rest of the meal. If you are already leaning griddle, see best flat top griddles.

At full throttle, griddles are thirsty. The hoodless Blackstone 36 in. 4-Burner Griddle Cooking Station lists 60,000 BTU: about 2.8 lb of propane per hour on high, roughly $2.30 an hour, and about 7 hours on a 20 lb tank. The Nexgrill 4-Burner Stainless Gas Grill with Side Burner lists 48,000 BTU on its main burners: about 2.2 lb per hour, roughly $1.85, and about 9 hours per tank. In practice, griddles run at medium and cook fast, while grills run longer with the lid down for thicker food, so a typical dinner uses similar gas on either.

Weber does not publish main burner BTU for the current Spirit, so weigh the tank before and after a cook to learn your own rate. The propane tank runtime calculator does the division for any BTU rating. Cost examples use propane at $3.50 per gallon (4.24 lb per gallon, about 83 cents per pound) and 21,548 BTU per pound; swap in your local price.

A 36 inch griddle cart with shelves folded spans roughly the same width as a three-burner cabinet grill, but griddle shelves are often used open, so plan for the full width plus a place to stand. Both need the side and rear clearances from siding, railings and eaves printed in their manuals, commonly 24 inches or more from combustible construction. Griddles throw fine grease mist, so keep them away from light-colored siding and put a mat such as the Cuisinart 65 x 36 in. Non-Slip Grill Mat under either on a deck.