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Blackstone Griddle Grease Splatter
Blackstone griddle grease splatters can be an issue when you are cooking fatty foods like bacon, or 80/20 hamburger patties that produce a lot of rendered fat.
Ultimately, grease control on a Blackstone griddle’s seasoned cooktop requires a thoughtful cook, and perhaps also a grease splatter screen or spatter shield.
If too much hot grease starts to splatter off the griddle top it can do more than just leave you with a slippery messy deck.
With some deck materials, the hot splatter can leave tiny burn marks and stains. In some rare cases, it can even damage a propane hose.
Grease control on a Blackstone griddle starts with careful cooking techniques to prevent grease and rendered fat from pooling on the cooktop.
Diverting grease to the rear grease port, or dragging it to the front grease management system can be done with a simple scraper spatula. If your Blackstone’s front grease trough is flowing slowly, you can use a grease key to keep things moving along.
Grease Control on the Blackstone Griddle
Grease control on a Blackstone griddle starts with thoughtful cooking practices and temperature control.
As the meat starts to cook, the fat and collagen start to render into grease and gelatin, which can be released onto the cooktop. If the cooktop is overly hot, these liquids can start to fry or boil causing spatter.
The more they are allowed to pool, the worse this spattering will be.
Keeping a scraping spatula on hand, using a flat flipper spatula or an offset spatula to push the grease toward the grease management system will go a long way toward reducing the risk of spatter.
You just have to be wise about how much liquid you send to the grease management system at a time.
Blackstone also offers a “Grease Key” accessory to help maintain a wise flow of grease through their models with a front grease management system.
It has a tiny thumb tab like a guitar pick that you can firmly hold onto.
The tip is shaped to fit perfectly in the front grease trough, allowing you to push the grease quickly toward the grease collection cup at the end.
Though you might want to put a wood grill skewer in the hole at the end of the trough to make sure the liquid grease flows directly to the collection cup, rather than leaking down the front leg of the cart base.
How To Prevent Grease from Splattering
Splatter screens and splatter shields combined with thoughtful griddle top grease management practices will go a long way toward preventing excess grease splatter from your Blackstone griddle.
Keeping a grease key or having the right kind of spatula on hand to direct the flow of grease in your griddle’s grease management system will also prevent grease from pooling and spattering on the cooktop.
Getting A Splatter Screen
Splatter screens and splatter shields are two popular tools for keeping grease spatter and rendered fat on the griddle top. A splatter screen is usually a type of metal mesh with small feet that rests over the food.
When grease splatters up, it hits the screen rather than becoming airborne. Though this tends to only be effective for relatively flat foods.
Splatter shields are foldable metal panels that stand up on the edges of the griddle top.
When grease and rendered fat spatters up, it hits the shield and drizzles back down onto the griddle top, rather than flying over to your deck boards.
If your Blackstone griddle has a rear grease management system, you will need to put something at the base of the back panel to let rendered fat flow toward the grease collection cup.
The handle of an old butter knife or a piece of metal a quarter-inch thick should provide enough of a gap while still containing the splattering grease.
Should You Be Worried About Grease Splattering on a Blackstone Griddle?
Excessive grease splatter coming off a Blackstone griddle can make your deck boards very slippery. Even traces of grease that aren’t cleaned up can mix with rainwater to discolor deck boards and make them sticky with time.
Some deck materials can also be damaged or permanently stained by grease splatter. Hot grease can even damage your propane hose.
Final Thoughts
Reducing grease splatter on your Blackstone griddle starts with thoughtful cooking practices.
If you are making bacon, 80/20 hamburger patties, or some other type of food that produces a lot of rendered fat, you might want to invest in a splatter screen and a spatter shield.
This will help keep the grease from splattering away from the griddle top onto your vulnerable deck boards.
Keeping a grease key and a spare spatula ready will also help ensure an easy flow of grease through your Blackstone griddle’s grease management system to the collection cup.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.