Traeger Flatrock Griddle Reviews, Prices & Specs

primeone

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Feb 12, 2019
Messages
1,303
Reaction score
772
Points
113
Location
Austin, TX
Grill
2023 Ironwood-L

Traeger-Flatrock-Griddle.jpg

Rumored price and specs of the Traeger Flatrock

  • Retail price of $899.99
  • Cooking area of 18″ x 33″ or 594 square inches
  • 3-burners
  • TruZone temperature control that has 3 insulated and distinct cooking zones
  • FlameLock that blocks wind while cooking
  • P.A.L Pop-And-Lock Accessory Rail
  • U-shaped burners for even heat distribution
  • Two folding side shelves
  • EZ-Clean Keg for grease management
  • Hard lid with a hinge that keeps it in place when upright
  • Temp range of 350°F to 600°F
 
Looks almost exactly like my Blackstone Culinary Series 3-burner. The only improvement is the wind guard. I bought mine last year for $400 which was the regular price. The Traeger may be better, but I doubt it is worth more than twice the price.
 
Personally I don’t think Traeger can compete against Blackstone. Especially in quality as well as price. They are barely in the top five in pellet smokers.
 
I wonder where the grease chute is placed on the Traeger. I am considering getting one in the spring, but I do not like the rear-center grease chute on the Blackstone. I much prefer the Charbroil FlatIron front-corner grease trap for ease of cleaning the cooking top as well as removal of the grease bucket.
 
I wonder where the grease chute is placed on the Traeger. I am considering getting one in the spring, but I do not like the rear-center grease chute on the Blackstone. I much prefer the Charbroil FlatIron front-corner grease trap for ease of cleaning the cooking top as well as removal of the grease bucket.
In the front on the Traeger cooktop
 
I’ve got an older Blackstone and has the grease tray on the front right side. I like it better than the rear but I’ve got a friend that has two in his food truck that he modified with a deep removable drawer from the front. It’s a good setup and as much as they cook it’s much easier to push everything to the back instead of it overflowing on the floor in front. Another buddy has a really nice one by Loco. It’s really really nice but pricey. I would definitely buy it if I was looking for another one and I’m gonna wait a while to see how it holds up. He’s had it for about 6 months and he has a food trailer. He uses it five days a week about 12 hours a day and so far no issues whatsoever. I was at Home Depot the other day and took a picture of it.
 

Attachments

  • 8D98F183-D43C-4429-B3BD-A11657A34296.jpeg
    8D98F183-D43C-4429-B3BD-A11657A34296.jpeg
    241.7 KB · Views: 100
This is supposed to be released Feb 15 2023.
 
They probably will not offer a Natural Gas version so I hope I can re jet and convert one myself.
 
I thought California was doing away with all Natural Gas Appliances?
They would like to and it's getting harder with stricter emission's rules. House I'm remodeling I had to go with a heat pump because the new heaters are not as reliable due to emissions rule according to my HVAC guy.
I have a gas range and a gas fireplace gas tankless WH and gas stub outs for my grill and future out door kitchen.
All this picking on NG but is it any different than Propane for the environment?
 
My wife’s cousin lives outside of Bakersville and is retired HVAC. It’s really crazy how different it is compared to SC. I helped a neighbor years ago switch a lp grill to natural gas, he ordered a kit from the grill manufacturer and was straight forward to do. The best thing to do is put a cutoff valve at the grill in case one of the burner controllers don’t shut completely off and be really good about turning it off. I left my Blackstone on one night after cooking, I cleaned it with water and left it on a to dry it off while we ate dinner, I didn’t realize it until the next afternoon. It didn’t hurt it, actually help the seasoning but I’ve got it hooked to a hard piped Lp gas line that’s attached to two 100 gallon tanks. I’m sure it burnt a lot of gas.
 
You can get a natural gas conversion kit on Amazon for the Blackstone griddle. It’s half the price and I’m sure it’ll cook and last the same. I just cooked pancakes and a southern side of fatback. I like my bacon in my oven and cooked my eggs on the stove in a cast iron skillet (mainly for the timing of the pancakes). Breakfast for dinner is great sometimes!
 

Attachments

  • A2857354-E623-46EA-84DD-281B6986D059.jpeg
    A2857354-E623-46EA-84DD-281B6986D059.jpeg
    298.1 KB · Views: 24
  • 12502406-C688-41DE-8C31-1F17D17D841D.jpeg
    12502406-C688-41DE-8C31-1F17D17D841D.jpeg
    258.9 KB · Views: 25
  • DAC58203-766C-4D4F-A964-94049AFD02F4.jpeg
    DAC58203-766C-4D4F-A964-94049AFD02F4.jpeg
    256.7 KB · Views: 22
I just set up my Blackstone 36" (got from Tractor Supply for $259 on sale) and the Blackstone NG conversion kit which was about $50 I think. It works great with NG and while I love my Timberline 1300's, $900 is awfully steep for a smaller griddle. I also bought ($20) wind guards for the Blackstone, so that isn't an issue for me either.
 
I did a vertical LP smoker from Costco 20 years ago by looking up the BTUs between LP and NG and found the jets at local BBQ store. Can also use the correct drill size on the LP jests. NG takes a larger size than LP.
 
Natural gas is methane CH4. When it burns, it combines with oxygen gas O2 to form 1 part Carbon dioxide (CO2) and 2 parts water vapor H2O. Because the water is released as water vapor, you lose the heat of evaporation.

Propane is C3H8. Thus, when burned, it forms 3 parts carbon dioxide and 4 parts water vapor. Because the ratio of carbon dioxide in 3:4 for propane compared to 1:2 for natural gas, propane is a more efficient fuel. However, is you are concerned about release of CO2, both have an issue.

Although seldom used as a cooking or heating fuel, butane as often used in fire lighters, is C4H10. Thus, when burned, it forms 4 parts CO2 and 5 parts H2O. Thus, it is an even more efficient fuel than propane.

It is the variation in fuel efficiency of the various hydrocarbon gases that the nozzles have to be a different size. While you could burn natural gas in a burner designed for propane, fewer BTUs would be released. By using a slightly larger orifice for natural gas, you can restore the heat output.
 
Back
Top