The best griddle and grill combos
A ridged plate is not a grill. Here is which combos genuinely do both jobs, and when you should not buy one at all.
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Quick picks
Ranked on published specifications using our scoring rubric. Tap a row for the full write-up.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600People who want a grill and a griddle | People who want a grill and a griddle | 8.3 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 |  Steelmade Flat Top for Outdoor GrillTurning a gas grill into a griddle | Turning a gas grill into a griddle | 7.9 | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 |  Blackstone 28" XL Omnivore GriddleThree zones without the 36's footprint | Three zones without the 36's footprint | 7.9 | Check price on Amazon |
| 4 |  Pit Boss Ultimate Lift-Off 4-Burner GriddleSkipping the seasoning routine entirely | Skipping the seasoning routine entirely | 8.1 | Check price on Amazon |
#ad We publish no prices: there is no verified price feed on this site, so the retailer’s page is the only price. How this is funded
What makes a combo real
The honest test is simple: does it have actual grill grates, with gaps that let fat fall away and flame contact the food, or does it have a ridged plate that leaves marks?
A ridged plate is a griddle with lines on it. It cannot do the thing grilling is for — fat dripping onto heat, vaporizing and coming back up through the food. That is where grilled flavor comes from, and a solid surface cannot produce it regardless of what the ridges look like.
The Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600 is first here because it genuinely converts: 604 square inches as a griddle, 501 as a grill, with real grates rather than a textured plate.
The conversion always costs you something
On the Camp Chef, converting from griddle to grill loses you 103 square inches. That is not a design failure, it is geometry — grates and a solid plate cannot occupy the same space, and the grate assembly fits inside a frame.
You also gain storage requirements. Whichever surface is not on the unit has to live somewhere, and a 36-inch steel plate is not a small object. This is the practical reason plenty of combo owners end up only ever using one mode.
The cheaper and often better answer
If you already own a gas grill, a steel griddle plate gives you a combo for a fraction of the cost of a dedicated combo unit. No second appliance, no second propane tank, no extra patio footprint, and the plates available are often thicker than a dedicated griddle cooktop — 3/16-inch and up.
The trade is that your grill’s burners were laid out for grates, not a solid plate, so hot spots follow the burner pattern more aggressively than on a purpose-built griddle. For most people that is a very acceptable trade for the money saved.
When a combo is the wrong purchase
If you already know which way you cook, buy that appliance properly instead. A dedicated griddle at a given price is a better griddle than a combo at the same price, because none of the engineering budget went into the other mode.
Combos make sense when you genuinely switch — steaks and chicken on grates, breakfast and smash burgers on the flat top — and have room for one appliance rather than two. That is a real use case; it is just narrower than the marketing implies. Griddle vs grill works through which one you actually want.
Hoods matter more on a combo
Grilling benefits from trapped heat far more than griddling does — it is how you cook anything thick without burning the outside. A combo without a hood is only half a grill, so check for one. Hoods and hard covers covers the difference between a hinged hood and a lift-off cover, which are not the same thing.
The picks in detail
Specifications are linked to their source on every card. Scores are ours, derived from those specifications.
#1 · People who want a grill and a griddle
Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600
604 square inches as a griddle, 501 as a grill — the only unit here that converts properly rather than pretending a griddle plate is a grill.
#ad We publish no prices: there is no verified price feed on this site, so the retailer’s page is the only price. How this is funded
Key specifications
- Griddle area
- 604 sq in
- Grill area
- 501 sq in
- Burners
- 4 × 12,000 BTU
- Total output
- 48,000 BTU
- Cooktop
- Pre-seasoned cold-rolled steel
- Dimensions
- 62.5 × 37 × 22 in
Specifications from BBQGuys spec sheet.
Scores
- Cooking area8.0
- Heat output9.5
- Zone control9.0
- Surface care7.0
- Portability3.5
What works
- Genuinely does both jobs — the grill grates are real grates, not a ridged plate
- Even 12,000 BTU per burner means the zones are matched rather than lopsided
- Pre-seasoned cold-rolled steel out of the box
What to know
- You lose 103 sq in when you convert to grill mode
- More parts to store than a dedicated griddle
- 79.5 BTU per sq in is strong, but only with all four burners lit
#2 · Turning a gas grill into a griddle
Steelmade Flat Top for Outdoor Grill
3/16-inch American steel that drops onto an existing gas grill — the maker states it is 50% thicker than most dedicated griddle tops.
#ad We publish no prices: there is no verified price feed on this site, so the retailer’s page is the only price. How this is funded
Key specifications
- Steel thickness
- 3/16 in
- Made in
- USA
- Drainage
- ½ in front drain holes along the front edge
- Fits
- An existing gas grill
- Surface
- Bare steel — needs seasoning
- Maker's claim
- 50% thicker than most dedicated griddles
Specifications from Steelmade product page.
Scores
- Cooking area6.0
- Heat output6.0
- Zone control5.5
- Surface care6.0
- Portability7.5
What works
- Thickness is the whole argument: a thicker plate holds temperature when cold food lands
- No new appliance, no new footprint, no second propane tank
- Front drain holes put the grease where you can reach it, unlike rear-drain griddles
What to know
- You lose your grill while the plate is on it
- Your grill's burners were designed for grates, not a solid plate — hot spots follow burner layout
- Bare steel: seasoning and rust prevention are entirely on you
#3 · Three zones without the 36's footprint
Blackstone 28" XL Omnivore Griddle
Three zones in a 613-square-inch body — the useful middle ground — but the BTU rating genuinely varies between variants, so read it off the listing in front of you.
#ad We publish no prices: there is no verified price feed on this site, so the retailer’s page is the only price. How this is funded
Key specifications
- Cooking area
- 613 sq in
- Burners
- 3
- Total output
- 28,500 / 45,000 / 48,000 BTU depending on variant
- Cooktop
- Omnivore plate
- Ignition
- Electronic
- Height
- 59.44 in
Specifications from Academy Sports listing.
Listings disagree: Retailers list this body at 28,500 BTU (Academy), 45,000 BTU and 48,000 BTU — all at 613 sq in. The surface area is settled; the heat output is not. Check the BTU figure on the exact listing you are buying.
Scores
- Cooking area8.0
- Heat output7.5
- Zone control8.5
- Surface care6.5
- Portability4.0
What works
- Three zones at 613 sq in is the best zone-to-footprint ratio Blackstone sells
- Electronic ignition is more reliable over time than a piezo button
- Meaningfully more surface than the 28 without the 36's storage problem
What to know
- The BTU rating is not consistent across listings — the same 613 sq in body appears at 28,500, 45,000 and 48,000 BTU
- A 28,500 BTU example over 613 sq in is thin heat; that variant recovers slowly
- The Omnivore plate is a different surface from the classic carbon steel and takes seasoning differently
#4 · Skipping the seasoning routine entirely
Pit Boss Ultimate Lift-Off 4-Burner Griddle
The only griddle here with a non-stick armored ceramic surface rather than steel — no seasoning, no rust, and a different set of trade-offs.
#ad We publish no prices: there is no verified price feed on this site, so the retailer’s page is the only price. How this is funded
Key specifications
- Cooking area
- 647 sq in
- Burners
- 4, stainless steel
- Total output
- 46,000 BTU
- Cooktop
- Non-stick armored ceramic
- Lift-off top
- 89 lb
- Grease
- Removable tray
Specifications from Pit Boss product page.
Scores
- Cooking area8.5
- Heat output8.0
- Zone control9.5
- Surface care8.0
- Portability3.0
What works
- No seasoning and no rust — this is a genuinely different ownership experience from every steel top here
- Four zones across 647 sq in, and the top lifts off for cleaning
- Folding shelves with built-in tool hooks
What to know
- A ceramic coating is a wear item — steel can be restored indefinitely, a coating cannot
- The lift-off top weighs 89 lb; 'removable for cleaning' is a two-person job
- Non-stick surfaces do not develop the fond that makes a seasoned steel top sear the way it does
Common questions
Are griddle and grill combos worth it?
Can a griddle with ridges count as a grill?
What is the cheapest way to get both a grill and a griddle?
How much cooking area do you lose converting a combo?
Sources
Every specification on this page came from one of these. If you find one of them has changed, tell us and we will correct it.
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Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600
604 square inches as a griddle, 501 as a grill, four matched 12,000 BTU burners. A combo that genuinely converts.
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