Blackstone vs LoCo
One has a quarter more heat per square inch. The other actually holds the temperature you asked for.
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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 | Blackstone 36" Original GriddleLarge families and crowd cooking | Large families and crowd cooking | 8.6 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | LoCo 36" SmartTemp 3-Burner GriddleAnyone who wants a real thermostat | Anyone who wants a real thermostat | 8.0 | 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
Side by side
Same fields on both sides. Heat density is computed from the published BTU and cooking area, not quoted from a manufacturer.
| Specification | Blackstone 36" Original Griddle | LoCo 36" SmartTemp 3-Burner Griddle |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking area | 769 sq in | 738 sq in |
| Burners | 4 | 3 |
| Total output | 60,000 BTU | 46,500 BTU |
| Heat density | 78 BTU / sq in | 63 BTU / sq in |
| Cooktop | Carbon steel | Oil-treated steel |
| Best for | Large families and crowd cooking | Anyone who wants a real thermostat |
| Our score | 8.6 / 10 | 8.0 / 10 |
Two different definitions of control
Blackstone gives you four burners and four valves. Control means more zones, and knowing where “medium” is on your particular griddle.
LoCo gives you three burners with a digital thermostat in 25-degree increments. Control means setting 350 °F and having the griddle hold 350 °F.
Those are genuinely different products, and which one is “more control” depends entirely on what you cook.
The thermostat is a real capability
Every other griddle in our guide asks you to learn a knob position by feel, and that position drifts with wind, ambient temperature and tank level. For pancakes and eggs, where 325 °F and 400 °F produce visibly different results, that is a real source of frustration.
LoCo removes it. It also makes our temperature chart directly actionable rather than a starting point you have to translate.
The leveling system solves the most common complaint
Grease that will not drain is the single most frequent practical griddle complaint, and the cause is usually that the patio is not flat so the plate is not pitched toward its drain.
LoCo lets you level or deliberately angle the cooktop to direct grease to the drain hole. No other griddle in our guide addresses this at all, and it is a genuinely thoughtful piece of design. The other recurring complaints.
What LoCo gives up
Heat. 63.0 against 78.0 BTU per square inch is a 24% deficit. The Blackstone recovers substantially faster under a load of cold food.
Zone granularity. Three zones over 738 square inches means each zone is roughly 246 square inches — large and coarse. Blackstone’s four over 769 gives around 192 each. Precise temperature control across big coarse zones is a slightly odd combination.
Simplicity. Digital displays and a thermostat are electronics living outdoors. A brass valve has essentially nothing to fail. On a ten-year appliance that is a legitimate concern.
Ecosystem. Blackstone’s parts and accessory availability is far deeper.
Which to buy
LoCo if you cook temperature-sensitive food and value repeatability — breakfast cooks, anyone frustrated by guessing at knob positions, anyone whose patio is not level.
Blackstone 36 if you sear, cook volume, or want the simplest possible mechanism and the best parts support. LoCo against Traeger is the other comparison worth reading if control is your priority.
The picks in detail
Specifications are linked to their source on every card. Scores are ours, derived from those specifications.
#1 · Large families and crowd cooking
Blackstone 36" Original Griddle
The default large griddle: four burners over 769 square inches, with the highest burner count in its size class and the deepest accessory ecosystem of any brand here.
#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
- 769 sq in (35¾ × 21½ in)
- Burners
- 4, stainless steel
- Total output
- 60,000 BTU
- Cooktop
- Carbon steel
- Ignition
- Single spark
- Grease system
- Rear
Specifications from BBQGuys spec sheet.
Scores
- Cooking area9.5
- Heat output9.0
- Zone control9.5
- Surface care6.5
- Portability3.0
What works
- Four independent zones is the real argument for this size — you can hold a warm zone and still sear
- 769 sq in is enough to cook a full breakfast for eight without staging
- The widest accessory and spare-parts availability of any brand in this guide
What to know
- Bare carbon steel: it will rust if you leave it uncovered and unseasoned
- Needs real patio footprint — this is not a griddle you put away each week
- Rear grease management means the drain is behind the unit, which is awkward against a wall
#2 · Anyone who wants a real thermostat
LoCo 36" SmartTemp 3-Burner Griddle
The only griddle here with digital thermostat control in 25-degree increments — it holds a set temperature instead of a knob position.
#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
- 738 sq in (36 W × 20.5 D in)
- Burners
- 3 SmartTemp
- Total output
- up to 46,500 BTU
- Cooktop
- Oil-treated steel
- Control
- Digital displays + thermostat, 25° increments
- Other
- Cooktop leveling and locking systems
Specifications from Bass Pro listing.
Scores
- Cooking area9.0
- Heat output7.0
- Zone control8.5
- Surface care7.5
- Portability3.0
What works
- Thermostatic control is a genuine category difference — every other griddle here asks you to learn where 'medium' is
- The cooktop leveling system is the fix for the most common real-world griddle complaint: grease that will not drain
- 738 sq in puts it in 36-inch territory with only three burners to manage
What to know
- 63.0 BTU per square inch is on the low side for this surface area
- Digital control means electronics outdoors — one more thing that can fail
- Three zones over 738 sq in means each zone is large and less precise than four over 769
Common questions
Does the LoCo griddle thermostat actually work?
What does LoCo give up against a Blackstone?
What is the LoCo cooktop leveling system?
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.
Read next
LoCo 36" SmartTemp 3-Burner
738 square inches, three SmartTemp burners, digital thermostat in 25° increments, cooktop leveling. Genuine problem-solving.
Traeger Flatrock vs LoCo
Traeger's insulated zones against LoCo's digital thermostat. Both solve temperature control; neither solves the same part.
Blackstone 36" Original
769 square inches, four burners, 60,000 BTU. The large-griddle default — and an honest look at who actually needs it.
Griddle temperature chart
Temperatures for everything you cook on a flat top, the reasoning behind each, and how to check without a thermometer.
What griddle owners actually complain about
The four recurring real-world griddle complaints, what causes each, and which specs and accessories actually prevent them.
The best 36-inch griddles
Six 36-inch-class griddles compared. Surface areas land within 50 square inches of each other; heat density varies by nearly 30%.