By late summer, we’ve pretty much grilled, (and enjoyed), all of our favorite meats and recipes since we dusted off our outdoor grills this past April.
Grilling, (or barbecuing), is an absolutely wonderful cooking method and one that deserves all of its justified praise.
But before summer ends, the leaves turn and the temperatures signal the onset of our colder months in Michigan, you may want to consider extending your grilling season into a “griddling” season, by adding a solid, flat griddle plate to your current grill, which you can easily purchase for either your gas, infrared or charcoal grill.
While a large, cast-iron skillet can also do the job, a more expansive, low-walled griddling plate makes it much easier to add and remove your griddled foods while also giving you more surface area to cook on.
What are the advantages of a griddle plate and what kind of recipes can I make on it, that I can’t make on my current grill?
For starters a griddle plate is a solid, flat piece of metal, which means that you can cook meats and vegetables on it that otherwise, would fall through the grill grates into the inferno below.
Griddles can be smooth surface, or, grooved, and some are reversable, which allows you to choose which side to use depending on what you intend to cook.
Smaller size shrimp, scallops and vegetables are good examples. And if you’ve ever completely burnt off the ends of your wooden kabob sticks over an open grill, gridding makes that whole problem go away.
And any meats that either already have, or, that you baste a marinade on, like kabobs for instance, that marinade can sizzle and caramelize on your kabobs to truly flavor them, before you finish them on an open grill grate for that last, extra touch.
Love fajitas? Who doesn’t? But try making fajitas on an open grill grate?
Not gonna happen.
But a griddle, added to a section of your grill, gives you the opportunity sear, add sauce and serve awesome fajitas to your crowd, while simultaneously grilling burgers, dogs or steaks on another part of the grill.
A win win.
We’ll cover this in another Blog but a griddle, added to your grill allows you the opportunity to make SMASH BURGERS!
Smashing burger patties on a traditional, open grill grate is one of grilling’s great no-noes.
For one, it squishes all of the burger’s juices and fat, out of the patty, which makes the resulting burger drier and less tasty.
Secondly, it creates flare-ups which are not only dangerous, but create a carbon soot flame, which doesn’t add anything to the flavor or appearance of your prize patties.
When grilling hamburgers over an open grate, it’s always best to “trash the smash” and instead turn them over gently, without pressing down on them, to allow those juices and delicious fats, to remain where they can be fully appreciated.
Right in the burger, where they belong.
Wanna Smash Burger? Get a griddle plate.
Smashing your burger on a griddle plate keeps those juices and fats right with the meat. The resulting juices stick around to flavor your patty, while the fats, help to fry the surface into a more crispy delectable crust.
A smooth surface is best for Smash Burgers.
A griddle plate also gives you the opportunity to make other recipes, such as quesadillas, griddled sandwiches (like grilled ham & cheese) or stir-fries.
And, if you like your burger buns “toasted”, there’s nothing better than griddling them to a golden brown in a pat or 2 of butter.
Before summer’s end, if you don’t have a griddle for your current outdoor grill, consider all of the new opportunities that await your new found creativity and appetite by adding this essential accessory to your grilling arsenal.
HERE, is a link to the cast iron griddling plates, made by Lodge.
