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Replace the grates on a barbecue with a thick metal sheet—in essence, that’s a flat-top. While flat-tops are new-ish to North American grillers, they’ve long been popular in Australia—especially half-griddle-half-grate models—and in Latin America for a la plancha grilling.
Flat-tops let you cook diner-style smash burgers, fried rice, and breaded foods—all the grub that would slip through a grate. They hold a lot—so everyone’s pancake order is up at the same time, without the cook using every pan in the kitchen.
But since fat doesn’t fall through the grates and burn up, flat-tops use a “grease-management system”—a hole or slot with a grease pan underneath. A well designed flat-top, with a large, conveniently located grease slot, is easy to clean after cooking: while the surface is still warm, deglaze any burnt bits with a squirt of water, and scrape everything into the hole. It’s best practice to empty the grease pan regularly. Bears, y’know.
You don’t need to buy a stand-alone griddle to try flat-topping. Look for griddle inserts sized to fit your current barbecue or pick up a cast iron or carbon steel griddle pan that rests on the grates. (Non-stick Teflon griddles are only for the gentle heat of a kitchen stovetop, not a barbecue.) Separate griddle pans and inserts usually don’t have grease management capacity, making cleanup a little messier than with a dedicated flat-top.
grills Blackstone 28" Flat-Top Griddle with Hood
Solid, steel construction and three burners for excellent heat zone control—from a company that has specialized in griddles since the early 2000s.
grilling Lodge Pro-Grid Reversible Griddle
One side has raised bars to help channel away fat; the other side is flat.
grilling Weber Half-Top Griddle
Weber inserts fit Genesis models and the classic kettle.
grilling Weber Griddle 28"
Three burners for even 36,000 BTU edge-to-edge heat control, plus front-access grease management.
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