Blackstone Alternatives: Other Outdoor Griddles and Grill Combos Worth a Look

The first hard rain after a big-cart purchase is often when the search starts. The plate was left with a film of moisture under a loose cover, rust freckles showed up along the back edge, and the owner is now asking whether a different flat top — pre-seasoned, recessed, or built into a grill island — would have been the calmer path. That moment is not a reason to dump on the cooker you already own. It is a reason to compare designs on published specs, not on a midnight thumbnail.

What Blackstone alternatives actually are

Blackstone alternatives are outdoor flat tops that share a solid plate but differ in cooktop, burners, grease path, and fuel features. Weber Slate uses rust-resistant, pre-seasoned carbon steel; Traeger Flatrock uses insulated zones and U-burners; Camp Chef Gridiron 36 ships a palm-oil seasoned plate. A combo island is another path: two surfaces in one station.

This is a map of those design families, not a ranked list. Head-to-head pages go deeper: Weber griddle vs. Blackstone, Blackstone vs. Camp Chef, and Blackstone vs. Traeger Flatrock. For the wider topic, start at the outdoor griddle guide.

Why shop another design, not just another logo

A Blackstone-style cart is a proven, widely documented way to get a steel plate and zoned burners. Official size classes (17, 22, 28, and 36 inches of plate width) and, for the 36-inch class, 60,000 BTUs and 768 square inches, are laid out in Blackstone’s buying guide. People look at other designs when they want a different answer to a specific problem:

• A cooktop the maker describes as rust-resistant and pre-seasoned, ready to cook sooner after unboxing.
• A recessed plate, wind guards, or a lid that stays up as a wind break.
• A grease trough or enclosed keg they find easier to empty than a rear cup.
• Insulated zones, a fuel gauge, or a longer published limited-warranty term on specific parts.
• A grate and a plate in one outdoor kitchen, instead of two separate carts.

Those are feature questions. They are not a verdict that one brand “wins.”

How the main design families compare on published specs

Figures below come from current official product or buying pages for representative models. They describe those models, not every unit in the line. Cooking area, weight, and BTU change with size, and natural-gas versions exist in some lines but not others.

Weber Slate: a pre-seasoned, rust-resistant carbon-steel path

The Weber Slate 30-inch rust-resistant griddle is the mid-size stand-up example in that line. Weber states a pre-seasoned carbon-steel cooktop that has been case-hardened, no coating, so metal tools can be used, plus wind guards, three independently controlled burners, 36,000 BTU-per-hour input, 540 square inches, and a weight of 140.34 pounds. The same family includes 17- and 22-inch tabletops and a 36-inch model with its own published figures. A rust-resistant, pre-seasoned top is still not a no-care top; it is a different starting point than a bare plate you season from the first heat cycle. Details and the current warranty language live on the model page.

Camp Chef Gridiron: a seasoned plate and an oversized trough

Camp Chef’s Gridiron 36 lists a cold-rolled steel griddle seasoned with 100% palm oil, 634 square inches, 48,000 BTUs of total output, and 134 pounds. Overall width is 44 inches with shelves down and 69 inches with shelves up. The page also highlights an oversized grease trough with a hidden bucket and a “Flamethrower” ignition system. If grease management and a factory-seasoned steel surface are the gaps you are trying to close, this is the official sheet to read next — then the deeper Blackstone vs. Camp Chef comparison.

Traeger Flatrock: recessed steel, U-burners, and insulated zones

Traeger’s Flatrock 3 Zone lists 594 square inches, 47,000 BTU/hr on high, three insulated cooking zones, a recessed cold-rolled steel cooktop, U-shaped burners, an EZ-Clean keg, a fuel gauge, and electric ignition, with a 5-year limited warranty. A 2 Zone version lists 468 square inches, 36,000 BTU/hr on high, a piezo ignitor, and no fuel gauge. Traeger’s own FAQ states the cooktop is not pre-seasoned and that the line is liquid propane only — it cannot be hooked to natural gas. If wind, zone separation, or a grease keg is the job, use the Flatrock comparison page before you shop on cooking-area numbers alone. The 36-inch Blackstone class still lists more square inches than the 3 Zone; area and features are separate decisions.

A grill-and-griddle combo is a different kind of alternative

Swapping one standalone cart for another still leaves you without grate marks. If the reason you are shopping alternatives is “I want both surfaces,” look at a combination island rather than a second logo on a single plate. Big Horn’s outdoor kitchen gas grill and griddle combo pairs 304 stainless grill grates (23.8" × 16.5") with a griddle (18.1" × 15.6") for 675 square inches total, six tubular burners at 65,000 BTU, plus a sink, refrigerator, and cabinets.

Other island layouts in the outdoor kitchen island collection are built around a grate grill, sometimes with a dedicated searing burner, which is a different mix than a full-width flat top. Match the station to the meals, then compare carts.

A calm way to choose among them

Name the problem first. If it is rust anxiety and faster first use, read the Slate sheet. If it is grease path and a factory-seasoned steel plate, read the Gridiron 36 sheet. If it is wind, recessed construction, and zone insulation, read the Flatrock sheet. If it is “I still want a grate,” look at a combo island. Then compare overall width, weight, fuel type, and the current warranty card — not a forum score.

Place any gas unit to its manual and to public guidance such as the NFPA grilling safety page. Finish foods to published safe temperatures on the USDA FSIS chart.

FAQ

What is a good alternative to a Blackstone griddle?

A good alternative is the design that closes the gap you actually have: a pre-seasoned rust-resistant top, a different grease system, insulated zones, or a grill-and-griddle island. Weber Slate, Camp Chef Gridiron, Traeger Flatrock, and combo islands are the families compared here on official specs. There is no single substitute that copies every Blackstone cart feature at every size.

Are Weber, Camp Chef, and Traeger the same type of cooker as a Blackstone?

They are all outdoor flat tops in the examples above, but they do not share one cooktop recipe, burner shape, or fuel feature set. Traeger’s Flatrock is propane-only and is not pre-seasoned; Weber’s Slate is pre-seasoned carbon steel and is offered in propane and natural-gas versions on some models; Camp Chef’s Gridiron 36 ships with a palm-oil-seasoned plate.

Should I replace a working Blackstone cart just to switch brands?

Not if the plate is sound and the issue is care or size. Rust is often a cover-and-drying problem. A too-small or too-large cart is a sizing problem. Switch designs when you need a published feature your current unit does not have, or when you need a second surface.

Is a combo island an alternative if I only cook on a flat top?

Only if you will also use the grate side most weeks. Otherwise you are buying a larger station than the menu requires. A standalone griddle, in any of the families above, is the more direct tool for a plate-only kitchen.

Blackstone, Weber, Camp Chef, and Traeger are trademarks of their respective owners. Big Horn Outdoors is not affiliated with or endorsed by Blackstone, Weber, Camp Chef, or Traeger.