I was all ready to head off with my 25-year old son for a Cookery Masterclass using the Blackstone Griddle at Rodeo's, the BBQ experts based near Milton Keynes when I spotted the torrential rain outside. Rain that might put a lesser soul off an outdoor cook-out but as a teacher I know once said "we aren't made of sugar" so I added a raincoat to my outfit and dashed for the car.
After a slightly hair raising drive I spotted the sign for Rodeos just outside Stoke Goldington, MK16 and parked up as the skies cleared. I wasn't quite sure what I'd let myself in for but it turned out this was just meant to be a fun session to explore just what this king amongst grills can do.
Blackstone is already huge in the US where outdoor cooking is massively popular. Many Brits only seem to break out the barbie on two weekends in a summer but I'm proud to say I've stood outside in freezing temperatures and rain for the joy of getting out of the kitchen. My son has been cooking on BBQ's since he was tall enough to see over the grill and prides himself on his skills. Like me he can't abide burnt food. You wouldn't serve it from the kitchen so why is it OK in the garden?
I consider myself quite adventurous on the grill- you are more likely to get muntjac or venison burgers than cheap sausages at my house but pasta? That one was new to me. More on that later.
So, the Blackstones we were cooking on were large with four burners powered by patio gas (propane) bottles efficiently heating a 36 inch flat solid griddle - no lost sausages here. A lid clipped neatly onto the back making 360 degree viewing possible, perfect for chatting with friends and family around the griddle. You can add a hood if you prefer.
We started by making American pancakes with bacon which we topped with maple syrup to serve. Using the Blackstone breakfast kit dropping pancakes onto the griddle was so easy, and seasoning the grill before cooking with a drizzle of oil wiped across the surface meant we had no sticking or burnt pancakes on our grill. Bacon cooked incredibly quickly, especially when using the Blackstone bacon press to give that perfect American bacon finish.
Next we made smash burgers, squishing pure balls of mince onto the griddle using a burger press then adding onions fried alongside then topping with cheese melted efficiently by covering the pile with the Blackstone cloche.
Simple enough I hear you scoff so let's talk about the next dish. Thai coconut noodle stirfry. Yeah baby - a healthy, tasty stirfry you can cook outside. The hardest part of this dish was chopping all the crunchy veg to go into the stir fry but thankfully our demonstrator for the day, Steven had done all of that for us so we could just tip chicken on one side of this huge working surface, veg on the other.
Then a quick squirt of water onto the middle of the griddle (I'm a poet!) and we added fresh part-cooked noodles on top of the steaming water, splashed a dash more water on top of the noodles then covered the noodles with the cloche. Before you could say "where are the firelighters" our dish was ready for combining.
We added Thai green curry paste, garlic and ginger paste and tinned coconut milk and used two Blackstone spatulas (stored on a magnetic strip on one of the two working areas either side of the griddle) to mix the lot up and serve it.
Seeing us dazzled by the achievement of cooking a stir-fry outside, Steven couldn't wait to top it with the idea of cooking a pasta dish on the Blackstone.
Using a similar method to the stirfry we gently squished some fresh tomatoes on the griddle until the skin split using the bacon press and left them cooking while we squirted water again onto part of the grill and emptied a couple of packets of spinach and ricotta tortellini onto the watered area.
We then added water on top and covered with the cloche. The pasta only needed a couple of extra squirts of water to cook quickly, then we wilted spinach into it, added the tomatoes and some hand-torn lumps of creamy mozzarella and fresh basil.
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Out came those spatulas again to combine then we served and topped with a drizzle of fresh cream and balsamic glaze. Such a cheap and easy dish to make - you can pick up those tortellini packets in super markets for about £1.50 each and you can both feed lots of people quickly, cheaply and easily AND win the lifetime love and adoration of every vegetarian you know who is usually resigned to choking down dry veggie burgers at every outdoor event they attend.
As a finale (with stomachs truly stretched by now) we made a quick and easy pork dish with "sweet and sour" red and yellow peppers. This was so easy yet tasty - seasoned pork chops dropped onto the griddle and a squirt of vinegar and honey onto sizzling peppers then voila! A tasty dish you could knock up in minutes for a quick dinner at any time of year.
The dish would have been nice served with sweet potato fries or jacket potatoes and here I'm gonna blow your actual mind. Blackstone have just released the mother of all griddles with two build in air fryer drawers and a warming drawer making this kind of meal possible without needing to dash in and out of the kitchen. I know! The level of coveting going on was frankly scandalous.
Other models include different sized griddles from a 17 inch portable griddle which folds up and wheels like a suitcase and a 22 inch tabletop model which both come with the option to use electricity instead of gas. Then we have the 28 and 36 inch models and the air fryer model I just mentioned.
I can hear you are tempted but are wondering about cleaning. Let me tell you, this thing is actually a joy to clean. I'm not making this up, you should have seen the other guests raving about the cleaning. No products required, just add a squirt or two of water then use the Blackstone wide spatula to steam clean and scrape any residue into the grease management system at the back which is disposable and replaceable. Then just season again with an S of oil, spread with kitchen roll and you are good to go.
There are Blackstone product suppliers all over the UK (including Rodeos). Just Google Blackstone UK and you should be able to find a stockist near you. If you fancy the air fryer model (who wouldn't?) I'd get in quick as I predict that will prove very popular!
Would I go back to a basic BBQ? Nope! My head has been totally turned by the Blackstone.
Disclaimer: I attended a Blackstone Cookery Masterclass free for the purpose of this honest review.