It’s HERE – the NEW Traeger Grills Griddle!! See the 2023 Traeger FLATROCK review, setup, and unboxing video. See how to set up the Flatrock griddle and learn a couple must-try Flatrock griddle recipes for beginners…
Special thanks to Traeger Grills for providing Sip Bite Go with the Flatrock grill for review. All opinions are my own.
What you’ll learn in this Traeger Flatrock review
- See a video of the flattop griddle grill unboxing.
- Watch start-to-finish how to set up Flatrock griddle.
- Learn must-try Flatrock griddle recipes for beginners.
- Check out products and Flatrock griddle accessories, too.
- Plus our Flatrock reviews and setup feedback along the way…
See the full Traeger Flatrock Grill Setup Video…
See this video demonstrating how to set up Traeger FLATROCK Grill…
(we messed up one part and flipped the grill over too soon…)
Follow Sip Bite Go on Instagram and TikTok for easy griddle cooking tips…
How long it takes to setup Traeger Grills Flatrock
It took us about 90 minutes to two hours.
It took us a bit longer because I took a lunch break halfway through…
And we were also filming the box opening for the Sip Bite Go YouTube channel, which makes anything we’re doing take longer…
So I’m willing to bet, with two people to assemble the griddle, you might set yours up faster than us.
60-90 minutes or so.
Especially if you don’t have a fresh manicure.
Type of fuel the Flatrock uses
The Flatrock runs on gas fuel, but has an electric cord to plug in which runs things like the ignite button.
This is the “built-in fuel gauge”.
But wait – are Flatrock griddles electric or not?
It took a minute to figure this out…
We really weren’t sure whether or not Flatrock grills are electric or not, because included in the box opening we found an electric cord and a spot underneath the griddle for a gas tank to sit.
We thought maybe you could choose electric fuel OR gas fuel.
But upon setup, realized you need both energy sources…
But what heats up the Flatrock is gas fuel.
Which makes sense, because it gets SUPER hot.
Like, super SIZZLE hot…
If you smoke foods, this is similar to how the Traeger smokers run on wood pellets like these yummy Turkey blend pellets, but also have an electric component.
We hooked up a standard gas tank found at the grocery store, and were ready to roll within a minute.
The grease bucket
Grill grease removal for the Flatrock is set up quite differently than the grease buckets used for Traeger smokers.
Grease and food scraps can be pushed down a hole built into the Flatrock griddle top.
Once you scrape extra food off the grill, when you’re done cooking for the day, the food and charred bits will fall into the grease bucket.
Learn more about the Traeger Flatrock grease bucket…
Grease bucket size
The grease bucket for the Flatrock is larger than the smoker grease buckets.
TIP: Don’t leave grease buckets for grills on the grill after you’re done using it, pest control experts recommend taking it in after packing up the grill for the day so you don’t attract pests.
We keep ours in the fridge, where it solidifies any fat drippings and is safe from bugs and rodents.
The directions for setting up the Flatrock griddle
We did pretty well setting it up, but ran into an issue because we accidentally skipped a step, and ended up flipping over the grill too early.
Well, that really messed things up, because the directions were upside down, once our griddle was right side up.
It only set us back about 10 minutes, and was totally on us.
Otherwise I found the tools well organized…
And the directions to be easy to follow…
About the U-burners
What you see above is the heating system.
As Traeger states, “Flatrock utilizes premium U-burners. Our U-burners double the amount of direct heat on the cooktop so that food cooks evenly across the entire cooktop–no hot spots or cold spots.” – agree, we’ve had even cooks so far!
Seasoning the Flatrock Griddle REVIEW
It’s very easy to season the Flatrock griddle.
You’ll need: vegetable oil / canola oil, tongs and paper towels.
See tips for seasoning Traeger Flatrock griddle…
How long it takes to season Flatrock
Set aside about an hour to do it, before your first cook.
It’s very easy to season, and not hands-on the entire time.
But you’ll want to stick near your grill while the seasoning is going on, while you add oil and let it burn off and rub the top with paper towels…
You’ll season the Flatrock griddle 4 times.
You’ll also have to season the griddle after eatch cook, so doing it 4 times for this initial Flatrock setup is good practice.
Using the gas griddle Flatrock for the first time
It was so exciting to get to use the Flatrock griddle for the first time.
The first week we made:
- Griddled onions
- Griddled quesadilla
- Griddle broccoli
- Griddle burritos
- Griddle peppers and onions
- Philly cheesesteak burgers
- Smashed burgers with onions
More recipes coming soon… sign up for the email optin at the end of this post to be notified.
First Flatrock griddle cook…
Check out these yummy Traeger griddle quesadillas made with griddled onions and smoked chicken breast…
Our background with flattop cooking
My husband has experience cooking in a professional kitchen with a flattop that is sort of similar, so he got right in there and it brought him back to his 20’s cooking on a hot griddle.
Personally, I’ve never cooked on a plancha hot cooktop, but we do have the Blackstone 36” griddle and last summer we hosted a catered hibachi party, so I’m all for griddle cooks.
I do a lot of indoor griddle cooking on my Lodge cast iron skillet flattop, which sits on gas burners on my stove.
Traeger Grills smokers VS. Flatrock griddle
When it comes to time, griddle cooking is really the opposite of smoking food.
Smoked foods are mostly done low and slow, with smoked pulled pork and smoked brisket flat taking a whole day.
See popular smoked food recipes on Sip Bite Go…
So yea, in comparison, foods on the Flatrock cook very, very fast.
The food is more of a seared / hibachi style finish.
And cooking oil is often used, because you use it to season the griddle and also cook food on the hot surface.
Traeger Flatrock griddle VS. Blackstone grill
Unlike Blackstone Grills griddles, the one model of Flatrock that is available automatically comes with a lid.
As Traeger talks about this feature, they say, “Flatrock has a premium, hinged lid enclosure to protect the cooktop while other griddles require the user lift up and remove the lid each time.”
– I agree, the Traeger griddle lid is very easy to lift and move.
Some Blackstone models don’t come with a lid / grill cover to pull down while grilling on the griddle.
Why would you want a lid?
Well it is helpful for cooking up a wide range of food, and can help retain heat in the food you’re cooking. Especially if you’re cooking in colder climates.
Using the Flatrock in cold weather
Unlike pellet smokers, which stay closed while cooking, the Flatrock griddle has the option to remain open or closed.
The day we set it up and starting making griddle Tex Mex, it was very cold and windy.
But I am happy to report in this Flatrock griddle review, the griddled food turned out perfectly warm inside (the cheese in my quesadilla melted perfectly)…
And the tortillas were nice and crispy.
My personal review of Flatrock griddle
Price point
Customers have been chatting about the higher price point of the Traeger Flatrock, but my main take away is that like the other luxury grill products Traeger sells, you get what you pay for.
And plus, you get the Traeger name and the cool vibes that come with owning Traeger products.
You’re part of the Traeger tribe, ya know?
Overall quality
A handful of cooks in, I have to say, it heats very evenly and even in cold weather and windy weather, we are having no problem getting perfect cooks.
The cast iron is VERY solid.
Using the Flatrock with smoked cooking
I’m personally looking forward to developing Traeger recipes to share with you for the griddle that also use the smokers.
For instance, you can make smoked burgers on the pellet grill, then finish them with a sear on the Flatrock griddle – to achieve that high-heat texture.
You can do the same with smoked steaks like this recipe for smoked ribeye.
Try these easy griddle recipes…
- Griddled onions
- Griddled chicken breast
- Quesadillas on the griddle
- Onion smashed burgers
- Philly cheesesteak smash burgers
See new griddle recipes for beginners…
Griddle cooking tools in the SBG setup…
Main griddle equipment
- Outdoor flattops: Blackstone Griddle + Traeger Flatrock (gifted).
- Indoor griddle: Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Grill Pan
Other helpful grilling tools, accessories, ingredients…
- Heavy-duty Traeger tongs
- Traeger Tray (love for prep and to carry ingredients to the grill)
- Meat Church Texas Sugar BBQ
- California Avocado Oil Blend
Traeger Flatrock guides
- Traeger Flatrock grill review
- Tips for seasoning Traeger Flatrock grills
- Guide to Flatrock grease bucket
- See demos for the Traeger Flatrock grill cover
- Check out popular Flatrock accessories and the Flatrock smash burger kit
Meat thermometer recommendations
Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly.
On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:
- Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
- ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill.
It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature.
How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.
While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chef, hope that answers all your questions about the new Traeger griddle product.
It’s definitely a show-stopper and will be very popular in stores and amongst Traeger enthusiasts who have a smoker or two, but are interested in griddle cooking and can’t wait to dig in.
Enjoy cooking and chat soon on Instagram / TikTok / YouTube.
– Jenna
Next, browse the Sip Bite Go recipe collection…
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