In this guide
Pick the plate you will actually fill, and put it where it can actually stand. Those two questions settle the 22 versus 28 versus 36 decision faster than any spec sheet. Two people who cook on trips want the 22, a two-burner tabletop that Blackstone lists at 33.5 pounds with 361 square inches of cooking surface. A family of four cooking at home most weeks wants the 28, a two-zone cart Blackstone lists between 73 and 102 pounds depending on the shelves and hood. Hosting means the 36: four heat zones, 768 square inches and 60,000 BTU on a cart 64.5 inches wide that weighs 130 pounds before a hood goes on.
The biggest number costs you the most in the one place a spec sheet does not show. A 36 lives where you assemble it. Blackstone's buying guide says most griddles will live with the legs attached once assembled, and 130 pounds on casters does not go up a step or into a trunk. The 22 goes wherever you go. The 28 rolls across a deck and stays there.
The numbers Blackstone publishes
Where a size comes in several trims, the range is given.
| 22 tabletop | 22 On The Go (folding legs) | 28 | 36 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooking surface | 361 sq in | 361 sq in | Not printed | 768 sq in |
| Burners | 2, independently controlled | 2 H-style | 2 zones | 4 zones, independently controlled |
| BTU | Not printed | 24,000 | 24,000 on the hood bundle page, 34,000 on the Griddle Cooking Station page | 60,000 |
| Weight | 33.5 lb, 37.5 lb with hood | Not printed | 73 lb base, 84 lb hard cover, 102 lb hood | 130 lb, 135 lb with hood |
| Assembled W × D × H | 22.75 × 22.5 × 9 in, 27 × 24.5 × 13 in with hood | Not printed | 47.25 × 23.5 × 33.25 in base, 59 × 26.25 × 37 in with hood | 64.5 × 25.8 × 36.5 in, 64.5 × 30 × 36.5 in with hood |
| Stands on | A table or tailgate | Its own folding legs, on wheels | Cart, two fixed casters (base) | Cart, four casters, two locking |
| Propane | 1 lb bottle, or 20 lb tank via adapter hose | Same as tabletop | 20 lb tank | 20 lb tank |
| Blackstone capacity, burgers | 14 | 14 | 25 (21 on the base page) | 30 |
The 22: a tabletop that travels
Blackstone's 22" Tabletop Griddle is 22.75 inches wide, 22.5 deep and 9 tall, listed at 33.5 pounds, with dual burners, a propane connection and piezo ignition. That is a plate you lift with two hands and set on what Blackstone's buying guide suggests: a picnic table, a tailgate or a collapsible table. The two heat zones are independently controlled, so one side holds pancakes on low while the other runs hot for bacon.
The surface is 361 square inches, and the On The Go 22 page puts 24,000 BTU behind the same 22-inch plate from two stainless H-style burners. Blackstone's capacity block for a 22 top reads 14 burgers, 10 pancakes, 23 fried eggs and 33 slices of bacon. For two people that is breakfast and dinner with surface to spare. For four it is two batches of everything, which is where a 22 starts to feel small at home and still feels right at a campsite.
Fuel is the other half of portability. Blackstone says its smaller griddles can run on one-pound propane bottles or on a larger tank through an adapter hose, and its help centre says the adapter hose connects a 20 lb tank to any Blackstone tabletop griddle or unit with a 1 lb regulator connection. Bottle on the road, tank at home.
The On The Go 22 is the same plate on folding legs with wheels. Blackstone describes a collapsible Roll & Go leg design for moving it to a beach, park, campground or tailgate, and a hood that keeps the surface clean until the next cook. It gives the 22 somewhere to stand without a table. The Blackstone On The Go 22 review goes through that model on its own.
The 28: the cart for a family
The 28 is where the griddle stops being luggage. Blackstone's base 28" Omnivore Griddle is 47.25 inches wide, 23.5 deep and 33.25 tall at 73 pounds, with a side shelf, electric ignition and two fixed casters. The hood version is 59 inches wide and 102 pounds. All three trims are two-zone tops. Blackstone's hood bundle page rates the 28 at 24,000 BTU across two independent cooking zones, while its 28" Griddle Cooking Station page lists 34,000 BTU, so Blackstone's own pages disagree and the number is worth checking on the listing for the exact model you order.
Blackstone does not print a square-inch figure on its current 28 pages. What it prints is capacity: 25 burgers, 15 pancakes, 33 fried eggs, 48 bacon slices and 87 hot dogs on most 28 pages, and 21 burgers on the base model page. Read those as the top packed shoulder to shoulder, not a comfortable cook. Blackstone's buying blog frames the 28 as the size where pancakes, eggs and bacon all cook at the same time and get served hot, and that is the actual reason a family of four moves up from a 22. Not the burger count. Finishing breakfast in one pass.
The 28 runs on a 20 lb tank. Blackstone's rule is that the larger griddles require a 20-pound propane tank, and its help centre adds that no unit should be attached to a home propane line. A tank lives under the cart and the cart lives on the deck. That is the trade: a family breakfast in one pass, and no more putting it in a car.
The 36: four burners and a permanent address
Blackstone's 36" Griddle is 64.5 inches wide, 25.8 deep and 36.5 tall at 130 pounds, with four independently controlled heat zones, electric push-button ignition and four caster wheels, two of them locking swivels. The hood version keeps the width and height, adds depth to 30 inches and weighs 135 pounds. Blackstone puts the total at 60,000 BTU and the surface at 768 square inches, and its capacity block reads 30 burgers, 21 pancakes, 47 fried eggs, 69 bacon slices and 126 hot dogs. Blackstone's blog calls the 36 the flagship for anyone looking to fill up some space on the patio. That is marketing, and it is also true. Just under five and a half feet of griddle fills space.
Four zones are the real argument for the 36 over the 28. Two zones give you hot and low. Four give you hot, low, a holding zone and a corner that is off, which is how one cook keeps a crowd fed without anything going cold. If hosting looks like a full patio twice a month, the 36 earns its footprint. If hosting is four extra people twice a summer, the 28 does it in two batches and you keep up to 17 inches of deck.
Where a 36 has to live
Level ground is not optional at this size. Blackstone's warping article says a griddle plate may appear warped if it is placed on an uneven surface, and tells you to check that the griddle is level and try moving it to a different location. Its winter care article repeats the point for storage: a level surface with good drainage. A 130-pound cart on four casters follows the slope of the patio, and a slab that drains toward the house drains grease the same way.
Blackstone's buying guide specifies a clearance perimeter on every side of the griddle and a separate overhead clearance for cooking under or near a pergola, canopy, sun umbrella or other shaded structure. Take those figures from Blackstone's page, add them to the 64.5 by 30 inch cart, and tape the result out on the patio before ordering. The perimeter is the same for a 22, so the footprint shrinks only by the difference in the cart.
Blackstone's transport advice is the same for every size: tie down the load and check for loose screws on arrival. With a 33-pound tabletop that is a habit. With a 135-pound cart it is a project.
Which one to buy
Two people who camp or tailgate: the 22 tabletop, or the On The Go 22 if there is no table where you are going. A family of four cooking at home most weeks: the 28. Two zones, a full breakfast in one pass, a 20 lb tank under a cart that stays on the deck. A crowd on a regular basis, with a level, permanent spot to give up for it: the 36. Anything less than that and the 36 is 130 pounds of surface you preheat to cook six burgers on one corner.
The wider question of how much cooking area a household needs, across every grill type, is covered in what size grill do you need. The griddles page collects the griddle reviews and guides on the site.
Common questions
- Is the Blackstone 28 or 36 better for a family of four?
- The 28. Blackstone rates a 28 top at 25 burgers, 15 pancakes and 33 fried eggs, which is a family breakfast in one pass, and its buying blog describes the 28 as the size where pancakes, eggs and bacon cook at the same time. The 36 adds two more heat zones and 768 square inches of surface, Blackstone lists it at 130 pounds against 73 to 102 for the 28 trims, and its blog pitches it at owners who want to fill patio space and feed a crowd. Buy it for hosting, not for four.
- How much does a Blackstone 36 weigh and how wide is it?
- Blackstone lists the 36" Griddle at 130 pounds and 64.5 inches wide, 25.8 inches deep and 36.5 inches tall. The 36" Griddle with Hood is 135 pounds and 30 inches deep at the same width and height. Blackstone's buying guide adds a clearance perimeter on every side, and its page has the figure to add before you measure the spot.
- Can a Blackstone 22 tabletop run on a 20 lb propane tank?
- Yes, with an adapter. Blackstone says its Propane Adapter Hose connects a 20 lb tank to any Blackstone tabletop griddle or unit with a 1 lb regulator connection, and that its smaller tabletop units can use a 1 lb bottle or a 20 lb tank through the adapter. The larger 28 and 36 griddles require a 20-pound tank, and Blackstone says no griddle should be attached to a home propane line.
- How many BTUs do the Blackstone 22, 28 and 36 have?
- Blackstone lists 24,000 BTU from two H-style burners on the On The Go 22, 24,000 BTU across two zones on the 28 with hood, and 60,000 BTU across four zones on the 36. The 28 Griddle Cooking Station page lists 34,000 BTU, so Blackstone's own pages disagree on the 28. Blackstone says a single burner on its griddles ranges from 12,000 to 15,000 BTU.
- Does a Blackstone 36 need a level surface?
- Yes. Blackstone says a griddle plate may appear warped if it is placed on an uneven surface, and tells owners to check that the griddle is level and try a different location before anything else. Its winter care article asks for a level surface with good drainage for outdoor storage. A 130-pound cart on casters follows whatever slope the patio has.