If you’re looking for a Camp Chef Flat Top Grill review because you’re about to spend your hard earned money on a gas griddle or grill-griddle combo, then read this! Learn the pros and cons of the Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600, and get a side by side comparison of the Camp Chef vs. Blackstone.
If you’re in the decision making stage of what gas griddle to purchase, then you’ve probably narrowed it down to a few different brands. And as the two major gas griddle brands, I bet that Camp Chef and Blackstone are on your list.
After doing my own research to determine which griddle to buy, it seemed that Blackstone dominated the market for Flat Top Griddles. And I was literally about to press the “BUY” button on their 36″ Griddle and Grill Bundle, when I decided to do a little more research.
Fast forward a few weeks and many hours of internet research, and I’m adding the Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600 to my cart instead. But why did I switch to the Camp Chef griddle? And do I regret my decision? Let’s dive in to my honest Camp Chef Flat Top Grill review…
Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600
Here are some of the highlights of the Camp Chef Flat Top Grill review:
- Smaller Size with Plenty of Cooking Space
Camp Chef has 7 different griddle options, ranging from smaller tabletop models to a massive 6 burner model. The 4 burner model has a griddle cooking surface size of 604 square inches, which is plenty of space to cook for a crowd but not too big for everyday cooking for a family of four. Plus, the overall footprint of the Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600 is 62.5″ long by 22″ wide, so it doesn’t dominate your deck space.
- Griddle and Grill in ONE Unit – No need to store the grill piece separately!
One of the MAJOR selling points of the Camp Chef Flat Top Grill was the addition of the grill grates. You can remove the whole griddle top and BAM! you have a gas grill right underneath. So you’re getting TWO awesome outdoor gas cooking options for the price of ONE!
Plus, when you just want to use the griddle, you don’t have to worry about where to store a massive grill attachment. The griddle top sits right on top of the included grill grates, which is seriously convenient. With the Blackstone grill and griddle combo, you have to remove the HUGE grill piece whenever you want to use the griddle… and then you have to figure out where to store that separate grill attachment.
- Heavy and Pre-seasoned Griddle Top
The Camp Chef Flat Top Grill is a SOLID piece of cooking equipment, and it comes pre-seasoned from the manufacturer so you don’t have to worry about building up layers upon layers upon layers of seasoning on your own.
So far, I have used the Camp Chef griddle just like my cast iron skillets. I DID apply about 4 layers of seasoning before cooking on the Camp Chef, but that’s just personal preference, and I don’t think it’s necessary unless you plan to make eggs for your first cook. (I’ll explain how I added my own seasoning down below.)
- Heat Plate Under the Griddle Top for Even Heat
Attached to the bottom of the griddle top is a large metal heat plate. The heat plate helps to evenly distribute the heat from the gas burners, reducing hot spots and ensuring that your food gets cooked evenly. If you’ve ever cooked with a cast iron griddle on top of an electric stove, then you know how important this is!
- Two Removable Grease Trays
The Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600 comes with TWO removable grease trays – one for the griddle and one for the grill. The griddle grease tray is located at the front left, and it slides on and off easily for simple cleaning. The second grease tray is underneath the unit for when you’re just using the gas grill.
Both grease trays are nonstick and easy to clean after use.
- Matchless Ignition System
The Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600 is SUPER easy to light and it heats up quickly. Just turn the knobs to your desired heat setting. No matches, no pilot light, no stress.
- Built-in Propane Tank Holder
The Camp Chef griddle comes with a propane tank holder, so you don’t have to set your tank on the ground. This feature is helpful when you want to move your griddle, so you don’t have to try and pick up your propane tank and griddle at the same time. Remember, this thing is HEAVY!
- Nice Industrial Design
This next feature is purely cosmetic, but if you enjoy the look of the expensive indoor gas stoves, then you’ll LOVE the oversized red knobs. This small detail gives the Camp Chef a cool industrial look on your back deck!
Camp Chef vs. Blackstone
If you’re reading this Camp Chef Flat Top Grill review, it’s probably because you’re considering purchasing a flat top griddle for outdoor cooking. And if you’re a review fanatic like me, then I’m sure you’re doing your research to try and decide between the Camp Chef and the Blackstone.
Here’s how they stack up against each other:
SPECIFICATIONS | CAMP CHEF Flat Top Grill 600 | BLACKSTONE 36″ Griddle and Grill Bundle |
---|---|---|
Cooking Surface Size | 604 square inches | 720 square inches |
Griddle Cooking Surface Dimensions | 31.5″ x 19.5″ (20.5” w/grease trough) | 36″ x 21″ |
Overall Dimensions | 62.5″ L x 22″ W x 37″ H | 68.3″ L x 27.5″ W x 41.3″ H |
Weight | 144 lbs | 192 lbs |
Grease Management System | Front Left for Griddle / Bottom for Grill | Rear Middle |
Burner System | 4 Burners – 48,000 BTUs | 4 Burners – 60,000 BTUs |
Built-in Accessories | 2 Shelves, Bottle Opener | 1 Shelf, Cutting Board, Paper Towel Holder, Garbage Holder |
Warranty | 1 year | 1 year |
Approx. Price | $440 | $480 |
Why I Decided on the Camp Chef Flat Top Grill
I decided to press “BUY” on the Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600 for 3 main reasons:
- Reviews,Reviews, Reviews.
I’m a review fanatic, just like you, since you’re here reading my Camp Chef review. And I did a TON of research trying to find something that would sway me towards the Camp Chef vs Blackstone.
After doing my own research, it seemed that the Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600 was built stronger and more versatile. And based on other customers’ reviews, it seemed that Camp Chef’s customer support is strong. To me that’s important.
- The idea of having two grills in one.
My indoor stove is electric, because natural gas is not available at my house. And I REALLY miss being able to cook with gas. I’m not a gas/propane fan when it comes to flavor (coal is KING!), but the idea of seasoning my cast iron outside, and using the grill part as a stove is the closest that I can get to cooking with gas. Plus, sometimes it’s just more convenient to grill on propane, so I really liked the two cooking mechanisms for the price of one.
- Awesome griddle!
Lastly was the reason why you buy a griddle in the first place… the Griddle itself. The Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600 comes pre-seasoned and has that heat plate I was describing earlier. (Be sure to check out my YouTube video review to get a good view of that!).
The Camp Chef Flat Top Grill was ready to cook right out the box. In my experiences, when you get a piece of cooking equipment that comes pre-seasoned, rather than having to season it yourself, the seasoning seems to stay more consistent over time. And so far that’s what’s been happening with my Camp Chef Flat Top Griddle. I just added a little seasoning to start and eggs were sliding all around the griddle. I’ll tell you how I did a basic seasoning down below!
Putting Your Camp Chef Flat Top Grill Together
Let me tell you… I am not great at reading instructions or putting stuff together.
I have been lucky the last couple of years, because all of my grills have come pre-assembled, so I really can’t comment on how easy or hard it is compared to others. I just know it took me about 45 minutes to assemble, including the time it took me to clean up trash as I went (so the wife didn’t get mad). The instructions were easy to follow, and if I can do it, you can do it. Or you can bribe a friend to help, and throw some burgers or steaks on your new grill griddle combo to say thanks.
Camp Chef Flat Top Grill Accessories
There are a variety of Camp Chef branded accessories you can get to go with your new griddle.
My Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600 came with the 6-Piece Professional Griddle Tool Set (it was a limited time special). Here are my thoughts on that tool set:
- Two different Spatulas – The first spatula has rounded edges and is more of your traditional griddle spatula/turner. The second one is shorter and has square edges. I’m used to commercial-grade griddle spatulas, so I wasn’t a huge fan of either one. If you’ve never worked a commercial griddle, you probably won’t notice the difference.
- Scraper – The scraper is a handy tool, and I’ve used it every time I’ve cooked on my Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600. It has 3 sharp square sides. I use it to scrape bits of food on the griddle and to funnel grease towards the grease tray, but you should only scrape it up and down on the griddle. It’s the same idea as shaving your face… you can go up and down without cutting your face, but if you go side to side, you’ll need a lot of bandaids. If you use the scraper left and right across the griddle, you’ll cut into your seasoning, and that’s no good.
- Plastic Cutting Board – Here’s the truth… this thing went straight in the trash. The cutting board was basically just a flimsy piece of plastic. It reminded me of a thin baking mat. I have plenty of cutting boards, so I didn’t see the need to keep this cheap one.
- Two Squeeze Bottles – Nothing much to say about these… regular ol’ plastic squeeze bottles. I put my avocado oil in one so that it’s easy to squeeze out on the griddle.
Other Camp Chef Accessories:
There are a TON of different accessories available on the Camp Chef website, like:
- Italia Pizza Accessories Kit
- Scraper Cleaning Tool
- Turkey Cannon Infusions Roaster
- Magnetic Tool Holder – these look pretty nice since the unit itself doesn’t have any hooks for hanging towel, tools, etc.
- Beer Can Chicken Holder
- Rib Rack
- Carrying bags for the griddle piece – Though I don’t think this is necessary. I just set my griddle on my deck when I want to just use the grill.
- Grill cover
My recommendation would be to buy the Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600 first, plus a spatula and scraper. Then you can start adding to your accessory collection after you get a chance to experiment with the griddle/grill.
You DO need to make sure that you have a good waterproof cover though, to protect your griddle top.
First Seasoning of the Camp Chef Grill Griddle Combo
I know what you’re thinking… “But I thought you said it comes pre-seasoned.” It does. So seasoning the Camp Chef Flat Top Grill before cooking on it is not necessary.
But I just seasoned it like I would a new, pre-seasoned cast iron skillet, because that’s my personal preference. Here’s how I did a light seasoning on my Camp Chef Flat Top Grill before cooking on it:
- Use a high heat oil. I’m loving Avocado Oil right now because of its high 500 degree smoke point. But I used Crisco for YEARS before that. You can also check out my in-depth post on what oils to use for seasoning here!
- Preheat Griddle on Medium. Trust me, no need to turn it on high. It will get plenty hot enough.
- Use a few wadded-up paper towels to apply your oil to the griddle top. You want a very thin layer of oil/Crisco.
- Wait until the smoke goes away and repeat. Applying oil to the hot griddle will cause it to smoke. Just wait a few minutes until the smoke dies down before applying your next coat. After a while your paper towels or whatever you are using will absorb a lot of oil, and you can just rub the surface with your loaded towel or rag.
- Apply as many coats of seasoning as you want. Just make sure the oil is thin, and you take time in between to allow the oil to burn off.
And that’s how you season your Camp Chef Flat Top Grill. Couldn’t be easier.
Thoughts After the First Cook
This Camp Chef Flat Top Grill review wouldn’t be complete without telling you about my experience actually COOKING on it…
I’m VERY familiar with cooking on a griddle. I used to be a chef in the US Navy, and I would cook about 10,000 eggs a day on a flat top griddle. But even with a TON of griddle experience, I was still a bit hesitant about getting the temp just right since it’s a new piece of equipment. You probably want to test out an egg or two before cooking a full meal so that you’re familiar with how hot the high, medium, and low settings are.
To me, it seemed like the low and medium heat settings were plenty hot enough. I don’t feel like I will need to use the high heat setting very frequently, if at all. And I could really tell the difference the heat plate makes. My omelettes and steak cooked nice and evenly, and there were no hot or cold spots that I noticed on the griddle.
After the first cook, I would give the Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600 two thumbs up. It was super easy to use once you get the feel for the temps of the high, medium, and low settings. And now that I’ve cooked on it 4 separate times, it just comes naturally.
One IMPORTANT thing that I would suggest… During your set up process, make sure you use a level to ensure the top of your griddle is level. I just eyeballed it for levelness when I set it up, but when I poured out my scrambled eggs I immediately noticed that it was NOT level. Nothing like adding scrambled eggs and having them flow right off the griddle. Just twist the feet until you get your Camp Chef griddle level… very easy to do.
Pros and Cons of the Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600
No Camp Chef Flat Top Grill review would be complete without a little pros vs. cons. Here are my honest thoughts on the Camp Chef:
Pros
- Comes pre-seasoned-BIG PRO
- Plenty of shelf storage – 2 nice sized bottom shelves
- 2 different grease traps – both easy to clean
- Heat plate on bottom of griddle to evenly disperse heat for even cooks
- Griddle sets directly on top of grill grates so you don’t have to store the grilling unit elsewhere when not in use – BIG PRO vs the Blackstone Grill & Griddle
- Seems well-built and solid
Cons
- Difficult to move because only wheels on one side
- No metal griddle cover option available – However, the Blackstone metal cover fits nicely on top of the griddle. You can get a soft grill cover, but I was wanting just a flat metal “lid”.
- On the pricier side for flat top griddles – but you get a GRILL and a GRIDDLE in one, so you get what you pay for
- Sides of griddle get very hot, so it makes about 1/3 of the cantilevered side shelves unusable – if you set a plastic bottle on the side shelf near the griddle, it could melt
Final Thoughts on the Camp Chef Flat Top Grill Review
Overall, I am VERY impressed by the Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600. The pre-seasoning, perfect griddle size, and ease of use make it a winner! Plus, the grill grates that sit underneath the griddle top are convenient, and you get TWO cooking options in ONE! Kind of like Buy a Gas Griddle, Get a Gas Grill FREE!
From Sunday morning omelettes for the family to bacon cheeseburger sliders to awesome Cheesesteaks, the Camp Chef Flat Top Grill has PERFORMED! It would be a great addition to your back deck if you’re looking for versatility, quality craftsmanship, and VALUE.
Comments & Reviews
nratt30 says
Based on your review, I was all primed to pull the trigger on this Camp Chef flat top. Alas, apparently it is no longer available with the grill grates in addition to the flat top. Although it does now come with a metal cover, a good thing. The grill grates feature was a significant reason to choose Camp Chef over Blackstone. Now I’m not so sure about that.
Chuck M says
It looks like this comes with a hard cover now? Wonder if that is new for 2023 or just available at certain retialers. Cabelas has it. https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/camp-chef-flat-top-600-grill
Rusty Gates says
I am ready to get started, and with this griddle!
Christina says
We bought a Camp Chef based on your review. Love how detailed and thorough your reviews are. We use our griddle all the time now!
Frank Rhodes says
I bought my Camp Chef because of your review and let them know too. I use a three wheel movers dolly two from harbor freight to move mine around a handle would be nice. I also place a stone ware plate on the side shelves to warm and keep my food warm as it finishes. Thanks for your information and tips.
Eric Doby says
Where do you store all your flat tops and grills?
Jared says
Enjoy your Camp Chef 600! They apparently just stopped making this model which includes the bottom grease trap and grill grates! I just tried to buy one and they now only make the 600 with a lid and no grate option… Can’t even add them later since they no longer make them with a grease trap, it’s just a useless hollow interior now!
TODD says
Love your YouTube videos. They have helped me tremendously. Yes there are tons of videos on griddle cooking, but yours stand out, packed with useful information. I’ve just purchased my first flat top. I ended up going with the Halo Elite 4B. I’m a big fan of outdoor cooking. I am a proud owner of the Gozney Roccbox, Treager Timberline 850 as well. I love them. I’ve only had my Halo for a week. wow what a learning curve. Thanks to your videos I’m beginning to build my confidence. Please keep up the good work that you and your wife do. It’s greatly appreciated. As soon as I recover from the heavy price tag of the Halo (840$) I will be purchasing a shirt and your spices. Thank You!.
Steve says
Is the lower btu rating on the camp chef burners an acceptable trade off for the grill feature? Am I going to notice the difference? New to flattops.
Steve says
Or is the reduced area of this versus the 36” Blackstone what keeps them on even footing?
Neal says
I really don’t think that you’ll notice the difference in the BTU’s… both griddles can get very hot – hotter than you would probably ever want to cook on. It really comes down to what features that you want in a griddle… If you don’t have another regular grill, then you may want the 2-in-1 feature of the Camp Chef with the grill grates underneath. Personally, I have a charcoal grill and a pellet smoker, so I didn’t use the grill grates on the Camp Chef very often. But overall, the biggest difference between the Camp Chef vs Blackstone is the location of the grease trap… I personally prefer the grease trap in the front, but that’s what I’m used to from cooking in commercial kitchens for years. Hope that helps!
Neal says
I haven’t found a huge difference in the btus on the camp chef because of the heat plate underneath. they are so close in heating that its like a car that goes up to 175 vs 135…you only drive around 65 to 75 ish..
J.Dallas says
What’s the height of it without the legs installed?
Neal says
not sure about that one…we have sold our Camp Chef since this post…
Brian says
I really, REALLY, want to buy a Camp Chef FTG600, and the current Labor Day 2022 deal is very hard to beat ($399 at Amazon for the next day or so, $429 at Camp Chef web site). Didn’t I hear that you recently sold your Camp Chef? If so, why?? Was it something it said??
Neal says
Haha! I really LOVED the Camp Chef, but I was running out of space on my back deck, which was the main reason for selling it. I also want to be able to get other griddles in the near future so that I can have experience with other brands/models to be able to better relate to more people… but if you’re looking at which griddle to buy, then Camp Chef is a solid choice. Well built, sturdy, and I never had any problems with mine. But really, I would say that most griddles out there are good buys – it’s really up to your own personal wants/needs.
Bob says
Thanks for the video.
I have watched seven videos on the 600 and not one mentioned max temp. One guy actually had a digi and got ~520 on med?
My idea would be to have the grill top in two halves. One could sear a steak (at 600*) on one side, then slow grill it on the other.
Maybe Camp Chef is listening in?
Brian says
I warmed up my 600 today on Medium for stir fry. Came back about 10 minutes later and temps were 590-600, literally smoking hot. Threw down meat and veggies, turned dials to Med Low, added Udon noodles for last 2-3 minutes and had great stir fry 15 minutes max.
Ted says
I invested in one of these (currently up to $599) based partly on your review and videos….nice work! Assembled it last week just in time for the 4th and seasoned it with LARD! One day to experiment with it, then I had 12 people in my backyard for the holiday…..smash burgers with fried onions and shrooms, bacon, zuccini, eggplant and beef and cheddar. Toasted king hawaiian buns. Everyone was STUFFED,and enjoyed gathering around the grill for the process. One couple spent the night and I was going to do pancakes and bacon the next morning BUT THEY WANTED MORE BURGERS!!!!
One thing….chicken thighs (which we eat regularly) are decent off the griddle, but turn out better in the air fryer. Some veggies are ok, but turn out better over coals.
I scraped as I cooked, as per your suggestion, and it has been super easy to clean/polish the griddle to a beautifully smooth brown/black finish, ready to go next time.
Bummer that I had to buy hard and soft covers, but whatever….
Haven’t used the grill grates yet, might work out best for veggies. Camp Chef is now selling a designated pizza oven for the FTG 600, I’m going to drop $250 on it next payday. Overall, your reviews were spot on, and instrumental in helping me make this good choice. Thanks!
Neal says
Hi Ted, Glad you’re liking the Camp Chef so far! I’ve had mine for 2 years now, and it’s still going strong… no problems at all with it. It’s funny you mention chicken thighs… I actually just filmed a YouTube video for fried chicken thighs on the griddle (we used boneless skinless thighs). And we put them on an awesome breakfast sandwich… Next time you have guests over for breakfast and they want burgers (you can’t blame them – my wife will ONLY eat griddle smash burgers now), you should try my Breakfast Burger recipe – Breakfast and burger in one… It’s fantastic! Combines ground beef and ground breakfast sausage in the burger patty.
Drew says
one of the best reviews I have read on any consumer product. VERY much appreciated.
Neal says
Thanks so much, Drew! Love my Camp Chef Flat Top Grill… very solid build and I’ve made some great food on mine over the last 2 years.
Scotty Adams says
Thanks for sharing all of your hard work. I’m moving into a new house and want to buy a griddle for the new deck. You can tell in your cooking videos that you really enjoy the flat top and I want to have that same joy too! I just retired from 30 years as a nurse in the V.A. hospital and now I think it’s time to start something new and exciting. Thank you for your service and for all of the cool cooking videos.
Neal says
Thanks so much for the comment! Glad you’re enjoying the videos!
Lynn Hibbeler says
I’m awaiting the arrival of my camp chef 600. Thanks for your great recipes and intelligent honest reviews.
Neal says
That’s awesome Lynn! I’m sure you’ll love the new flat top grill… I haven’t cooked a meal in my kitchen in at least a week, because it’s so easy to just go out to the back deck and fire up the grill. And my wife loves it because the kitchen stays nice and clean. Thanks for the comment!
Janz Mynderup says
Best analysis between the two grills I’ve witnessed! thanks for the assessments that were positive for both, depending upon one’s need. As you, I have read, reread reviews looking for something that would just eliminate one or the other, pragmatically… Quality, versatility and the grease “catcher” did it for me. Thanks USN 64-72 Airedale.