The Traeger Flatrock griddle has been a main-stay on my back deck for over 6 months now. And at the time of writing this post, the Flatrock is one of my all-time favorite flat top grills that I’ve used.
And that’s a big deal, considering that I’ve had extensive hands-on experience with all of the major griddle brands. In fact, if you name a flat top grill manufacturer, chances are that I’ve used their griddle, from Blackstone griddles to the Camp Chef flat top grill to the Weber griddle.
But the new Traeger Flatrock is one of the higher priced outdoor griddles on the market, and it’s only a 3 burner model. So is this new flat top grill worth the price tag, and how does it stack up to the competition? We’ll go over that and more in this Traeger Flatrock griddle review:
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Why this Traeger Flatrock Review is Different than the Rest
Since starting my griddle cooking YouTube channel in early 2020, I’ve cooked on flat top grills about 3-4 days per week, every single week. I have extensive hands-on experience with all of the major outdoor griddle brands, including Blackstone, Camp Chef, Pit Boss, Weber, and Halo. And I’m not shy about giving my honest reviews and opinions.
I know there are a TON of different websites that review griddles and flat top grills. I also know that most of those writers have absolutely zero experience with using the actual product that they’re “reviewing”. Or they only use the griddle 3 or 4 times before writing a review. It’s one thing to just list some specs and features and give a surface-level comparison of a few products. But it’s completely different to have actual real-world, hands on knowledge of how a griddle operates and what you personally like and don’t like about it.
That’s not the case with this Traeger Flatrock griddle review… I have been using the Traeger Flatrock griddle about 2-3 times per week for the last 6 months now. I’ve cooked everything from fried rice to perfectly fluffy pancakes on it, and in this post, I’ll tell you what I personally like and don’t like about this griddle.
Specs and Features of the Traeger Flatrock Griddle
Before we go into the pros and cons of the new Traeger Flatrock griddle, let’s look at the specifications and measurements. Here’s how the Traeger Flatrock stacks up by the numbers:
Height with hood open with hood closed | 57″ 42″ |
Width (with both shelves up) | 74″ |
Depth | 27″ |
Weight | 189 pounds |
Cooktop Dimensions | 33″ x 18″ |
Cooking Area | 594 square inches |
Maximum Temp | 600 degrees F |
Warranty | 5 year limited |
And here are some of the most notable features of the Flatrock griddle:
Traeger Flatrock Review – What I Like
There are a lot of features to love about the new Traeger griddle. Here are a few of the highlights and the biggest “pros” of this flat top grill, in my opinion:
Easy Cooking Experience
If you’re new to griddle cooking or you’re looking for an easy to use flat top grill, then you should seriously consider the Traeger Flatrock griddle.
Outdoor griddles in general are not “set it and forget it” types of cooking equipment, because most of what you cook on a griddle is “active” cooking (like flipping pancakes or frying up some bacon). But with the Flatrock’s ability to maintain a fairly consistent temperature, you don’t have to worry about adjusting your knobs every 5-10 minutes to keep the griddle temp where you want it.
In fact, you can turn the griddle on to a medium-low or medium setting, and pretty much not have to touch the control knobs again until you’re done cooking. In my opinion, that makes for a more enjoyable, stress-free cooking experience, especially for a beginner griddle cook.
Even Griddle Surface Heating
If you’ve ever watched any griddle review videos on YouTube to try and narrow down which flat top grill is right for you, then you’ve probably seen a video with my now infamous “bread test”.
The idea of the bread test is to cover the griddle surface with sliced bread, and then turn all of the burners on to the low heat setting for about 10-15 minutes. After that time, flip all of the bread slices over and you’ll see how evenly your griddle heats up and where the hotter and cooler zones are on the griddle.
Here’s a photo of when I did my bread test on the Traeger Flatrock griddle:
As you can see from this test, all of the bread pieces are evenly browned and nicely toasted. None of the slices are burnt and none are too lightly colored.
That’s one of the main pros of my Traeger Flatrock review! Very few griddles have a nice even and consistent surface temp from left to right and top to bottom like this Traeger griddle. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the Traeger has a more even heat distribution than any other griddle that I’ve used.
True “Zone Cooking” System
“Zone cooking” is a popular term in flat top grilling. This cooking technique is often used on griddles or other large cooking surfaces to create different temperature zones for cooking different foods at the same time. This method is especially useful when you’re preparing a variety of items with different cooking requirements on the same griddle. Zone cooking allows you to manage the heat across the cooking surface to achieve the desired results for each type of food.
For instance, you might want a hotter zone for searing a griddle steak, but you would need a cooler cooking area for preparing the perfect griddle scrambled eggs. And zone cooking comes in to play if you want to prepare those two foods at the same time, say for a steak and eggs breakfast burrito.
And the Flatrock performs beautifully when it comes to zone cooking!
It’s difficult to see in this photo, but in between each U-shaped burner is a vertical divider plate or partition of sorts that creates true separate “zones”. So it’s almost like each burner is housed in its own separate area:
This design helps to differentiate the cooking temperatures on the griddle top, especially if you have one side of the griddle turned to high for cooking breakfast sausage and a different burner set to low for making perfect fluffy griddle pancakes.
Extra Large and Sturdy Grease Cup
The grease cup on the Traeger Flatrock is the largest capacity and most well-built grease trap of any griddle that I have used. In fact, I jokingly said in my Traeger Flatrock review video on YouTube that if my home was ever broken in to, that I was going to reach for that grease cup to defend myself.
It is a sturdy, one piece unit that holds a massive amount of grease and water from clean-up, so you don’t have to worry about emptying the cup in the middle of your cook.
But other than the solid build quality of the grease cup, I love how easy it is to access and remove. Simply grab the handle of the cup, and slide it in and out of the track in the front left side of the griddle.
Everything about the Side Shelves is TOP NOTCH
The side shelves of the Flatrock are very well designed, offering both stability and a large amount of space for keeping ingredients and utensils nearby while you’re cooking. In fact, at 17″ wide, the side shelves on the Traeger griddle are the largest that I’ve seen on any flat top grill.
Another great thing about the side shelves is that they fold down completely for easy storage. So many griddle users pack up their griddles for the winter or they store them out of the way on the back deck, and it’s nice to have the shelves fold down all the way to save space like this:
The side shelves also stay fairly cool to the touch, meaning that more of the space is actually usable. On some griddles, the side shelves get hot on the side that’s closest to the cooking surface, so that you can’t set your squirt bottle or butter dish in certain areas on the shelves. That’s not the case with the Flatrock.
The Flatrock side shelves are an all-around GREAT feature!
Solid Build Quality
As you would expect with any Traeger product, this new Flatrock griddle is extremely well-built and sturdy. All of the individual pieces fit together well during assembly, and even the cardboard boxes are printed to show what’s inside. And you should see what’s printed on the inside of the large cardboard box – more about that later!
My first impression after putting the unit together was “Holy cow”. It’s beefy. It’s thick. It’s heavy duty. Nothing on the flat top grill feels like it was cheaply made. And I honestly feel like it looks more impressive in person than it does on video or in photos.
Best Seasoned Griddle I’ve Ever Had
The quality of the griddle seasoning continues to impress me… True, I do need to pat myself on the back a little for that one, because I did the griddle seasoning after all. But since the initial seasoning, the cooktop has remained pretty much flawless with very little maintenance.
A few notes about the griddle surface – Out of the box, it seemed to be one of the roughest griddle tops that I’ve ever had. When I ran my hand across the surface, it did have a fairly gritty or sandy feel to it. And I was tempted to take a grill brick and sand it down just a bit before applying the coats of seasoning. But I’m glad that I didn’t…
The surface felt rough, but the roughness was even, if that makes sense. There weren’t really any high spots – that’s why I ultimately skipped the sanding step. As a result, I felt like the Flatrock required more coats of seasoning initially, but the seasoning has proved to be incredibly durable. After 6 months of heavy use, I haven’t had any problems with my seasoning flaking off or chipping, and the griddle top has had zero rusting whatsoever. That’s pretty much unheard of in the world of flat top grilling, especially if you live in a climate with higher levels of humidity like I do.
*And for inquiring minds, I used this grapeseed oil for the first coats of seasoning on my Traeger Flatrock. HIGHLY recommend it!
Pop-and-Lock Rails Compatible with Other Traeger Accessories
Before getting the Traeger Flatrock, I was not familiar with the Traeger P.A.L. Pop-and-Lock system, but now I LOVE it!
If you’re not familiar with this innovative storage system, it’s basically a rail unit that goes around the front and sides of both of the side shelves. You can purchase different accessories that snap on to the rails, essentially allowing you to completely customize the storage capabilities to fit your needs.
These are the P.A.L. Pop-and-Lock accessories currently available to purchase separately:
- cup holder – Keep your beverage handy.
- accessory hooks – Use these to hang your griddle spatulas, a dish towel, or a small grocery bag to use for trash.
- roll rack – This can be used for paper towels, butcher paper, aluminum foil, or other items that are on a roll.
- storage bin – A large sturdy bin that’s great for storing sauces, rubs, or squirt bottles.
Here’s my pepper grinder, oil bottle, and scraper in the storage bin with plenty of room left to spare:
What I Don’t Like about the Traeger Flat Top Grill
As with any piece of cooking equipment, the Traeger Flatrock griddle has its pros AND cons. Here are the things that I personally don’t like about this flat top grill:
Grease Trap Location
While I DO love the actual grease cup and how easy it is to remove it and empty the grease, I’m not a fan of the grease trap location on the griddle surface. The hole where the grease funnels into the cup is placed on the center-left near the bottom of the flat top grill surface as shown here:
You don’t realize that’s a problem until you start sweeping foods like griddle fried rice or stir fries across the surface and some of those smaller foods fall into the grease trap hole if you’re not careful.
Also, there is a fair amount of heat that comes up through the grease hole, so it may be slightly uncomfortable if you’re not used to high heat cooking. As a former restaurant chef and US Navy cook, I’ve had a ton of experience in commercial kitchens, so this doesn’t bother me personally. But it is something to be aware of.
Food May Fall Through the Side Handles
The design of the Traeger Flatrock includes a recessed griddle top that sets down into the body of the unit to protect the flames from wind. If you’re not familiar with griddle cooking, many popular griddles have problems with wind gusts causing the flames underneath to extinguish. This “FlameLock” construction helps the flat top grill maintain an even temp, and according to Traeger, it also helps conserve propane.
However, since the griddle top is recessed, there are handles built into the side edges of the cooktop to allow the user to remove the top. Those handles are great for lifting the heavy griddle top off, but not so great when it comes to cooking foods like fried rice or stir fry vegetables. When you use the sides of the griddle to scoop up and remove certain foods from the griddle, smaller foods may fall through the handle holes.
To combat that problem, you can buy these metal bench scrapers (or dough cutters) from Dollar Tree. They fit right on the side of the Flatrock perfectly to cover the holes, and you can easily remove and wash them when they get dirty.
Can’t Use the Hood While Unit is On
Traeger gets points for including a hood on the Flatrock… some popular flat top grills don’t come with any sort of hood or cover to protect the surface from dirt and moisture. But, the hood can not be closed when the unit is turned on, which is a drawback.
As one of the higher priced griddles on the market currently, you would expect for the hood to be insulated and heat-proof to be able to close it for melting cheese or cooking foods like biscuits that need more of a 360 degree heat, oven effect.
Yes, you can use a melting dome, which is a very popular griddle accessory, but it’s nice to be able to dome the entire griddle surface to trap in heat when cooking certain foods.
Traeger Griddle Accessories are a Bit Expensive
Depending on your budget, you may experience a little sticker shock when it comes to some of the Traeger branded griddle accessories. In particular, the P.A.L. Pop-and-Lock storage bin pictured below retails at $59.99:
And the Traeger Ultimate Smashed Burger Kit has a higher price tag, though it does include one of the best melting domes that I’ve found.
Just something to be aware of when it comes to purchasing the griddle accessories to go along with your new flat top grill.
See the Traeger Flatrock Griddle in Action
Want to see the Traeger Flatrock griddle in action? Here are some of my more popular YouTube videos with the Traeger flat top grill for you to check out:
Traeger Flatrock Griddle Review Video – This is the main review video, when we unbox the griddle and give you our first thoughts after seasoning:
Cooking on the Traeger Flatrock for the First Time – I like to do “first cook” videos so you can see me truly experiencing a new griddle for the first time, working out the kinks, and really learning as I go… you get my true and honest reactions as I figure out each new piece of cooking equipment!
Big Breakfast on the Traeger Flatrock – This was the second time cooking on the griddle. I like to do “big breakfasts” with pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, etc. because it’s a great way to learn the hot spots on your griddle and to experience the overall cooking capabilities. Since big breakfasts take a long time to cook and different breakfast foods have to cook at different temperatures, there’s lots of learning opportunities… and my kids LOVE my muffin mix pancakes, so that’s a bonus!
Check out the Traeger Flatrock on Amazon HERE
FAQ’s about the Traeger Flatrock Griddle
You’ve got questions, and after using the Traeger Flatrock griddle for over 6 months now, I’ve probably got the answers! These are some of the popular questions that I’ve gotten in the past about the new Traeger flat top grill:
Does the Traeger Flatrock griddle need electricity to operate?
NO… well, yes and no. To cook on the griddle, you only need a propane tank. But if you want to use the propane tank sensor to keep an eye on the level of propane in your tank (and to make sure that you don’t run out in the middle of making your famous griddle pancakes), then you will need an electric outlet.
I personally do not use the propane tank sensor. Since I have a griddle cooking YouTube channel and I cook on my griddles at least 4 times per week, I have extra propane tanks on standby, so running out of fuel is never a concern of mine.
Also, I get all of my propane tanks at Costco, and the tanks there come with a gauge that tells when the tank is low.
But if you want to use the fuel gauge sensor, then you will need electricity for that.
Aren’t you just paying a premium for the Traeger name?
This is a comment that I have gotten on my YouTube channel, and after using over 8 different griddles to cook thousands of meals, I can confidently say that, in my opinion, the Traeger Flatrock is worth the $899 retail price. And, NO, I don’t think that “you’re just paying for the Traeger name”. Instead, you’re paying for the Traeger quality!
In comparison, my other favorite griddle, the Weber griddle, is $450. So the Traeger is twice the price, but I honestly feel like you’re getting twice the griddle with features like the built-in hood, the extra large side shelves, and the true zone cooking system. Though the Weber is a fantastic griddle that I recommend as well!
But I’ve seen other YouTube creators use the hood while the griddle is on???
Yes, there are some popular YouTube channels that close the hood of the Flatrock while the griddle is on, but there are multiple places in the user manual that warn against that.
I’ve always reverted to the manufacturer’s instructions on all of my flat top grills to determine what to do and not to do for each unit. And I figure that the manufacturer knows best how the griddles should and should not be used.
In the case of the Traeger Flatrock, there’s even a warning label printed on the side shelf that says,
“Open lid during lighting. Lid must be open when any of the main burners are in operation.”
What foods can you cook on the Traeger griddle?
What can’t you cook on a griddle is a better question! I’ve cooked everything from Japanese restaurant hibachi chicken to loaded omelettes on my Traeger griddle. Anything that you cook in a skillet on your stovetop can be cooked on a griddle.
You can check out all of my griddle recipes here to get some more ideas!
Check out the Traeger Flatrock on Amazon HERE
A Few Other Notes on the Traeger Flatrock Griddle
These are just some things to note if you’re considering the Flatrock for your next flat top grill… notes that are not necessarily pros or cons, but rather just features of the griddle to be aware of:
Three Burner vs. Four Burner
Yes, the Traeger Flatrock is technically a three burner griddle, which is one reason why some people think that it’s overpriced. But it’s important to note that the Flatrock is a very large 3 burner model that dwarfs other 3 burner griddles… I actually think of it more as a “mini 4 burner”.
In comparison, my Weber griddle is also a 3 burner, and has a cooking area of 504 square inches. So with the Flatrock’s 594 square inch cooking surface, you’re basically getting 20% more cooktop.
No Bottom Shelf
Many popular griddles, like most of the Blackstone griddle models, include a bottom storage shelf that’s handy for larger items that you may not use frequently like your melting dome. But since the Traeger houses its propane tank underneath the unit instead of on the side, it does not include a bottom shelf.
That’s neither a pro or con for me personally, because I typically don’t use the bottom shelves of my other griddles that often anyway. But just something to note.
Don’t Throw Away the Box
Call it “attention to detail” or “pure marketing genius”, but the folks at Traeger really thought of everything! The inside of the main box that the Flatrock comes in turns into a Western-style stagecoach complete with a mercantile set-up:
This gives a whole new meaning to the “I bought him a new toy and all he wanted to do was play with the box” conundrum… parents, you know what I’m talking about!
Would I ever buy a product purely for the box? No… but this was just a fun detail that really impressed me.
Other Outdoor Griddles that are Worth a Look
If you’ve watched my YouTube channel, then you know that I’m not shy about sharing my favorite pieces of cooking equipment and recommending certain products over others. As of writing this post, there are two griddles that I love more than all of the others that I have tried – the Weber griddle and the Traeger Flatrock.
You can see my full Weber griddle review here.
As I said in that review, the Weber probably won’t be winning any design awards, but it does perform really well in terms of cooking capabilities.
And you can’t mention griddle cooking without talking about Blackstone. Blackstone griddles are hugely popular because of their extensive product lines and lower price points. You can read my Blackstone griddle guide here for everything related to Blackstone griddle beginners.
I hope this Traeger Flatrock griddle review has helped you determine whether or not this flat top grill is right for you. Or, if you still need some help and you want to know what features really matter when choosing the best outdoor griddle (and what features don’t really matter!), then you can check out this post: The Best Outdoor Griddle to Buy – What’s Right for You?
Disclaimer: Traeger did send me the Flatrock free of charge. However, that in no way influences my opinion of the griddle. I was not obligated to write a post or review the griddle whatsoever, and I would NEVER recommend a product that I did not use myself and that I did not honestly like. In fact, when Traeger reached out to me, they already knew that I had a reputation of being brutally honest in my reviews, and they knew that there was a risk involved in sending me their product. My wife and I struggled with the decision of whether or not we wanted to accept the griddle for free, but we ultimately decided that we would make the same review video and write the same post regardless of paying for the Traeger ourselves or receiving it free of charge. We know that our ultimate responsibility is to our readers, and not to any particular brand or manufacturer.
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