Midway through January of 2023, Weber announced that it was entering the outdoor griddle game. While the full technical details of its new gas griddle have not been fully revealed, we’ve got some details to get you prepared before it hits the market sometime this spring. So let’s take a look at what we know about Weber’s new griddle!
Weber Griddle Overview
Weber is advertising that the griddle will have three gas burners. In the press release, Weber revealed there will be a 24-inch and a 36-inch model. The 24-inch model that is pictured in all of Weber’s promotional material shows that it will sit on two legs and two large wheels. The 36-inch model will sit on heavy-duty casters to allow for easy movement.
For storage, the griddle has a single shelf on the cart and two side shelves. Each side shelf has two tool hooks to hang spatulas and other tools for easy access. For actually storing the griddle and protecting it from the elements, it appears to come with a hardtop lid. While using the griddle, the lid has two hooks that can latch on to the back lip of the griddle to hold it in place.
Weber is advertising that the three gas burners are capable of “quickly reaching searing temperatures over 500°F.” There is no information about how many BTUs the burners are capable of putting out, nor do we even know whether the cooking surface is made from rolled steel or cast iron. So just how quick is “quickly” remains to be seen, but no one will complain if Weber will make that happen.
The main body of the griddle that houses the gas burners is made of aluminized steel to help withstand the elements. To go with that, Weber will have a five-year limited warranty for the griddle.
How Does That Stack Up To The Camp Chef Flat Top 600?
I spent part of 2022 reviewing the Camp Chef Flat Top 600. While we obviously have much more in the way of technical details of the Flat Top 600, we can do a rough comparison of what we know between Camp Chef’s offering and the Weber.
Sizes
Weber is advertising that they will have 24-inch and 36-inch models. Camp Chef names their griddles by the nearest round number for square inches of cooking space (the 600 and the 900,) but there is information to be found. The Flat Top 600’s cooking surface is roughly 32 inches in length while the 900 is roughly 46 inches in length, meaning Camp Chef has prioritized a larger cooking surface.
Number of Gas Burners
We only know for certain that Weber’s 24-inch model has three burners while nothing has specifically stated how many the 36-inch model will have. The Flat Top 600 is powered by four burners capable of 48,000 BTUs in total. The Flat Top 900 has six burners that are able to put out 72,000 BTUs collectively.
Similarities
There are a number of similarities between the new Weber griddles and Camp Chef’s Flat Top lines. All of the aforementioned griddles have two side shelves (other than the portable version of the Flat Top 600 that can be found on Camp Chef’s website.) The smaller models have two legs and two wheels while the larger models have at least two casters (the Flat Top 900 has two casters and two large wheels while the Weber 36-inch says it has heavy-duty casters.) Both companies went with a grease management system on the front of the griddle, which in my experience with the Flat Top 600 is nice and easy to use.
Final Thoughts
While it is still early and we don’t know all of the details about Weber’s new griddle line, we do know some things. Weber is an iconic brand in the outdoor cooking space, and if they bring all the years of producing excellent grills to the griddle industry, they should have a good product.
However, we do know that Camp Chef’s griddles are larger. So if you have a large family or love to cook for gatherings, there’s something to be said for almost 600 square inches or almost 900 square inches of cooking space for all those burgers (or pancakes!)
Stay tuned for more updates as Weber releases more information!
