Review: Blackstone Iron-Forged Griddle-Air Fryer Combo

Look, I’m no fool. I live in America. I know it’s only a matter of time until literally every device gets either an air fryer or a pizza oven. The world now admits to air fryer toasters, air fryer ranges, air fryer combi ovens, and air fryer microwaves. In the past few months, I've tested both a pizza grill and a pizza air fryer.

But I still didn’t expect this new contraption from Blackstone. The company’s newest four-burner Iron Forged griddle has a fifth propane burner, which heats up a pair of air fryer baskets mounted underneath the 36-inch flattop. The airflow comes from a loud-ish 75-watt fan you’ve got to plug in. The baskets are perforated stainless steel, burly, and rugged. This is an air fryer built for lovers of big trucks and big dogs and lite beer.

“Why would I ever need a propane air fryer?” I asked my editor. My editor had no answer.

After a few weeks of smashburgers and fries and tacos, I still don’t know why I’d need a propane-heated air fryer mounted to my griddle. But then, most dudes who drive a Hemi don’t need that, either. What I do know is that I like it.

I have made low-oil breakfast potatoes in the drawer while pancakes and bacon cook above. I’ve air-fried a corn cob to go with my steak, and french fries for my burger. It is perhaps a silly indulgence at $400 more than the bare-bones Iron Forged model without the fryer drawers and cabinet doors. But like a lot of silly indulgences, it’s a lot of fun.

Sturdy Griddle, With Some Hot Spots

First things first: Blackstone Products is the griddle company more responsible than anybody for the sudden surge of backyard fajitas and smashburgers in America. The company is unrelated to the private equity company of the same name that recently bought a majority stake in Jersey Mike’s—but it’s now very related to Weber grill company: The two backyard behemoths merged this spring in a marriage of griddles and grills whose shape is still unclear.

Both Weber and Blackstone make backyard stand-up griddles (see our review of a Weber from 2023). But only Blackstone, to my knowledge, makes a rolled-steel griddle with a dual-basket air fryer underneath it.

Assembly is both easy and hard. It depends on whether there are two of you. Nearly every stand-up griddle maker recommends you assemble with a helper: At one point or another, you’ll have to turn the thing over or line up a heavy griddle plate. But this Blackstone especially has a couple of steps that really require a spotter or holder, lest you cuss and sweat and wonder about the decisions that led you here. Buy the beer. Call the friend.

The result, after tightening an ungodly number of screws, is that construction is reassuringly sturdy, on a powder-coated black-steel frame. The dual prep trays fold down, which is a welcome touch when rolling it into or out of a shed. But unlike a Traeger or Weber, there’s no system for gauging the fullness of your propane tank except kinda … hefting the tank.

Blackstone’s top-line Omnivore griddle plates are well-shielded by high wind guards and are made of thick, cold-rolled steel—a process that tends to increase thermal conductivity and lower the amount of energy you need to heat it up. It heats so fast, in fact, that Blackstone lowered the BTUs on its four burners to 40,000 total. This griddle will still heat the surface to 500 degrees in less than 5 minutes.

But note that the temp can also drop quickly while searing and can vary by as much as 100 degrees across the main cooking surface when on high. There are intense hot spots above each burner and a strong center-focused line of heat in the middle of the griddle plate. This takes getting used to and can be a bit of a bear when you’re seasoning the griddle.

For more even temp, I prefer to heat the thing up on high for only a couple of minutes, then step the burners back to let the temperature settle in across the griddle plate. This has the nice side effect of using relatively little propane.

Like a Cowboy Hat on a Cat

Anyway, on to what’s fun: the air fryer. The machine comes with three metal basket drawers, which are well-machined and slide in and out firmly. You’ll have to plug the 75-watt fan into an outlet, separate from the propane heat source and the battery that operates the ignition switch, which for my backyard setup required an extension cord.

The air fryer baskets are very analog and not as precise as even a cheap basket fryer you’d keep in your kitchen. They also won’t heat up as fast: It’ll take 20 minutes to get up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, blasting on high with a 13,000 BTU propane burner. Which is to say, you won’t ever use this as a stand-alone air fryer, and it won’t save you from buying one. Want a terrific air fryer? Try the Typhur Dome 2 (8/10, WIRED Recommends).

What these baskets are is a party trick and an added perk for your griddle when you’re already using it—something that’ll save you from running inside to toss french fries in a basket, or from bringing a separate air fryer outside and plugging it in. Plus, it’s something to show your friends. Think of it like a cowboy hat on a cat. It’s objectively awesome. But a bit extra.

Still, it’s well-calibrated for most recipes you’re likely to use. The propane will heat up the basket to around 450 degrees on full blast, and more like 325 degrees on low, which happens to be the temperature range for pretty much every air fryer recipe. But the heat-up time means you’ll likely want to turn on the air fryer basket and fan first, before even heating up the grill top.

Anyway, I’ve smashed a burger, and gotten crispy-golden french fries on the side, in about 15 minutes—with only a couple char-dimples from where the fries met the metal of the fryer basket. I have air-fried a baked potato (this takes too damn long). I’ve happily made crispy-brown breakfast potatoes with rosemary to go with pancakes and bacon. And I’ve air-fried-up whole cobs of corn to go with skirt steak.

And dear lord, I love having a warming drawer—not just for air fryer food but for griddle foods that come due at different times. Is all this drawer action worth the extra $400 versus the basic 36-inch Iron Forged? I can’t speak for your heart.

Keeping It Seasoned

But note: A griddle is in general a lot of responsibility. It can be more versatile than a classic grill, especially if you like hard sears and smashburgers and tacos. But to keep it from rusting or weathering you’ll spend a lot of time, and a lot of propane, doing the cleaning and seasoning.

The Blackstone has a great design for scraping or scrubbing off the grill plate, with a rear cutout and divot for scooting grease into a rear-mounted grease cup. It’s the best grease system among all griddles I’ve tested, and Blackstone marketing materials hint that it may be patented, though spokespeople were short on particulars. The dishwasher-safe air fryer baskets are also relatively easy to clean.

Be warned that seasoning will be more difficult on this Blackstone than more even-temped griddles like the 33-inch Traeger Flatrock griddle ($899), which I've also been testing. Your coloration will get out of whack, as the oil burns off too fast in hot spots over the burner while outer edges remain untouched. The key is not to care much—and to trust that it'll even out over successive cooks and layers of seasoning. Let the seasoning ebb, and let it return: Griddling, like surfing, requires Zen.

Anyway, the work ends up being worth it to me. I may or may not want to put on shoes to griddle pancakes in the morning. But my sunny days are now full of tacos—marinated fajitas, chopped carne ranchera, local shiitakes even—each one wrapped in fresh-griddled corn tortillas dotted with sear. I have annoyed my friends by sending too many pictures. For you, this obsession may be cheesesteaks or smashburgers. But dang if a big backyard griddle doesn't have the chance to change your whole summer.