Okie Smokin

Mastering the Blackstone: Smash Burger Secrets and Sizzling Adventures

June 10, 2024 John Berry Episode 20
Mastering the Blackstone: Smash Burger Secrets and Sizzling Adventures
Okie Smokin
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Okie Smokin
Mastering the Blackstone: Smash Burger Secrets and Sizzling Adventures
Jun 10, 2024 Episode 20
John Berry

Send John & Dolores a Text Message.

How do you achieve that perfect smash burger crust every time? Tune in to our milestone 20th episode of the Okie Smokin' Podcast, where Dolores and I, John Berry, unravel the secrets behind our love for Blackstone griddles and the unbeatable flavor they bring to smash burgers. From preheating your griddle to mastering the art of using a good scraper, we’ve packed this episode with practical tips that will transform your outdoor cooking game.

Seasoning your Blackstone griddle is more than just sprinkling spices—it's about building a durable, nonstick layer that ensures every cook is a success. Dive into our step-by-step guide on how to use oils like canola and avocado or even greasy foods like bacon to achieve the best seasoning. Plus, we share essential cleaning techniques that will keep your griddle in top shape without the need for soap and water, making maintenance a breeze.

Managing heat zones and proper griddle maintenance are key to cooking a variety of foods perfectly. Learn how to preheat your griddle, handle different temperature zones, and protect your investment with tips like using a Bungie cover. We also introduce an exciting pickle challenge collaboration with Yum Kitchen and share our recent triumph with a tender, mouth-watering brisket. Join us every Monday for more grilling tips, tasty recipes, and exciting collaborations that will elevate your outdoor cooking adventures.

Order the Bangie Cover For Blackstone mentioned in this episode.

Fanpage: Leave a voicemail for us and we might play it on a future episode!

Follow Us On Social Media:
Okie Smokin YouTube Channel
Twitter
Bluesky
Facebook
Okie Smokin Website

Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

Send John & Dolores a Text Message.

How do you achieve that perfect smash burger crust every time? Tune in to our milestone 20th episode of the Okie Smokin' Podcast, where Dolores and I, John Berry, unravel the secrets behind our love for Blackstone griddles and the unbeatable flavor they bring to smash burgers. From preheating your griddle to mastering the art of using a good scraper, we’ve packed this episode with practical tips that will transform your outdoor cooking game.

Seasoning your Blackstone griddle is more than just sprinkling spices—it's about building a durable, nonstick layer that ensures every cook is a success. Dive into our step-by-step guide on how to use oils like canola and avocado or even greasy foods like bacon to achieve the best seasoning. Plus, we share essential cleaning techniques that will keep your griddle in top shape without the need for soap and water, making maintenance a breeze.

Managing heat zones and proper griddle maintenance are key to cooking a variety of foods perfectly. Learn how to preheat your griddle, handle different temperature zones, and protect your investment with tips like using a Bungie cover. We also introduce an exciting pickle challenge collaboration with Yum Kitchen and share our recent triumph with a tender, mouth-watering brisket. Join us every Monday for more grilling tips, tasty recipes, and exciting collaborations that will elevate your outdoor cooking adventures.

Order the Bangie Cover For Blackstone mentioned in this episode.

Fanpage: Leave a voicemail for us and we might play it on a future episode!

Follow Us On Social Media:
Okie Smokin YouTube Channel
Twitter
Bluesky
Facebook
Okie Smokin Website

Speaker 1:

So it's now June. At the middle of the summer, I'm here with my lovely co-host, dolores, and this is when a lot of people really start grilling. They start using their Blackstone. What's your favorite item? We cook on the Blackstone, dolores.

Speaker 2:

Of course Smashburgers.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, Smashburgers is her favorite and we're going to talk a little bit about that and the Blackstone griddle, so stick around time to fire up that grill.

Speaker 3:

From smoked pork to smash burgers. Outdoor cooking just tastes better. This is the oaky smoking podcast, and here's your host, john barry.

Speaker 1:

John Barry. Yeah, so welcome back. Did you know that this is our 20th? This marks our 20th episode right here on the Okie Smokin' Podcast show, which is quite impressive. Got a lot of them behind us. If you haven't listened to them, be sure and check them out. Today's is all about the Blackstone and some tips. I've got five tips that we're going to cover in today's episode that are going to help you. It's just going to make every cook you do even better. It's going to elevate your Blackstone. That's what this one's all about. So, yeah, that is what we're going to talk about today. So you said your favorite is the smash burger.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I think it tastes good.

Speaker 1:

So if I were to have some burgers coming up tonight and I was going to throw them over charcoal a nice fat, juicy burger, or I was just going to take a couple and smash them right on the griddle, what do you go for? What's your go-to burger? Where are you going to tell me to cook it at? What do you go for? What's your go-to?

Speaker 2:

burger. Where are you going to tell me to cook it at? Of course, smash Burgers, because I like that. On the Blackstone Griddle, because it tastes better. I think it has more flavor.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you know I was, and we talked about this a minute ago, me and you. I follow a griddle Facebook group and there's always people in there that you know. Facebook groups people are, they're trolls or some people just don't like something. They can't just scroll past it. They get a comment and they said that, uh, smash burgers are terrible. You're in the burger, it's the worst burger. A fat, juicy burger is the best burger. And and I even read where he said a rare burger, which I'm I'm not for a rare burger at all all. So I'm not sure if he knew a whole lot of what he was talking about, but I think that smash burger with the caramelization you get that caramelization on there, you get that crust.

Speaker 2:

It has more flavor. Link.

Speaker 1:

Yes, it brings the flavor in, it puts the seasoning on it. So let's just talk real quick about how to make the perfect smash burger. Now I always say you want a double?

Speaker 2:

Yes, I always get a double Because they are thin yeah.

Speaker 1:

Maybe even a triple.

Speaker 2:

I usually do a double, though.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, a double smash burger is the way to go.

Speaker 2:

Unless I'm not eating it with my keto bread, then I'll say triple.

Speaker 1:

And then a triple. But yeah, you've got to have a double smash burger. Every smash burger I make typically is two of them.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

And you get some small ones. So they're thin, they're small. They start at two to three ounces. Two and a half ounces, we'll say, and you put that, you just put it as a ball kind of like a golf ball, maybe a little bigger and you put that on the griddle and you smash it. But before you do that, there's some rules you have to apply to make the smash burger what it is.

Speaker 2:

What is it?

Speaker 1:

Well, number one, you want to make sure the griddle is hot.

Speaker 2:

Oh, uh-huh.

Speaker 1:

And I mean hot, and this is a mistake I made many a times. You'd put it on there and then it didn't come out right or it took too long.

Speaker 2:

Wait, wait. I have a question. Do you put like grease on it or anything you can?

Speaker 1:

but for the most part, if you have it seasoned properly, which we're going to go into seasoning your griddle here in a minute you shouldn't really have to. If you've got a good like a 73% or 80% burger, that grease from the burger should be enough on a good seasoned griddle so that you really don't need to add any grease. You can you can add butter and things, but what you don't want to add and this is my opinion, and my opinion is usually right- you don't want to put onions on the griddle or anything like that before you put your burger.

Speaker 2:

You also don't want to season it in advance. Why can't you put onions on the griddle first?

Speaker 1:

Because you put it on top of the smash burger. If you're going to put onions on your smash burger, you put it on top.

Speaker 2:

Oh, I get it, so it could cook into it.

Speaker 1:

and then you put the cheese and stuff Okay okay, and I do think there's some versions where I've seen people do it the opposite, Because I was like huh. But I think you put it on there. You don't season the meat before you put it on the griddle.

Speaker 2:

So if you have mushrooms, do you put it with the onions and then put it on top?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, once the smash burger is smashed, at that point you can start to add onions to it, you can add mushrooms to it, add your seasoning on the side that's not yet cooking, let that side cook for a good minute or two, and then you're going to go ahead and scrape it. You need a good scraper. You could get a plumber's putty knife if you wanted, but I just have some good old spatulas.

Speaker 2:

You know, we should try that. What is it called? It's called the Flying Dutchman or something like that. Have you heard of it?

Speaker 1:

It sounds familiar.

Speaker 2:

Like In-N-Out, does it where it's like the burger, but you do the grilled onion for the bun. Is it the grilled onions? The bun is the grilled onions.

Speaker 1:

Oh, we could try that and then you eat it that way.

Speaker 2:

That sounds good.

Speaker 1:

I bet that would be good yeah.

Speaker 2:

We need to order their sauce though.

Speaker 1:

Oh, we could make a smash burger with the In-N-Out sauce.

Speaker 2:

Yes, or I could have my sister send us some oh yeah, they've got an In-N-Out out there.

Speaker 1:

Well, we'll be going out there soon. We ought to bring some back.

Speaker 2:

You know we always do that, we always bring it back.

Speaker 1:

And I don't know what happens to it.

Speaker 2:

I think we need to bring some back, but what happened to our last ones that we brought back? Did the kids take them?

Speaker 1:

I don't know. I'm sure it's definitely gone now. It's been a minute.

Speaker 2:

I know I just into them because we did take some. You know how I am.

Speaker 1:

Every time, oh my goodness, I always get some In-N-Out sauce.

Speaker 2:

I know my husband doesn't really care for In-N-Out, but I love In-N-Out. Oh my gosh.

Speaker 1:

I mean it's good, but it's not my smash burger.

Speaker 2:

It's good, I love getting In-N-Out.

Speaker 1:

That's how you really make the best smash burger. Is you go through that? You get the griddle hot, add the seasoning and really flip it one time.

Speaker 2:

Okay.

Speaker 1:

Flip it. As soon as you flip it, what do you add?

Speaker 2:

What do I add? What should you add? Cheese, cheese.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely so. We put the cheese on, let the cheese melt and if you're going to do a double or a triple, you have them all cooking. You flip them all at the same time. You throw the cheese on.

Speaker 2:

Then you just start letting them cook another minute. I learned from you to put cheeses on all slices.

Speaker 1:

Yep, put it on all slices and then just put it on each other and then your burger no longer looks thin. It's like you get a bigger burger At that point whenever you flip it. If you want to toast your buns or something, put those on, get your buns toasted, add your mustard, ketchup or anything else you want, and the crazy thing is a smash burger. Don't need a lot of that, you can just put it on and just eat it. Yeah, you can eat it. Plain Salted jalapenos goes well with it.

Speaker 2:

Jalapenos, jalapenos, jalapenos, those people in the comments.

Speaker 1:

They call me out every time. So yeah, so that is the best way to make a smashed burger, and this episode's all about Blackstone. So we're going to go into the five tips that I'm going to talk about for every cook to make sure that your Blackstone is prepared Things you need to do. But before we do that, we do need to go ahead and pay the bills on the podcast.

Speaker 2:

The podcast isn't free, so hey, Summer's here and you know what that means firing up your blackstone griddle for delicious cookouts with friends and family. But when the party's over, how do you protect your griddle from the elements?

Speaker 1:

don't let rain, dust or even curious critters run your investment here here at Okie Smoke. And we know how much you love your Blackstone Griddle. That's why we recommend the Bungie Cover.

Speaker 2:

The Bungie Cover is the ultimate shield for the Blackstone Griddle. It's crafted from high quality silicone material that's both durable and flexible, withstanding anything Mother Nature throws your way, that's right.

Speaker 1:

The Bungie Cover is waterproof. It keeps rain, snow and moisture away, preventing rust. It's heat resistant, can handle temperatures up to 400 degrees, and it's animal and insect proof. No more unwanted guests sneaking a taste of your next meal. Protect from debris, keep leaves, dust and dirt off your griddle, making cleanup a breeze.

Speaker 2:

The Bungie Covers. Silicone design is built to last, resisting cracking and wearing, even under harsh weather conditions.

Speaker 1:

So go to okiesmokincom slash cover that's okiesmokincom slash C-O-V-E-R, to order yours today from Amazon. And be sure, and select the correct size for your Blackstone griddle.

Speaker 2:

Get the Bungie cover and keep your Blackstone griddle ready to sizzle all year long.

Speaker 1:

Now let's get back to the Oaky Smokin' Show. All right, so now we're back in the Blackstone. It is one of my favorite ways to cook. I mean, we cook chicken on it, we stir fry it on it, we cook burgers, we cook steak which steak's good on it?

Speaker 2:

And if you cook a steak I don't really care for the steak on it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you have to. I'm spoiled. I mean it's hard to nail it I like it on the pit box. And even if you nail it, it still may not quite be as good as if you do it on a charcoal or on a pellet grill. The pellet grill's real good if you got one with the flame. Cook it on it where it sears it Now. The Philly steaks are good on it. Philly cheese steaks excellent on the Blackstone Yep.

Speaker 2:

But a steak. I like it on the Blackstone.

Speaker 1:

You've got to sear both sides, and then you've got to try to cook it to the right temperature.

Speaker 2:

I'm picky on my steak. You shouldn't have.

Speaker 1:

You like the flame-broiled steaks. I do steaks. Well, let's go ahead and get into five of the tips you need to do. Everybody should do to the black stone and, of course, before you cook, there is one thing that needs done and that you've got to season your black stone griddle.

Speaker 2:

So, like, what do you mean by season? Like, do you put seasonings on it, like salt and pepper?

Speaker 1:

No, we're not talking about that. Seasonings on it like salt and pepper no, we're not talking about that. That would be to season your food, but in order to season your blackstone griddle, which I know you haven't. Uh, saw me do this and don't know a whole lot about this, but what we do is we put the oil.

Speaker 1:

So let's just start over so if you get a brand new blackstone or you strip it down to nothing. Yes, I remember us stripping that one down, yeah we stripped one down, a used one that we got, and we stripped it down to nothing. If you start to cook on it, everything's going to stick to it. It's not yet ready.

Speaker 2:

Okay, so it's not like a pan.

Speaker 1:

It's kind of like a cast iron. You've got to season the skillet, so what you do is you add oil to it and then you get it real hot. You let the oil burn off and then it starts to get a shinier look. You're going to start to get a look that the blackstone will start to actually turn black.

Speaker 2:

So how many times do you have to do that?

Speaker 1:

Well, there's various methods that you can do for this, and I'm going to go over a couple of them. First of all, you can do it one way. You'm going to go over a couple of them. First of all, you can do it one way. You can just turn your Blackstone up to as hot as it'll get we're talking 500 degrees and get you some canola oil, some avocado oil. You can use olive oil if you want, but I prefer higher point oil. They even sell some Blackstone designated for this. I've never used that. Don't think you need to. I just use canola oil and avocado oil, whatever I have on hand. Canola's cheaper, so that's what I'd go with. But you can mix it as well. But you put that and you just rub it a good thin layer all over your griddle. Let it get hot until it quits smoking. Once it quits smoking, you've done one layer of get hot until it quits smoking. Once it quits smoking, you've done one layer of seasoning so it quits smoking yes, it, or it should reduce quite a bit.

Speaker 1:

So you're going to get the smoke to burn off at that point. It's seasoned in. You then do it another time. You just basically get you a rag. Now, when you get a rag, I a micro, it's a microfiber rag so that you don't get fibers and stuff on it. So you can get one of those and you rub it on. You can use a paper towel or something, but some of the stuff may get on it. You'll also maybe want to use a spatula instead of your hand so you don't burn yourself, but you'll rub all that on there and you do that about three or four times and you're going to see that your blackstone is getting blacker, it's starting to get a little shinier and it's now starting to develop a nonstick surface. So now you should be able to cook on it without the item sticking quite as much. Now, after you get a freshly seasoned blackstone, I really don't recommend you start with eggs or you start with pancakes, because it's probably not the best yet.

Speaker 2:

So you like need bacon or something.

Speaker 1:

Bacon is where you go and some people swear by ignoring the two or three step process. And a lot of people will say this just to break in your Blackstone, get you some pork belly, get you some bacon, get you all that stuff and brand new Blackstone, throw you some oil on it, go ahead and maybe give it one quick layer of seasoning and just start throwing you up two or three pounds of bacon, get it all messy and just let that cook. And that's seasoning your griddle while it's cooking the bacon.

Speaker 2:

So is pork belly bacon.

Speaker 1:

Yes, pork belly is bacon.

Speaker 2:

I didn't know that. Yeah, you can get it and you get it in some thicker pieces. Can you use chorizo, because it's greasy?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you could use some of that too.

Speaker 2:

Could you use some of that too, chedison.

Speaker 1:

I can't say it. I would prefer bacon or just some pork and things like that just to get on there. So what you want to put on there is something that's going to develop and add grease, yeah, so basically, instead of seasoning with avocado or with canola oil, you're actually seasoning your griddle with that bacon.

Speaker 2:

So when you're done with the bacon, do you just leave it or do you clean it off?

Speaker 1:

Well, no, you'll take the bacon off and then, yeah, you'll just scrape off the oil, wipe it down once it's done.

Speaker 2:

So you never wash it with like soap and water. No, the first time See that's good to know, because I think there was a point in time when I cooked on that thing and I almost did wash it with soap and water. It shouldn't hurt it too much.

Speaker 1:

But you don't want to really do that. For the most part, you just want to wipe it off. That's going to go into our next tip actually, which I'm glad you said that, because we're talking about seasoning. Our next tip actually which I'm glad you said that, because we're talking about seasoning Our next tip is actually cleaning it, and this will help you to cook on a blackstone better. But yeah, you just want to get all those seasonings in there. It just burns into it, and the beautiful thing about a blackstone is, every time you cook, you're going to add some oil, right?

Speaker 3:

You're going to add an egg, you're going to add butter, you're going to add oil and you're going to continue to season it over time.

Speaker 1:

The more you cook on it, the better the seasoning gets. It's like it's a story. It's got your cooks.

Speaker 1:

If you could read it, it would be, layers of your cooks and it gets better over time. The center of it will probably be the best seasoned and eventually the outer parts will get better seasoned. So if you're cooking something, it may not be as nonstick on one side. Maybe you don't use as much. Also, certain areas of it don't get as hot the bottom and the top and the edges. They don't always get as hot, so they may not be as seasoned and may take longer to get there. But the next thing I want to talk about is the number two tip is cleaning up right.

Speaker 2:

Wait, we did. I thought we already did number two. That was one and then two.

Speaker 1:

No, we haven't done two yet. That's number one. We talked about seasoning. Number two is cleaning it up right, which is after each use. You want to make sure you clean it. Well, you did touch on it. Don't use soap.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I didn't. I didn't. As a matter of fact, after I cooked my stuff, I left it because I didn't want to ruin it. Yeah, when it's hot, because I was scared, you know, I just like scraped off the top of it and then I turned it off and left it because I didn't want to get in trouble with you if I did something bad. No, you don't want to get in trouble with me, but you keep touching on things we're going to talk about because tip number five is protecting your investment so you don't run it.

Speaker 1:

So we're going to touch on that here in a moment as well. But when you clean it up, you just want to get you a spatula or a scraper and just scrape it all off and just put it in a corner. Most of the black stones will have a little hole. You put it down.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and then you just go ahead and scrape it off in a corner or just most of the black stones will have a little hole.

Speaker 1:

You put it down, yeah, and then you just go ahead and scrape it off, wipe it down with your micro fiber cloth and you're good to go. Uh, you might want to go ahead and add a little water to it to, uh, take off anything that's sticky or stuck to it, but do you leave it on while you're cleaning it?

Speaker 1:

You don't have to leave it on, but you still kind of want it warm or hot. But if you do go and eat, I prefer to, when I come back, to turn it on and heat it up a little bit before I do, just because it makes it easier to clean. Someone listening to this may disagree, but that's how I prefer to do it. There's many ways you can do it, but you just want to do that and you want to take your cloth and wipe all the corners, clean it off. You kind of want it to be smooth when you're done.

Speaker 2:

I've never cleaned that thing, so that's good to know.

Speaker 1:

And one other thing I like to do and I do this pretty much after every cook is add some oil. Now this step, it don't have to be hot at all. You could wait, you probably should, because you don't want to burn yourself. But once it cools down, before you completely cover it is, just take you a layer of, and this can be any oil olive, canola, vegetable, you just like, put it down, it don't matter.

Speaker 2:

Oil olive canola vegetable, you just like put it down and wipe it.

Speaker 1:

Just put some on it and wipe all over the surface and the edges of the entire blackstone and that's going to help protect it until the next cook.

Speaker 2:

Okay.

Speaker 1:

And then that way it will help prevent water, rust and dirt and other things getting on it. And that's when you put in the Bungie cover that we talked about. You put that all over the edges of it and that even adds another layer of protection as well. So you'll put that Bungie cover on it. If you don't have that, that's fine. You just leave the oil on it. You can put a lid on it if you have it, or whatever your cover normal.

Speaker 1:

So you're not even using the lid, you're just using the banji cover well, when you use the banji cover, I still, if you have a lid, would put that over the top of it okay and it actually seals it in, air tights it, and there's a video on my youtube channel, if you check it out, the oaky smoking youtube channel of where I show myself putting theanshee cover on it and even putting the lid over it and sealing it in. So you really have some good protection there and you don't have to worry about insects, you don't have to worry about rust, rain or anything. You really seal it tight.

Speaker 2:

It's been a rainy season this year too.

Speaker 1:

It rains all the time. It was sprinkling outside just a minute ago, so but those that's. Tip number one is uh, what was tip number one seasoning. Tip number two is cleaning it up right and number three is preheating for your cooks what's number four? Well, we'll get to that in a minute. But we're going to stick with preheating first, and that is allow time to preheat, don't turn it on and throw a burger on it and expect it to cook.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1:

You want to really get it heated up. Surely most people know that Now there are some things that they think you should cook slower. Maybe bacon, you put it on cold.

Speaker 2:

I'm not in agreement with that. Really, I have heard about bacon like you put it on cold and then you heat it up. I have heard that Even in a pan you're supposed to do that we could try that.

Speaker 1:

I have done it in a pan before I haven't tried it in a Blackstone and if you, listening, prefer or you do your Blackstone cook a bacon like that, let us know. If you go to the show notes you'll see. Send a text to John and Dolores. You can talk to us about that. But I typically like to really preheat it at least to a low-medium state, you know, 5 minutes, 10 minutes or so, and then put the food on, because also it's something you don't use regularly, although we use it regularly. We use it quite a bit.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

So what I mean is you have it out there and you may want to kind of preheat it and kind of get everything burned off of it a little bit, but, and you kind of want to get it sanitized, a little, heated up and then throw your food on it. And so preheating, I think, is essential, and especially when it comes to smash burgers, because you want to really heat it up to where it's, I'm saying, 400 degrees before you put them smash burgers on and then smash them into the griddle.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and if not, I will smash them into the griddle. Yeah, and if not, I will stick, if you just leave it. Yeah.

Speaker 1:

And it just comes out better, then you don't want to try to flip anything until you are to the point to where it should release fairly easy.

Speaker 2:

I like cooking like the fajita chicken on there too. It makes it like moist, it's not like tough or anything yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, Fajita chicken stir-fry. What did we make with that fajita chicken? We made some burritos.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I made burritos with it and I also made it put in my chicken, alfredo.

Speaker 1:

So before we go to tip number four, we already know your number. One thing cooked on the Blackstone is smash burgers. So what is number two? What's your next favorite? If we don't have any burgers around, what do you like next?

Speaker 2:

I like the Philly cheese steak Okay.

Speaker 1:

The Philly cheesesteak.

Speaker 2:

I mean I can't use the bread, but I mean you guys can, but I like how it tastes. Yeah, they have some.

Speaker 1:

You can find them at your local grocery store. I'm sure it's some Steakums. Remember the Steakums we did?

Speaker 2:

Where did we find those at?

Speaker 1:

We found a box of them at Winco and it was very inexpensive.

Speaker 2:

You, know, I tried to look for it last time when I was at.

Speaker 1:

Winco, I thought, maybe it was Crest. No it was Winco the first time, and Crest or Walmart or anything, you can probably find them. I don't know, but I couldn't find them the last time I was looking either, but they're not that much.

Speaker 2:

They're not that much.

Speaker 1:

And it's in the freezer section and you look at and you're like, eh, but then, boy, you throw it on there and you just fry that up.

Speaker 2:

But where did I buy the last one?

Speaker 1:

The last one what?

Speaker 2:

The last of the.

Speaker 1:

Oh, that was from Costco.

Speaker 2:

Okay, that's why. Okay, now, that's a good steak. I split those up.

Speaker 1:

Wow that was a lot. They sliced them things thin. Then it was like from the meat department and they took a steak and it wasn't that expensive. And they had that thing thin sliced and we made several batches of chili cheese.

Speaker 2:

Philly cheese steak. Well, I didn't do a little. I did like rice with it. Yeah we did different things.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and those were great. So, yeah, you're right, philly cheese steaks are right up there.

Speaker 2:

Well, you know what that? Steak would probably be good on pizza Pizza. Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Maybe with some barbecue. Yeah, I think that would be. But let's get on into tip number four on the Blackstone, which is mastering the heat zones. Heat zones so this is actually the hard part is mastering it, because once you get one side hot or you get one side low and you try to, you get something done and you've got to move it to a different part of the blackstone. That can be challenging and you can have up to four or even maybe even five zones, depending on which one you have.

Speaker 1:

The one I use most of the time is my 27, 28-inch, 28, 27, something like that, and it only has two zones. So you have a burner on the left, you have a burner on the right. I do have the bigger 36-inch one that I just don't ever use, and so you, I usually have them both on fairly close to the same. But if you're going to cook something that you might want to cook low, you want the left one or the right one at a different temperature and you and you want the other one hot. But if you got a four zoner, you can actually have that set up so that you can curate the temperatures for the food. If you're having vegetables, you want them cooler, and just mastering the heat zones is really key to making sure that, for example, you cook bacon, then you want to move the bacon to a spot of the griddle that it doesn't keep cooking but it stays warm. So that's just a basic tip there Try to master, try to use your heat zones.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, because I don't like my bacon crispy.

Speaker 1:

And if you want them crispy, keep them on a side to where they continue to cook during the duration of it. I personally like them. I want it to break in half.

Speaker 2:

See, and me and the kids are not that way.

Speaker 1:

You want it chewy.

Speaker 2:

It's not like necessarily chewy, it's just not crispy. I don't like it, crispy. Yeah, I like some crispiness, unless it's like in, like soup or something, and you chop it up.

Speaker 1:

Right, right. So yeah, that's your fourth tip. There is just master your heat zones. Determine what you're cooking, have different temperatures set. If you're going to be cooking a big cook on a four-zone system, don't have everything on high.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

You know you'll want one on low, or maybe even a zone completely turned off if you have a big griddle, so you could just put stuff over there and let it set, because the whole thing is going to stay a little warm. There ain't no doubt about that. You don't want to touch the offside, it's still going to be hot. So master those zones. And the number five tip we're talking about today you mentioned it earlier is don't run it. We want to protect.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Protect your investment, and that starts with our sponsor of getting that Bungie cover and putting it over it after each cook to prevent rust. But do you know any other ways we can protect your investment? The Blackstone.

Speaker 2:

Don't wash it with soap.

Speaker 1:

Also, it goes with tip number one, which is the seasoning.

Speaker 2:

So if you were to take a and I would also say have it covered, so like if you're like us in Oklahoma where it rains.

Speaker 1:

Rains right.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, most people have it like underneath a patio or something like that.

Speaker 1:

We kind of got a roof over ours.

Speaker 2:

You can still get sideways rain.

Speaker 1:

Sideways rain, yeah Dirt.

Speaker 2:

What about animals you don't want, like birds on it and stuff?

Speaker 1:

Well, your cover, yeah, yeah, the bungee cover, all that helps protect that, yeah, but also using the proper tools when you're cleaning it. If you're using like a wire brush, you can actually take the seasoning off, so you don't want to scrub too hard and remove the seasoning from it. Also, you can, initially, if you turn it on too hot, you can warp it. Now, if you keep burning it, it hopefully will straighten out, but you can actually warp the center of your griddle.

Speaker 2:

I didn't know that.

Speaker 1:

And another thing which I'm not 100% sure but I've heard, is if you have a hot griddle and you place cold food when I mean cold food, say you take something out of the freezer and throw on there a freezer item and throw it right on there, that can warp your griddle. So you might want to kind of avoid those things just a little bit. I don't worry about it too much. In my opinion it's almost like bulletproof. I've used it, I've done a lot of things.

Speaker 2:

You know why I don't worry about it right?

Speaker 1:

Why is that?

Speaker 2:

Because you always cook for me yeah, so you don't worry about it, right? Why is that? Because you always cook for me yeah, so you don't worry about it at all.

Speaker 1:

And I really don't think there's a whole lot you could do to it. It's mostly to prevent if you just do the basic steps.

Speaker 2:

I think my first time cooking on it. I was nervous because you had a bulk cleanup and you were home. I cooked for the kids and I was actually scared to use it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, don't be scared to use it.

Speaker 2:

No, I was, I think. I called you and asked you how to use it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's your five tips right there, and did I tell you how to use it? Did I help you out?

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah. Well, you helped me out, yeah, Well, there's your five tips right there on the Blackstone Griddle. That's what this episode was all about. Before we sign off, though, we want to check into the community and see if there's any latest comments on any videos or anything. I was just looking here comments on any videos or anything? I was just looking here and I did a Weber smoky mountain brisket, which turned out fantastic.

Speaker 2:

Yes, that thing turned out really good.

Speaker 1:

What did you think of the tenderness?

Speaker 2:

Dang, it was like fall apart. Like you. Like when you put it in your hands, you didn't even have to like, cut it Honestly. No, there was no pool. Like when you put it in your hands, you didn't even have to like, cut it honestly.

Speaker 1:

No, there was no pull. I said that in the video but you know it was maybe too tender, honestly, I liked it.

Speaker 2:

You know I was thinking like we could have made like the burgers with the cheese. Made like brisket burgers yeah, that sounded really good that would have been good.

Speaker 1:

But I was looking here and, uh, poor guy outdoor. He was one of the first ones that saw this video and he said perfect all the way around, bravo, john. So appreciate him for looking. And he's smoking pot said this looks fantastic, john, that's a comment from someone. New Cooking with Noddy said I really want to dig into this. The bird flavors are going on here and really well cooked, so appreciate the comments there. And that brisket was really really good. I made some burnt ends with it as well, cooked that separate and I cut the point off. So if you want to check out that video, it's available on the YouTube channel.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and the burnt ends were a 20 out of 20 that our kids said I didn't get to taste it.

Speaker 1:

They did like the burnt ends.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I didn't get to taste it.

Speaker 1:

They did like the burnt ends, yeah, and I added some brown sugar to them, added some honey. Barbecue sauce.

Speaker 2:

Worcestershire sauce.

Speaker 1:

Worcestershire. Is it Worcestershire or Worcestershire?

Speaker 2:

I have no clue, I just say Worcestershire, worcestershire, worcestershire.

Speaker 1:

I added some of that.

Speaker 2:

Who came up with that name?

Speaker 1:

So, but let's go over what we talked about in this episode of the podcast. It is number 20. Just went ahead and talked briefly about five things that you can do to help improve your blackstone Seasoning is, of course, number one. You want to make sure your blackstone Seasoning is, of course, number one. You want to make sure your blackstone's well-seasoned before cooking on it. Make sure you clean it correctly, preheat it every single time, managing your heat zones and, of course, protecting it from the elements of the weather. Making sure you do things, take care of it, make sure all that is done right and you're going to have a fantastic time using your Blackstone griddle, and I appreciate everybody for tuning in. Do you have anything else you'd like to add to this particular episode?

Speaker 2:

Yes, I cannot wait for the pickle challenge thing, oh. Because, I've been eating pickles nonstop. Now, yes, I forgot, and we're going to have that in here by the end of the month.

Speaker 1:

She brought that up, so we bought a gallon of pickles yes. And she's been eating pickles and we're going to be creating a pickle challenge, a pickle collaboration with Yum Kitchen and a bunch of other creators. It's going to be the challenge or the collaboration requirement is we have to cook something that has pickles. That's pretty simple. We could cook a burger and put pickles on it, yeah, but we're not doing that.

Speaker 1:

We've got. We're going to feature the pickle as the main star. Yeah, and in our next podcast we'll touch a little bit more on that.

Speaker 2:

And I didn't know. The big pickles in the jar are like zero carbs.

Speaker 1:

Yep, she's got some zero carb pickles, so she's been eating them up.

Speaker 2:

Holy cow, I've been eating them like crazy.

Speaker 1:

And I've got to say they are really, really good.

Speaker 2:

They are.

Speaker 1:

Yep, the ones we have.

Speaker 2:

They're actually better than the ones that your mom used to buy.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I don't know. We'll talk about where we got them on our next podcast as well. Oh wait.

Speaker 2:

I wanted to say the brisket that you bought. You bought it from kroger, and how much was it?

Speaker 1:

okay, yes, discount, yeah, the brisket. So, and uh, we got it for a dollar 58 a pound dollar 48 a pound, something like that. It was regularly like three dollars and something a pound. It was limit two yeah and I bought two. So I bought like two briskets for like 50 bucks yeah but not only that. I had never ordered from kroger before and as a first time customer I got 25 bucks off for my first order yeah, so if you ever want to order from kroger, yeah, well, look at their deals.

Speaker 1:

right now, the brisket's no longer that price. Yeah, but you should check their ads and make sure that you get the right price. And we don't even have a Kroger in Oklahoma.

Speaker 2:

No, it's just a, but we have a.

Speaker 1:

Kroger delivery, which they have a warehouse and they take refrigerated vehicles and they deliver it to your house. So why don't they? Have a warehouse and they take refrigerated vehicles and they deliver it to your house.

Speaker 2:

So why don't they have a Kroger out here? Why didn't they just build a store?

Speaker 1:

I think here in Oklahoma we're so saturated with the grocery markets. You have Crest, you have Walmart, you have Winco, you have well, you do have the Costco, you have the Sam's, you have Homeland, you have.

Speaker 2:

But I bet you it would be good.

Speaker 1:

I probably would be, but I think it's saturated Also the time, and we didn't have a Kroger delivery until just recently and they probably looked at it. I don't know, maybe we will one day. But yeah, we just had it delivered, and I mean by the time it was said and done and everything. I ordered those briskets. We bought two of them for like 50 bucks and those were 13-pound briskets. I haven't cooked the other one yet.

Speaker 2:

Well, no, that's for my family reunion.

Speaker 1:

Yep, so I'm saving that one for a family reunion that we're going to do. I went ahead and showed you guys the first one that we did, yeah, so anyway, I appreciate you all tuning in Anything else.

Speaker 2:

No, that's about it. We'll see you. I always say we'll see you Sunday, but I'll say we'll see you Monday.

Speaker 1:

We usually record the episode on Sunday or Saturday, but you will hear it on Monday. I'll see you guys then.

Speaker 3:

Thank you for listening to the Okie Smokin' podcast. Episodes drop every Monday. Don't forget to follow this podcast or you might miss out on some delicious creations. You can also find us on our website, okiesmokincom, and on YouTube and other social media platforms. Until next time, keep firing up that grill.

Perfecting the Smash Burger on Blackstone
Seasoning and Cleaning a Blackstone
Blackstone Griddle Cleaning and Cooking Tips
Mastering Heat Zones and Griddle Maintenance
Grill Tips and Pickle Challenge

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