Griddles are highly versatile cooking platforms that have been around in some form or another for many years. Early versions were as simple as placing a steel plate over a bed of coals to cook a juicy steak. Let’s compare two excellent grills, the Blackstone Griddle and the Blue Rhino.
The Blackstone Griddle and Blue Rhino Razor Grills are popular products with similar features. Both offer a steel powder-coated frame, four stainless burners, 720 vs. 730 cubic inch cold rolled steel griddle, folding legs, wheels, side tables, and utility shelf.
Both the Blackstone Griddle and Blue Rhino Grill are excellent grills. Reading through the write-ups, they seem pretty similar. Should you want to buy a new grill, you will find this comparison helpful in deciding which is best for you!
Blackstone Griddle vs. Blue Rhino

The Blackstone Griddle, like the Blue Rhino Razor griddle, are both designed by US-based companies. However, the actual manufacture of the grills is outsourced to Chinese companies under strict quality control standards.
Both grills are made of high-quality materials, so there’s not much to choose between in terms of build quality.
The Blackstone Griddle and the Blue Rhino Griddle look and operate similarly. Both grills utilize propane burners to heat a steel plate on the cooking surface, have a sturdy steel frame on castor wheels, and use quality stainless steel burners.
The cooking surfaces differ slightly between the brands. Both are made from cold-rolled steel, but it measures 720 square inches for the Blackstone Griddle, while the Blue Rhinos plate measures 730 square inches.
If we were being picky, the additional ten square inches offered by the Blue Rhino Grill might be the extra space needed to avoid someone missing out on a tasty grill-prepared morsel. All factors considered, it’s improbable that the difference in size will make much practical difference.

Below is a quick overview of the primary features of the grills:
Blackstone Griddle 36’ | Blue Rhino Razor Grill | |
Frame Material | Steel | Steel |
Frame Coating | Powder Coated | Powder Coated |
Ignition system | Push Button Igniter | Push and Turn Igniter |
Griddle Plate Material | Cold Rolled Carbon Steel 7 Guage | Cold Rolled Steel |
Propane Bottle Holder | Yes | Yes |
Number of Burners | 4 – Stainless Steel | 4 – Stainless Steel |
Total Heat BTU | 60 000 | 62 000 |
Foldable Legs | Yes | Yes |
Grease Cup | Yes | Yes |
Paper Towel Rail | No | Yes |
Utility Shelf | Yes | Yes |
Side Tables | Yes | Yes |
Portable on Wheels | Yes | Yes |
Integrated Griddle Lid | No | Yes |
Cooking Surface (Square inch) | 720 | 730 |
Total Dimensions L/W/H (Inches) | 62.5 x 22 x 36 | 77 X 24 x 25 |
Weight (Pounds) | 120 | 117 |
Warranty | 1 Year | 1 Year |
As seen from the above comparison, the Blackstone griddle and the Blue Rhino Grill offer steel constructed frames and legs that have been powder coated to provide excellent rust resistance and longevity of the grill’s main chassis.
The griddle plate material has been carefully selected to ensure proper heat transfer and structural integrity to avoid the plate warping due to the heat from the burners and that they cook effectively for many years.
Both the Blackstone and Blue Rhino Grills offer propane bottle support structures. These ensure the propane cylinder is held securely, even when wheeling the grill along on the castor wheels. They also make sure the propane cylinder is not in direct contact with the ground.
Blackstone and Blue Rhino Grills both offer four stainless steel burners. The Blackstone’s burners are fitted with a heat shield, while the Blue Rhinos are not. The Blue Rhino offers a searing function on one of the individually controlled burners, which provides an additional cooking function.
The BTU output of the Blue Rhino Grill is slightly more than that of the Blackstone, but I honestly don’t believe the difference will be evident in practical terms. The Blackstone Griddle delivers a maximum of 60 000 BTU, while the Blue Rhino provides a maximum of 62 000 BTU.
A twenty-pound propane tank should provide just over seven hours of grilling time at maximum heat in the BTU output. That’s a lot of happy hours around your grill with friends and family.
The towel rail feature of the Blue Rhino Grill is a nice touch. Anyone who uses a grill regularly will appreciate the value of a strategically placed paper towel rail. Grills tend to produce a lot of oil and fat, depending on what meats are prepared. Spatters do occur, and having a paper towel handy makes quick wipe-ups easier.
The Blackstone Griddle and the Blue Rhino Grill both offer side tables that are extremely handy for placing utensils, spices, bowls, etc., during the grilling process. They also both have a utility shelf suspended between the legs of the grill, which is a handy storage feature.
The Blackstone and Blue Rhino Grill offer grease traps or cups, a great feature during cooking and cleaning. The Blackstone’s grease cup is located at the back of the griddle plate. A slot is cut into the middle rear of the griddle plate that allows fats and oils to run off the plate into the cup.
The Blue Rhinos oil and fats drainage hole is located on the front left of the griddle plate. Cleaning is as easy as tipping out and washing the grease cups. A metal cup slots into a drawer that is conveniently located on the left front of the grill’s control panel.
A nifty feature is that the Blue Rhinos side tables also double as covers for the griddle plate which is very handy.
Lastly, both companies offer a one-year warranty on their grills; however, they are both quality products, so that should far outlast this time period. Read through the warranty conditions carefully if this becomes the deciding factor.
Seasoning Your Blackstone Griddle and Blue Rhino Grills

Seasoning of a new griddle correctly ensures that the food does not stick to the metal plate.
Seasoning is the process of carbonizing oil or fats onto the griddle’s surface, which stops food from sticking onto the surface and forms a protective layer on the griddle plate, which prevents rust formation.
Blackstone recommends using flaxseed oil for seasoning their griddles, but melted shortening or quality vegetable oil seasoning delivers excellent results.
Blue Rhino Grills are pre-seasoned when new; it’s up to you whether you feel the need to re-season the griddle with your own specific formula before using the grill for the first time.
What You Need To Season Your Griddle

- A squeeze bottle to house the oil
- Protective gloves
- A cotton cloth or paper towels
Light the burners and set them to the highest temperature for about five minutes before applying the oil. You want the griddle to get hot.
Using the squeeze bottle, squirt oil onto the surface, then using the folded cloth or paper towel, evenly coat the surface of the griddle plate with the oil, fat, or store-bought seasoning mixture.
Ensure the vertical sides of the griddle are also well oiled. Allow the oil to burn off; it may even smoke somewhat while burning off, which is good. The metal plate will change color as the seasoning carbonizes and is part of the seasoning process.
When the oil has stopped giving off smoke, the oil has burnt away. For the best results, repeat the seasoning process a couple of times to ensure the griddle has been seasoned thoroughly.
Once you’re happy, turn off the heat and allow the griddle plate to cool. When cold, wipe the plate with a clean cloth or paper towel to remove any loose particles, and you’re ready to cook on your griddle.
Are the Blackstone and Blue Rhino Grills Portable?
Despite the significant weight of the Blackstone and Blue Rhino Grills, which are 117 and 120 pounds, respectively, the grills are portable on hard surfaces due to their great castor wheels. Two of the four castors are lockable on each of the grills.
Both Blackstone and Blue Rhino have transportation covered. The grills are fitted with folding legs and folding side tables. This reduces both grills into relatively compact packages that can quickly be loaded into a vehicle with the help of a buddy.
Worth noting is that the Blue Rhino Grill has two bigger wheels fitted that allow easier wheeling of the grill across uneven surfaces. The smaller castor wheels are equipped with a braking system. The same braking system is found on the Blackstone griddle.
How to Clean Your Griddle Plate
Cleaning the Blue Rhino and Blackstone Griddle plates after the food has been cooked is part of the fun of grilling. This is when a well-seasoned griddle with come into its own.
What you’ll need to clean your griddle
- Protective gloves
- A Stiff spatula
- Cloth or paper towel
- Squeeze bottle filled with water
To clean the griddle plate, turn on the burners and allow the griddle to heat up. When hot, pour water using the squeeze bottle onto the hot surface. While pouring water onto the griddle, use the spatula to dislodge stubborn bits such as charred sauces.
The next step is to apply more water onto the surface of the griddle plate while simultaneously using the cloth to give the surface a good wipe. A handy tip is to push the cloth around the surface using the spatula if you don’t have protective gloves.
Once the griddle is clean, heat the plate again to dry the metal surface. Next, turn off the burners and lightly oil the surface using a paper towel. Heating ensures that the griddle plate is well protected from rust, maintains the seasoning layer, and is ready for use in the future.
Heating the plate melts the oils and fats that have solidified on the griddle plate when it cools. The water lifts the oils and greases from the griddle while the cloth wipes the mess away.
Detergents should never be used to clean the griddle plates, as this would break down the seasoning layer you worked so hard to create. Cleaning the surface with water only preserves the protective layer.
Blue Rhino Searing Function
The Blue Rhino Razor Grill has an innovative feature that allows one of the burners to burn hotter than the rest. The searing function heats a specific area of the griddle plate to a high temperature, enabling the searing of meat or cooking foods that require a very hot griddle.
The temperature knob is circled in red for easy identification and has two settings. The temperature is the same as the other three burners in the regular cooking setting. The second setting, which has two small flames on the icon, really gets things heated up.
The individual burner control buttons allow different heat settings on the same griddle. Specific heat settings are helpful as it enables an egg, for example, to be cooked on one side of the griddle while a T-bone is searing on the other end.
Are the Blackstone and Blue Rhino Griddles Weatherproof?

Both Blackstone Griddle and the Blue Rhino Grills are open-topped. Therefore, they are not well suited for use in inclement weather situations unless they’re situated undercover. The griddle plate is exposed to the elements, so using the grill in rainy or snowy weather is not advisable.
Storage of the grills is also best-done undercover, so the griddle plate is not exposed to moisture. As the griddle plate is made from high carbon rolled steel, the materials are prone to rust if exposed to the elements.
Leaving your Blackstone Griddle or your Blue Rhino Griddle outdoors will shorten its lifespan. If your Blackstone Griddle or your Blue Rhino Grill is stored outside, ensure that you have a weatherproof protective cover to protect the grill from the elements.
Final Thoughts
The Blackstone Griddle and the Blue Rhino Razor Grill are both excellent grills. The two grills offer all the popular features, such as a cold-rolled steel griddle of similar size.
Choosing between the grills will come down to personal preference and price. Both have steel frames that are superbly powder coated: four stainless steel burners. The only significant difference is that the Blue Rhino offers a searing function that is very innovative.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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