If you are looking to purchase a flat top grill, Blackstone and Camp Chef are two popular choices for backyard cooking. There are many people out there that have internally debated between Blackstone vs Camp Chef for an outdoor griddle.
The purpose of this article is to provide readers with some clarity between the two brands of flat top grills. Keep in mind that each brand makes several different models of flat top grills.
This article will focus on the Blackstone 4-burner vs. the Camp Chef 4-burner and the Blackstone 2-burner vs. the Camp Chef 3-burner.
Table of Contents
Blackstone vs Camp Chef (4 Burner Models)
Last update on 2022-11-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Major Differences
Grease Management System
The Blackstone features a rear grease management system whereas the Camp Chef has a front system.
The Blackstone contains a small opening at the rear of the griddle where grease and debris can be pushed through to a lower hanging oil catcher (cup).
The Camp Chef has a trough that runs the length of the front of the griddle surface. Grease natural flows or is pushed into the trough when necessary. Once grease is in the trough, it flows to an oil cup bucket where it is collected for later disposal.
There have been issues with front grease management systems on flat top grills in the past. However, Camp Chef appears to have done a relatively nice job at designing their system. Some people have mentioned that the grease drain hole could be bigger. While you will have to be careful about the food debris you allow into this hole that connects the trough to the oil bucket, the issue with clogging likely isn’t a major inconvenience for most users.
Overall, using both the front and rear system, we prefer the front over the back. In our opinion, it is slightly easier to move the grease toward you as opposed to working it toward the back of a potential hot griddle top.
Is this a deal breaker for the Blackstone? The answer is no. The rear grease management system is still very efficient and works as designed, but it is just not our preference.
BTUs
The BTUs of the Blackstone are 60,000 whereas the BTUs of the Camp Chef are 48,000. While the BTUs of the Camp Chef are lower than the Blackstone, the Camp Chef is heating over 100 square inches less cooking space.
The general rule is that a grill works efficiently at 80-100 BTUs per square inch of cooking space. The below math shows the BTUs per square inch for the Blackstone vs Camp Chef.
Blackstone: 60,000 BTUs ÷ 720 square inches = 83.33 BTUs per square inch
Camp Chef: 48,000 BTUs ÷ 604 square inches = 79.47 BTUs per square inch
Based on the above, both flat top grills offer ample BTUs to efficiently heat their griddle surfaces. They provide ample heat production for the majority of foods you will be cooking on them.
Cooking Space
The Blackstone has the advantage over the Camp Chef in overall cooking space. The Blackstone provides 720 square inches vs 604 square inches for the Camp Chef.
While the cooking space is smaller on the Camp Chef, it does offer a cooking feature that the Blackstone does not have. If you remove the griddle surface on the Camp Chef, there is a grilling surface that provides 501 square inches of grilling surface.
In other words, the Camp Chef can be used as either a flat top grill or a traditional-style grill using grill grates when the griddle top is removed. This is a major benefit of the Camp Chef, especially for the person not looking to completely get away from grate grilling.
Wheels
The Blackstone is equipped with commercial caster wheels. These wheels allow it to be easily moved as needed. Two of the wheels are able to lock to permit the flat top grill to remain stationary.
The Camp Chef is only equipped with two wheels located adjacent to the propane tank. It has leveling feet where the other wheels would be located. These leveling feet allow the Camp Chef to be placed on uneven surfaces and adjust so that the griddle does not wobble.
Overall, we prefer the four Blackstone high-end wheels for better mobility over the two wheel system of the Camp Chef . However, if you aren’t planning on routinely moving your griddle, the wheels aren’t going to be a major issue. If you plan on placing your flat top grill on an uneven surface, you might consider the Camp Chef for its ability to adjust to uneven surfaces.
Ignition
The Blackstone is equipped with a battery-powered push button ignition. To ignite the grill, the user turns on the propane gas at the cylinder and then turns the ignition burner knob to its maximum setting. The ignition button is then held down (5 seconds max) until the burner lights. The remaining burners are ignited by turning the knobs on in order from closest to the initial lit burner to the farest away. The four burners are independently controlled by heat control knobs.
The Camp Chef does not have a push button ignition like the Blackstone. Rather, each burner has its own ignition. After the propane has been tuned on, any given burner can be ignited by pushing and turning its knob to the high setting. You do not have to ignite the burners in sequential order like the Blackstone requires.
Blackstone 2-Burner vs Camp Chef 3-Burner
Last update on 2022-11-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Major Differences
Grease Management System
The grease management system is in the rear for the Blackstone and the front for the Camp Chef. Please read our discussion on the two systems above for the 4-burner flat top grills. The same information applies to these grills.
BTUs
The Camp Chef offers slightly more BTUs through its 3 burners at 36,000 vs 34,000 BTUs for the Blackstone. The BTUs per square inch of cooking space for each flat top grill are as follows:
Blackstone: 34,000 BTUs ÷ 448 square inches = 78.89 BTUs per square inch
Camp Chef: 36,000 BTUs ÷ 468 square inches = 76.92 BTUs per square inch
While slightly under the recommended range of 80-100 BTUs per square inch of cooking space, both griddles will have no problem keeping up with the demand of cooking at high temperatures.
Cooking Space
The Camp Chef provides a bit more cooking surface space compared to the Blackstone. The Camp Chef has 468 square inches vs Blackstone’s 448 square inches. The difference is 20 square inches between the two flat top grills.
Keep in mind that the 3 burner Camp Chef does not have a grilling surface under the griddle top like the 4-burner Camp Chef.
Burners
The likely most obvious difference between the two griddles is the number of burners. Camp Chef has three burners whereas the Blackstone has two. The benefit of an additional burner with the Camp Chef is the ability for more precise heat zones.
Ignition
Both griddles have the same ignition systems as previously discussed in the 4-burner Camp Chef vs Blackstone section above. The Blackstone is manufactured with a push button ignition whereas turning any given knob to high on the Camp Chef will ignite that burner.
For more on the Blackstone 2-Burner Griddle see our review here.
Conclusion
Overall, we would go with the Camp Chef for both the 3 and 4-burner griddles if we had to choose. This is especially true for the 4-burner Camp Chef that offers the grate grilling surface under the griddle unlike the Blackstone. That being said, Blackstone flat top grills are high-quality outdoor griddles that are built to last. You likely won’t be disappoint no matter which one you decide to purchase.