Most griddling is done in a pretty straightforward manner. You heat the griddle and oil it well. Add the food. Cook until sizzling and browned on the bottom, then cook the other side the same way until done in the center. It’s as simple as that. The short list of foods that can be griddled in this way includes eggs, pancakes, French toast, thin steaks and chops, burgers, chicken breasts, fish fillets, shrimp and crabcakes, thinly sliced vegetables and fruits, noodles, rice, and more – which isn’t such a short list after all. Now, here’s how to griddle them.

Griddle Technique #1: Divide-And-Conquer Griddling

Best for thick sandwiches, like medianoches and muffulettas. Build the sandwich in two halves, with the cold cuts on top. Layer a sheet of parchment paper atop the cold cuts, and start griddling the meat with the parchment paper side down. When the meats are hot and sizzling, carefully turn the half sandwich so the bread side is down. Peel off and discard the parchment paper. Put the two halves together and your sandwich is ready.

Technique #2: Dome Griddling

This method is used for cooking larger or slower-cooking foods, like thicker steaks and chops, chicken pieces, fish steaks—any food that requires a little more heat and time to cook. Place a griddle dome or metal bowl over the food while it’s on the griddle to hold in the heat. Use dome griddling for melting the cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich and speeding up the cooking of a sunny-side up egg.

Technique #3: Steam Griddling

This is a technique developed in Asia to facilitate griddling dense vegetables, like broccoli and winter squash. Work over a medium-hot to hot griddle. Start by cooking the vegetables in oil. Then squirt a tablespoon or two of water on the vegetables. It will boil rapidly, steaming the vegetables in the process. Add more water as needed until the vegetables are sizzling and lightly browned. To intensify the effect, place a griddle dome over the food.

Technique #4: Salt Griddling

A unique method for griddling that Spanish chef José Andrés uses to cook carabineros—Spain’s supernaturally succulent scarlet shrimp. (They take their name from the scarlet uniforms once worn by Spanish carabineros, or police.) Spread out coarse sea salt in a .4-inch-thick (1 cm) layer over your plancha. Heat it well, then lay the shrimp on top. Note: The Spanish like their shrimp barely cooked (make that half-raw) in the center.

Technique #5: Smoke-Griddling

In this method, you smoke right on the surface of the griddle. Heat one zone to high and one zone to medium. Mound a handful of hardwood chips or pellets or a couple of tablespoons of hardwood sawdust directly on the griddle over the hot zone. When it starts to smoke, slide the wood to the medium zone and place the food to be griddled next to it (oil it first). Cover with the griddle dome. Griddle the food covered—the smoldering wood will provide a delicate smoke flavor.

Naturally, all of these recipes will be most successful if griddled on a high-quality grill – like the Wildfire Ranch Pro 30-Inch Stainless Steel Griddle* – with features that make it a superior choice over cast-iron products, including corrosion resistance and durability, 8mm surface (for heat retention and even cooking), and low maintenance (easy to clean, no seasoning required).

* Enter here for your chance to win this Griddle and Steven’s newest book, Project Griddle.

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The Surprising Technique of Smoking on the Griddle

Every once in a while, a cooking technique comes along that sounds so improbable, you’d never think to try it.

But that turns out to be so essential, you’ll wish you had thought of it earlier.

I speak of smoking on the griddle.  Aka barbecue on the griddle.   Aka an impossibility.  Only it’s not only possible.   It’s impossibly cool.

Why I’m Obsessed with Griddling Lately

If I seem obsessed by griddling lately, it’s because I just published a new book called Project Griddle.   No, I haven’t given up grilling—that will never happen.   But I have added several outdoor griddles to my grill collection at home and I use them to turn out some amazing food.

Why bother with outdoor griddles?   Well, there are certain foods you just can’t cook on a grill.   The short list includes pancakes, eggs, fried-rice, A5 wagyu steaks, and delicate fish.   More on those in a previous blog.   You can even use a griddle to cook steaks, chops, and kebabs.

But unlike a grill, the one thing a griddle can’t do is smoke.   As in smoking to make barbecue.   Or can it?   While writing Project Griddle, I came up with a revolutionary technique, for it turns out you CAN smoke on a griddle.   Not just one way, but two.

Smoke Griddling Method #1: Charcoal Grill with Cast Iron Griddle

I developed this technique during my first ventures with griddling on a charcoal grill.   I spread the coals in an even layer.   I set my portable cast iron griddle on the grate and heated it.   To check when it was ready, I sprinkled a few drops of water on the griddle—when they evaporated in 2 to 3 seconds, the griddle was sufficiently hot.    

Next, I added handfuls of hardwood chips (or a couple wood chunks) on the charcoal at the edge of the grill.   When I saw smoke, I placed the food—shrimp in this case—on the griddle.   I kept the grill lid closed to hold in the smoke.   My smoke-griddled shrimp were amazing, and so were the pork tenderloins, chicken breasts, and salmon steaks I griddled subsequently. 

No one was more surprised than I was.

Smoke Griddling Method #2: Smoking Directly on the Griddle Surface

Even more surprising was Smoke griddling method #2.   In this method, you smoke right on the griddle itself.

I was trying to make a griddled version of barbecued chicken with Alabama white sauce.   I heated one zone of the griddle to high and one zone to medium.   I mounded a handful of hardwood chips (you can also use hardwood sawdust or pellets) directly on the griddle over the hot zone.   When the chips started to smoke, I slid the wood to the medium zone and place the chicken next to it.   Then I placed a griddle dome on top.   I griddled the chicken covered, while wood smoke swirled all around it.   And damn if it didn’t taste like barbecued chicken I’d smoke on the grill. 

So before you dismiss outdoor griddles as being inferior to grills or smokers, try smoking on your flattop.

Related Blogs

• Steven Raichlen’s Project Griddle: Beyond Barbecue
• Peppered Pineapple on the Griddle or Grill: A Bold Twist on Dessert
• The Ultimate Memorial Day Menu (and yes, you can use your griddle)

Check out our 1000+ Recipes section here on Barbecue Bible.Com

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We've been chowing down on mushroom Swiss burgers in the past few weeks. Not that you need a recipe for mushroom Swiss burgers, but I have a basic recipe that I follow for the mushroom topping, and it's easy to prepare one of three ways; sauteed, saucy, or creamy.

I add chopped bacon to my mushroom topping to add a smoky, salty element.

Fun Fungi Facts

Here are some fun facts about mushrooms from Harold McGee's epic On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. [Affiliate Link]

• Mushrooms are natural flavor enhancers. They naturally contain monosodium glutamate, and many also contain guanosine monophosphate. 
• Mushrooms don't have cellulose like plants. Instead, their cell walls are made of chitin which is the same thing as the exoskeletons of crustaceans. 
• Mushrooms produce octenol (an 8-carbon alcohol) and there is more in the gills. Therefore, mature mushrooms that have opened have more gills and more flavor while unopened mushrooms like button mushrooms have less flavor.

Whole Mushrooms vs Pre-Sliced

I prefer to buy whole mushrooms and slice them myself. 

• Mushrooms continue to be quite active for days after being picked. Enzymes continue to develop and store flavor compounds in the gills. 
• If you slice them up before packaging, it disrupts that process and also lets the mushrooms start to dry out. 
• For me, the loss of flavor isn't worth the 30 seconds you save from buying pre-sliced mushrooms. 
• Prep tip:  If you don't have knife skills, you can use an egg slicer to slice your mushrooms instead.

Here's the topping recipe that I use. When you do the sauteed version of this, it's basically mushroom ragout and we've tossed it with pasta or used it as a base for mushroom soup.

We didn't have any frozen fries or tots and the only potatoes I had on hand were these bite-size "ruby sensations" that we bought at Food City. If fries are just bite-sized pieces of fried or roasted potatoes, doesn't that make these.....ROUND FRENCH FRIES!?!?

Mushroom Topping for Mushroom Swiss Burgers

Cook time: 00 hrs. 15 mins.

Total time: 25 mins.

Here are two of my recent burgers.

For the first burger, I used my CharBroil Cruise grill with infrared cooking and automatic controls to cook at the specific temperature of my choosing. That's pretty unique for gas grills which usually just have a dial with settings of low, medium, and high.

I started with fresh ground chuck from Food City and made 6-ounce burger patties. I heavily seasoned those with Jalapeno Steak Butter Seasoning from Pepper Palace. I've been using it on burgers a good bit lately - I enjoy the jalapeno flavor and mild sting. There was no specific reasoning for the 535°f, I meant to do 525°f and didn't notice that I rolled past it on the dial.

I cooked the burgers for about 3 minutes per side. If you're wondering why you don't see flames, the CharBroil Amplifire system has a metal emitter plate just under the grate and above the flames. It prevents flare-ups and cooks using infrared heat which keeps the food more juicy.

I like to use two pieces of Sargento Baby Swiss per burger. Perfectly cheesy!

For the "round french fries", I tossed them with oil and plenty of the Jalapeno Steak Butter seasoning.  I put them in a cast iron cooker on the upper rack of the CharBroil Cruise and cooked them for about 30-45 minutes at 425°f until they were tender.

The mushrooms amplify the cheesy, beefy burger.

I cooked this next batch of Mushroom Swiss Burgers on a flat-top griddle.

Sometimes I opt for convenience and use Schweid & Son's premade burgers. They are fresh, Certified Angus Beef® Brand beef. The All American is USDA Choice while the One Percenter is USDA Prime. Also, when making Mushroom Swiss Burgers, it makes sense to season them with a mushroom-based seasoning like Fire and Smoke's Shiitake Steak Rub or my Umami Steak Seasoning recipe.

Cooking burgers on a flat-top grill are probably my favorite way to go, even if I'm not doing smashburgers.

Look at that pile of deliciousness! I would have eaten it just like this except I like to avoid 3rd-degree burns on my lips and tongue.

Umami for the win! I love a toasted brioche bun as well.