Today the brand new Solo Stove Steelfire griddle goes under the microscope, and we're going to answer the question if it's better than a Blackstone for your backyard.
If it sounds weird that I'm talking about Solo Stove in this article and I'm not talking about a Fire Pit, you're not the only one. We've reviewed a lot of Solo Stove products and we've reviewed a lot of outdoor griddles, but never before have the two been one and the same.
The Steelfire griddle is brand new to the market, but it's technically not Solo Stove's first griddle product. They also offer cast iron griddle cooking systems for their fire pits, but that's not what this article is about.
We're testing the new Steelfire and seeing if what they claim about this griddle is true.
We'll tackle all of that and more, as well as address the elephant in the room...
But first, let's examine the basics of the Steelfire griddle from Solo Stove.
$20 Off Solo Stove Discount Code: BARBECUELAB20
Solo Stove Steelfire Basics
Oval Griddle
The Steelfire is a stainless steel griddle that's designed in an oval shape. If you've looked at a Blackstone, Weber, Pit Boss or basically any other griddle on the market, they're all rectangles. The Steelfire is oval, which is a huge departure from the norm right out of the gate.
While other brands of griddle are largely rectangular in nature, often most really only heat an oval pattern on the metal. This is a competitor's griddle, and you can see that the heat is oval and doesn't really cover the corners.
With the Steelfire, there aren't any corners, but that also means that it can be hard to figure out where to place things...
Stainless Steel Cooking Surface
The Steelfire griddle top itself is a multi-ply griddle, with the top layer being 304 stainless steel. This is really the first time we've seen a stainless steel top in the "under $1,000" griddle market.
Most outdoor griddles are made of cold-rolled steel or cast iron, which are notoriously hard to keep seasoned so they don't rust. 304 stainless doesn't rust, so this is a category disruptor in my eyes.
Cart Optional & Portable
The Steelfire is available as a stand-alone griddle you can use on a tabletop, or as a cart model. In my opinion, the cart is really a minor player in the decision. The Steelfire just sits on the cart; it's not attached. The griddle easily comes off and on, and can be transported with ease to a vehicle to take on the go. The Steelfire griddle only weighs 59 pounds, so it's lightweight compared to other brands.
Racetrack Burners
The burners output 12,000 BTU's each for a combined total of 24,000 BTU's. I've never seen this burner design, and Solo Stove is calling it their Racetrack burner layout. I like that Solo Stove has included peepholes in the design so you can see when the burners light. To see if it lives up to the edge-to-edge cooking promise, it's time to fire up some cooking tests.
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We tested Solo Stove's Steelfire Claims
(Image captured from Solo Stove's website)
Zero to Sear in 7 Minutes
We ignited the griddle, set it to high, and set the Thermoworks TimeStack to a 7-minute countdown. At the 7-minute mark, here are the readings we got from the Thermoworks Pro Surface Thermapen: In the middle, we we're getting in the 450's, around the edges of the griddle was a bit less from around 410 down to 390, but overall, in 7 minutes the highest temps we recorded were in the 460°+ range, for sure hot enough to griddle.
Interesting Fact: Did you know that you can't use an infrared thermometer to measure the surface temperature of stainless steel? That's why we used the Thermoworks Pro Surface Thermapen to measure the griddle surface temperature.
Cooking Test: Smash burgers
To test the searing capability, we did a round of smash burgers using our favorite smasher, The Sasquash. After about a minute of searing, here's what our burgers looked like at the flip. I have zero problems with the sear that the Steelfire put on these burgers. That's about as good as it gets in the sub-$1,000 griddle market based on our tests.
(Image captured from Solo Stove's website)
Edge-to-Edge Cooking Control
We wanted to see what low temperatures the Steelfire was capable of, and how evenly it cooked from edge to edge. We started the griddle on low, and after 5 minutes of warm-up, we found temperatures ranging from about 225 degrees up to around 330 degrees.
Cooking Test: Pancakes
Melissa mixed up a gluten-free batch of her famous buttermilk pancakes, and spread them around the griddle to see what kind of cooking we got from the edges all the way to the middle of the griddle. Flipping in the same order she dispensed, we saw a pattern emerge. All of the pancakes across the griddle were cooked evenly without significant darkening from one part of the griddle over another.
(Image captured from Solo Stove's website)
Easy to Clean & Maintain
Because of the stainless steel surface, the Steelfire does not require the regular seasoning step necessary with most outdoor griddles. Additionally, it can be cleaned in ways you wouldn't clean a cold-rolled steel griddle top.
During our time using the Solo Stove Steelfire griddle we have used a variety of strategies to clean the griddle surface. And not once did we return days later to any trace of rust.
Cleaning Technique #1: Ice
As soon as our cook is complete, while the surface is still piping hot, we drop a couple of handfuls of ice cubes down to loosen up the food particles. Using a flat blade spatula, we can typically scrape the surface mostly clean with just ice. Sometimes we'll also use a scrubby sponge or paper towel for a final step.
Cleaning Technique #2: Soap & Water
When the griddle surface is fully cooled, soap and water can be used to scrub it clean. Since we have a sink in our outdoor kitchen and the griddle top is lightweight enough, we sometimes just do this directly over the sink. (Additional note: our daughter was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease which means she can't be exposed to even the most trace amount of gluten, so being able to wash our griddle surface with soap and water is a big advantage.)
Cleaning Technique #3: Bar Keeper's Friend
We have found Bar Keeper's Friend to be a great product to help whenever there have been stubborn spots that need a little more polishing up.
$20 Off Solo Stove Discount Code: BARBECUELAB20
The elephant in the room: the price tag
I've seen a lot of strong opinions online regarding the price of this new griddle. Currently the Steelfire is offered at $899 for the griddle itself, and $1,199 if you add the cart as well. That's more expensive than the Traeger Flatrock, Camp Chef Gridiron, Blackstone Omnivore and just about every other griddle that we've tested in last year's griddle roundup.
The question is, why is it so expensive?
First, stainless steel is more expensive than cold rolled steel. When you're building a griddle, the griddle top is going to be a significant portion of the expense. Most griddles are cold rolled steel. Very few are stainless, and it's largely found in outdoor kitchen griddle models.
There are obviously advantages of stainless over cold rolled. Stainless is rust-resistant. Cold rolled steel has to be seasoned and kept with a layer of seasoning on top in order to combat rust. Stainless doesn't need that seasoning, and it's just easier to keep clean. For many, that's the main hassle with griddles, just keeping the top from rusting, and Solo Stove has primarily solved that with the Steelfire.
Price Perspective
Let's do a little price comparison with competitors.
This is the Blackstone Omnivore, and if you're comparing the Steelfire to cold rolled steel griddles, yes, it's quite expensive. The Omnivore is $449 to the Steelfire's $899. There's less than an inch difference in width, but the Omnivore is 2 inches deeper on the cooking surface, and the Blackstone is half the price.
On the other hand, if you're comparing it to stainless steel griddles, it's very affordable.
The griddle we installed in our outdoor kitchen is the Le Griddle Ranch Hand, and it costs $2,529 to the Steelfire's $899. They're the same width within about a half inch, but the Le Griddle is only 15 and a half inches deep to the Steelfire's 19 inches deep. That's 3 and a half inches more cooking surface on the Steelfire or about another whole row of pancakes.
The outdoor kitchen world and the backyard big box store grill world are priced very differently, but the Steelfire in my mind is one of the first products to bridge the gap between these two worlds.
$20 Off Solo Stove Discount Code: BARBECUELAB20
Is the Solo Stove Steelfire better than a Blackstone?
In our tests I got more even heating across the surface, a better sear on a smashburger than I've had on a Blackstone and it cleans up easier when I'm ready to shut it down. That makes it technically better than a Blackstone for me.
Does that justify the price at double the cost? That's for you and your wallet to answer since you get to vote with your money. At the end of the day, it's your purchase that tells this company if you like what they designed and think it's worth what they're charging.
Personally, I'm excited to see Solo Stove introduce stainless steel to the (non-premier) outdoor griddle market and look forward to seeing what other brands will innovate to keep up with the new competition.
$20 Off Solo Stove Discount Code: BARBECUELAB20
Solo Stove Steelfire Review Video
Coming soon!
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