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[Chris__M]

My new mega grill comes with a main grate made up of 3 stainless steel grates. Not only does this make them easier to handle and lift in and out, but one of them can be swapped with a purpose-made cast-iron griddle.

Now I have never used such a beast as a griddle before, and the user manual says nothing about it, except in the parts list. So I did what I thought was the reasonable thing and emailed LG.

Except they seem to know very little about operating this grill, they could answer none of my questions, about this, or about the app that came with it. A bit of a brush-off, in fact.

So I thought I would see what folk here think. Even if you have never used this grill, you probably have a better idea on how to use it than I do, or even the folk at Louisiana grills. So feel free to chip in with opinions.

(I have searched for information or videos on how this is used, and have found very little; but I may have missed something. If anyone has any URLs, feel free).

When unpacking the grill, the griddle was in the left-hand position, over where the firebox is, and above the "open flame" louvres. So my questions were.

1. Should the griddle be operated with the open flame open, or closed?
2. If closed, would there be any issue with using the griddle on the right-hand position, allowing me to use the "open flame" for grilling?

Also what things would you use a griddle for? What comes to mind is breakfast things (eggs, hash browns, bacon) or stuff like onions (cooking directly on griddle) or sides (in a pot on the griddle).

Thanks in advance for any tips.

Publicity photo, showing griddle in place.

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[Chris__M]

By the way, any doubts in my mind about the size of this beast has vanished, due to the number of friends wanting to invite themselves round!

But I'd quite like to learn how to use it first.

[Bar-B-Lew]

I would start out with the open flame closed.  You want to have the temp on the griddle somewhere in the 350°-400° temp range and ensure you are using a high heat oil that won't burn in that range.  In America, a few other things that a griddle is used to cook are cheese steaks, smash burgers, stir fry, fajitas, etc.  These links may help you for maintenance and usage.

https://www.campchef.com/blog/how-to-care-for-your-griddle/

https://www.littlegriddle.com/pages/frequently-asked-questions

https://www.lodgecastiron.com/griddles-101

[Chris__M]

Brilliant. Many thanks.

This is a new level of grilling ahead of me, and with the size of the grill, I'll probably leave the griddle in for my own regular use, and only take it out when I need the full grill.

[Bar-B-Lew]

I bought a few of these to place on my griddle to check temp in case the infrared gun doesn't work.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XSJRSCZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You may want to consider storing the griddle in the house.  Being outside in the elements potentially could lead to getting rust on it.

[okie smokie]

I bought a few of these to place on my griddle to check temp in case the infrared gun doesn't work.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XSJRSCZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You may want to consider storing the griddle in the house.  Being outside in the elements potentially could lead to getting rust on it.

I have one similar to the analog Cuisinart. I just set it inside near the cooking area I use and leave it for the whole cook. Easy to know quickly what the surface temp is so I can adjust the control when needed. It is getting a little stained but the glass is easy to clean. Tested and accurate, although a little slower to respond to temp changes. But no wires or clamps.  Can also set it on the griddle. Don't think a little oil will bother it as it has no seams except around the glass on top. 

[Chris__M]

Now I know a little more what to look for, this griddle (the one that came with the grill) is a mess.

When I removed it from the plastic, it was oily and sticky - I didn't know at the time that this was not how it should be, but I'd already decided I was not going to cook on that mess! What is worse, the stickiness (I won't call it seasoning) had adhered to the plastic wrapping it, so I ended up with a scattering of metal showing through.

Anyway, it's taken me a while to get around to it; my grill had enough adventures without the griddle. After being very delicate and ineffective, I took to scrubbing the whole thing thoroughly with soap and water, until it wasn't sticky any more. That took some time. It was then that I noticed there was the beginnings of rust in the metal, so I got a rust eraser, and set upon it with that. Then washed thoroughly again.

It is now in the grill with its first layer of new oil (I am using corn oil), and I wait to see how it turns out after a few applications.

After all of that, I came across Canadian John's two posts about cast iron, and did a little search for the pucks he described, but the only ones I can find involve shipping from the States! 

[pmillen]

This is a fast way to check surface temperatures.

EDIT:  PF will get a small affiliate fee if you follow the instructions here when buying Thermoworks products.

[Chris__M]

Managed to get 3 layers of seasoning done today, without any effort - just fitting it in around other chores.

It is already looking a lot better, but I'll do another 2-3 tomorrow.