I just received this yesterday, so these are initial impressions and information I wish I'd had when I ordered.
Description:
Heavy--the item description says 22 pounds, and that doesn't seem far off. It is substantial in weight and thickness.
The griddle diameter is 19 inches, minus the minimal ridge running around the rim. About 283 square inches of griddle space--big enough to fry up some serious pancakes, eggs, and bacon.
The griddle just sits on the included wire rack. There are no real guides to hold it in place on the rack once you have it on the grill. The handles on the rack do center the griddle initially, and will keep it from sliding off from side to side, but the handles drop down and don't come into play once everything is in place.
The surface is quite rough. I'm used to the roughness of new Lodge cast iron pans, and wouldn't have a complaint if that's what this had. Instead, it has areas on the grill surface that feel almost sharp against your fingers. I intend to sand it down and re-season the griddle.
Overall, it seems to be well-designed. The wire rack seems sturdy, and the griddle has the mass you want when you buy cast iron. For the price, I would have expected a smoother finish and possibly some guides to hold the grill from shifting when you have to get a little rough with the spatula.
I would buy it again, but only because I want a large griddle and this is the only one I could find.
Update: Lessons learned in my first use of the Stok Mega Griddle:
1. Patience: it's going to take awhile to heat up. Don't get in a rush to add more charcoal, or you may find yourself with a 700-degree griddle.
2. Don't try to add more charcoal: As noted, there is no guide to hold the griddle from sliding around on the wire rack. Which means that if you try to lift one side of the wire rack to add more charcoal, you're likely to find yourself wrestling with a 20-lb, 300-degree slab of cast iron. Not at all fun, although it might make for good video.
3. Once it gets fully heated, or (as happened in my case) overheated, don't try to mess with the charcoal. As noted in item 2, you're likely to find yourself wrestling with a 20-lb slab of cast iron, but it is now registering 700 degrees.
I really want to love this griddle, and I might learn to love it after I master temperature management. But for now, I'm more frustrated by the inability to safely do change ANYTHING once the griddle is in place.
Update: I contacted Stok customer service to make them aware of the potential safety problems with this griddle . . . specifically, the fact that the griddle is extremely unstable if you try to move it in any way after the grill is lit. The simple inclusion of something built into the wire rack to stabilize the griddle would go a long way to making it both safer and more convenient.
Stok's response was to reiterate the instruction to light the charcoal and wait until the flame dies down before placing griddle on the grill (this is standard operating procedure).
They also recommended the use of oven mitts--an obvious step, but hardly an ideal solution for a hot, greasy griddle.
I stand by my criticism of this griddle, and am disappointed with the response from Stok customer service.
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