Well howdy there grillin’ pals! So you finally got your hands on the almighty Blackstone griddle – congrats!
Now it’s time to turn this hot piece of metal into a flavor factory using the power of seasoning and sauces. Don’t worry, I’m gonna break it all down for you here so you can go from grill newbie to backyard barbecue pro in no time!
After devouring this blog, your tastebuds and your Blackstone will be best buds crankin’ out five star eats. Let’s get cookin’!
First Thing’s First – Seasoning Your Blackstone
Before we dive into recipes, we gotta get your new Blackstone prepped and ready to sizzle up the goods. This means properly seasoning the cooking surface – don’t skip this essential step!
Here’s a simple seasoning process to turn that shiny new grill into a non-stick cooking machine:
- Wash – Use soap and water to clean the cooking surface before seasoning. Rinse and dry completely.
- Coat – Rub on a thin layer of high smoke point oil like avocado, grapeseed, or canola.
- Heat – Crank the grill up to 400°F for about 15 minutes to set the oil into the metal.
- Repeat – Let cool slightly and reapply oil. Heat again for 15 minutes. Do this 3-4 times to build up the patina.
The oil forms a natural non-stick coating called a patina that prevents food from sticking and imparts flavor. Over time this seasoning will improve and become more non-stick with regular use.
Now your Blackstone is ready to grill those burgers, steaks, veggies and more without things getting stuck!
Sauces and Rubs Are Your Flavor Friends
Seasoning the grill is just the beginning when it comes to making food seriously sizzle with flavor. The real magic happens when you start layering on sauces, marinades, and spice rubs.
These flavor boosters coat the food in spices, herbs, acids, oils, and sweetness that caramelize into the proteins and veggies as they grill. The result? Next level taste!
Having a fridge and pantry stocked with a variety of homemade sauces and rubs will take your Blackstone masterpieces into lick-your-plate territory.
Over time you’ll dial in signature combos, but here are some basic formulas to get you started:
- Dry Rubs – Mix spices like chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, brown sugar, herbs.
- Marinades – Blend oil, acid like vinegar/citrus, and flavorings like garlic, herbs, soy sauce.
- Wet Sauces – Simmer tomato sauce, vinegar, or condiments with spices, garlic, herbs.
- Glazes – Reduce juice, vinegar, honey, maple syrup to a syrupy glaze.
Endless combinations await your tastebuds! Now let’s getspecific with recipes…
All Star Blackstone Sauces
Every backyard grill master needs a roster of killer sauces in their recipe playbook. These will become your Blackstone flavor all-stars:
Zesty BBQ Sauce
For a from-scratch sauce with a tangy kick, simmer ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, garlic, chili powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Brush on everything!
Lemon Garlic Herb Butter
Mix softened butter with minced garlic, lemon zest, parsley, basil, and red pepper flakes. Chill into a log then slice to top veg, seafood, chicken.
Cilantro Lime Crema
Blend sour cream with cilantro, lime juice, and seeded jalapeños. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over tacos, nachos, burritos.
Sweet and Spicy Honey Sriracha Glaze
Whisk honey, sriracha, and unsalted butter until smooth. Use to glaze wings, chicken, shrimp, and pork.
With a rotating cast of homemade sauces, the flavor combos for Blackstone cooking are limitless. Your grill is thirsty – keep that sauce pantry stocked!
Blackstone All-Star Spice Rubs
In addition to sauces, crafting your own custom dry spice rubs is a must for next level grilling with serious bark and flavor crust on meats, veggies, and more.
Experiment with your favorite flavor combos, but these combinations are surefire:
Classic BBQ Rub
This warm mix of brown sugar, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, mustard powder, salt works on everything.
Jerk Seasoning
Capture the hot, smoky essence of Jamaican Jerk with allspice, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, salt, black pepper.
Lemon Pepper Rub
For a tangy, herby kick try mixing salt, lemon zest, cracked black pepper and dried oregano, thyme, parsley, basil.
Coffee Chili Rub
Bump up the oomph with light brown sugar, ancho chili powder, ground coffee, cocoa powder, cumin, cayenne, salt.
Once you’ve built up your all-star roster of homemade sauces and rubs, all you gotta do is grill up the goods then apply these powerhouse flavor layers. Your tastebuds and your Blackstone will become BFFs in no time!
Elevate Egg Dishes with Creative Sauces
One of the tastiest tricks with a Blackstone griddle is taking basic breakfast egg classics to new heights with craveable sauces and toppings. The options are unlimited!
- Eggs Benedict – Top poached eggs and ham over English muffins with lemony hollandaise sauce
- Breakfast burritos – Add punch with green hatch chili sauce, pico de gallo, and guacamole
- Fried egg sandwiches – Elevate with spicy mayo, pesto, or herb aioli
- Huevos rancheros – Smother fried eggs in simmered tomato-chili sauce then finish with cotija cheese
- Scrambled eggs – Fold in fresh salsa verde, goat cheese, and chives before griddling
With the right sauces, your morning eggs go from blah to ta-da! Blackstone griddling plus flavor boosters is a match made in breakfast heaven.
Blackstone Burger Greatness
Burgers patties hot off the Blackstone grill provide the perfect canvas for getting creative with toppings and condiments. Make basic beef burgers bomber by topping with:
- Blue cheese crumbles and caramelized onions
- Crispy bacon and creamy peanut butter
- Pulled pork and crunchy coleslaw
- Goat cheese and roasted red pepper relish
- Fried egg and pesto mayo
- Grilled pineapple and soy ginger glaze
Or try totally unique flavor combos like:
- Greek lamb burger with tzatziki sauce
- Turkey burger with avocado and chimichurri
- Ahi tuna burger with wasabi mayo and wonton crisps
- Black bean chipotle burger with goat cheese and roasted jalapeños
The Blackstone grill may redefine your burger expectations forever! Get those buns toasted – you’ve got patties to stack.
Next-Level Steak and Chicken
You just unlocked unlimited steakhouse quality meals at home! Get that steak and chicken sizzling then coat in any of these drool-worthy sauces:
- Chimichurri – Fresh parsley, garlic, and herbs suspended in olive oil
- Bearnaise – Tarragon infused custardy sauce with egg yolk and butter
- Peppercorn Cream Sauce – A blend of cracked peppercorns, brandy, and creamy dairy
- Mushroom Marsala pan sauce – Sautéed mushrooms in a Marsala wine reduction
- Maple Bourbon Glaze – Sweet, boozy, with notes of orange and thyme
- Chimney Peach Salsa – Grilled summer peaches, jalapeño, cilantro, red onion
- Green Peppercorn Sauce – Spicy and herbaceous blend of garlic, shallots, and parsley
Wow just thinking about all those sauces dripping down a perfect medium rare steak makes my mouth water!
Seafood Skillet Sauces
Seafood straight off a screaming hot Blackstone benefits hugely from bold, brothy skillet sauces. Use these as a base then customize:
- Tomato garlic – Sauté garlic in olive oil then simmer with tomatoes/juice for sopping up with bread.
- White Wine Butter – Deglaze pan with white wine and lemon then whisk in cold butter chunks until creamy.
- Caper Lemon – Sauté capers in butter, olive oil and tons of fresh lemon juice.
- Piccata – Combine chicken broth, lemon juice, capers, parsley and some butter.
- Puttanesca – Sauté anchovies and garlic then simmer with tomatoes, olives, capers, parsley.
Take shrimp, scallops, fish fillets and more to new heights by pairing with these fast skillet sauces. ¡Ole!
Global Blackstone Flatbreads
Flatbreads, naan, and tortillas get the deluxe treatment when griddled up and topped with international flavor combos like:
- Falafel with tzatziki sauce, tomato, onion and feta (Greek)
- Jerk chicken with pineapple salsa, red onion and cilantro (Jamaican)
- Chorizo and manchego with roasted red peppers, olives and smoked paprika (Spanish)
- Carnitas with guacamole, pico de gallo, and crema (Mexican)
- Tandoori chicken with cucumber raita, red onion and fresh cilantro (Indian)
With the right globally inspired toppings, the Blackstone grill transports your tastebuds around the world in just minutes.
Sweet Treats and Desserts
A hot griddle opens up a whole world of craveable sweet treats and desserts too. Serve your Blackstone sweets with something cold and creamy!
- Grilled fruit like pineapple, peaches, or watermelon with ice cream
- Melted chocolate chip cookies with vanilla gelato
- Brownie skillet sundae with whipped cream
- Griddled pound cake with macerated strawberries and sweet liqueur
- S’mores with marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers
- Fried cinnamon churros coated in sugar with dulce de leche dipping sauce
End your Blackstone meal on a sweet note! Adding grill-kissed caramelization makes desserts next level.
Infusing Flavor Right into the Meat
In addition to slathering on sauces and rubs, you can pack extra flavor right into proteins with marinades and brines:
- Yogurt marinated chicken – Soak chicken pieces in tangy seasoned yogurt before grilling.
- Teriyaki marinated steak tips – Let steak bits soak up sweet and salty teriyaki before hitting the grill.
- Lemon-herb marinated shrimp – Let shrimp soak up bright lemon and herb flavors in an oil marinade.
- Brined pork chops – Submerge pork in a salt, sugar, and aromatics brine before cooking.
- Tandoori chicken – Marinate chicken in a yogurt sauce punched up with Indian spices.
Infusing big flavors deep into the meat results in juicy, flavorful grilling that needs nothing more than a squeeze of lemon. Marinades and brines are game changers!
Sauces for Dipping and Drizzling
Beyond just smothering, glazing, and basting…take sauces to the next level by making them interactive for dipping, dunking, and drizzling:
- Set out an array of global dipping sauces like sriracha mayo, peanut sauce, ranch, etc.
- Make a help yourself sauce bar with chili crisp oil, infused honeys, herb aiolis.
- Craft a dipping sauce flight – ranch, blue cheese, marinara, etc.
- Infuse oils and finish dishes with herb or chili oil for an extra punch.
- Drizzle crema over tacos, bowls, pasta. Endless garnish possibilities!
Sauces transform from just flavor carriers to fun interactive meal elements. Now get dunking!
Sauce it Up!
The options for crafting flavorful sauces, marinades, glazes and rubs are endless. Experiment and find your own signature combos that make your tastebuds sing!
A fully stocked sauce bench will take your Blackstone grill skills to the next level. Get ready to become the neighborhood grill master envy.
So fire up that beast and sauce it up baby! A whole new world of backyard cookout greatness awaits. Just take it slow and get creative. Your grill wants to be friends with your tastebuds – all it needs is a proper sauce introduction 😉
Now get out there, get grilling, and let the sauce-making magic begin. I can already smell the BBQ from here – can you?!
