Before we put out our top picks for the best outdoor propane flat top grill on the market, let’s make a clear distinction between a flattop grill and a griddle.

What’s the difference?

According to Wikipedia, a flattop may look like a griddle but they have a different heating element. The flattop comes with a circular heating element while the griddle is straight (side to side). The effect is an evently distributed, extremely hot cooking surface.

Another difference according to this site is the shape of the surface. A flattop grill has a “flat metal surface with a slightly bowed shape.”

Now… why get a propane flat top grill?

Since there’s even distribution of heat, expect your food (such as burger patties) to be cooked evenly. There are no “hot spots” because the cooking temperature is consistent on all areas of the cooking surface. Lastly, if you’re cooking burgers, the outer crust tends to be thinner than when you cook them with a charcoal grill.

Also read: Weber 15507001 Charcoal Grill Review

Here are our top picks for the best outdoor propane flat top grill.

Best Outdoor Propane Flat Top Grill Top Pick: Camp Chef FT600

Here’s what to expect from the Camp Chef FT600. One, it has a large cooking surface measuring 604 sq. inches. With this space, you can feed a lot of people fast, making it the ideal cooking/grilling appliance for a large gathering or for money-making events such as food fairs and festivals. As advertised, this flattop can cook for 50 to 100 people every hour.

Second, it’s multifunctional. Not only is it used as a grill, but it can also be used as a griddle or even a water pot heater. If you’re not using it to grill burger patties, you can use it for pancakes, bacons, sausages, and hash browns.

Third, it’s very mobile. It comes with roller wheels for easy transport, and its side shelves are foldable. It also has adjustable leg levelers, it comes with 4 burners (12,000 BTU), a matchless ignition system, and a grease tray.

Runner-Up: Blackstone 36-inch Outdoor Flat Top Gas Grill

“Restaurant-style cooking” is one of the taglines of the Blackstone 36-inch flattop. It boasts a 720-square inch grilling surface, which you can use for a variety of food items such as pancakes, potatoes, and grilled cheese. You can even cook steak!

Aside from that, it also has controllable heat zones as it comes with 4 15,000 BTU burners that you can control independently. Combined, all 4 burners make a total of 60,000 BTUs. Since these burners have their own control knobs, you can cook for a large or a small group of people without having to worry about wasting fuel.

The Blackstone 36-inch flattop also has the following features: electric push button igniter, caster wheels with two locking wheels, and a built-in grease catcher.