With a cook surface made of carbon steel, the Flatrock Flat Top Grill combines the heat retention of your favorite cast-iron pan with the quick heating and heat control of stainless steel.

It excels at cooking foods you would normally cook in a sauté pan, wok or skillet or on an electric griddle (steaks, stir-fry, pancakes), all with the ease and fun of doing it outside. It’s flat, even surface gives foods a superb sear, and there’s no worry that small or thin items like asparagus or shrimp, will fall through the grates.

The Flatrock cooks with gas, so you won’t get the wood-fired flavor you get from a Traeger Pellet Grill. And because it cooks with the lid open and lacks convection, it’s best for quicker cooking foods, like steaks and chicken breast. (Save the ribs and brisket for your Traeger Pellet Grill.)

10 Griddle Foods We Love to Cook on the Flat Top Grill

Below are some of our favorite kinds of foods to cook on the flat top. For a complete list of all of our delicious and full recipe look here.

Pancakes

Think of your flat top as a gigantic griddle. Naturally pancakes come to mind. Use your favorite batter and cook them over medium heat. Pro tip: Warm up your maple syrup in a small saucepan right on the cooktop.

Bacon—and more bacon

What’s the right amount of bacon to make for breakfast? ALL of it! And with such a large cooktop, you can. Pro tip: Leave the bacon grease behind and use it to fry up some eggs.

Fajitas

With three different cook zones, it’s as if the Flatrock was designed with fajitas in mind. Sear your steak in one zone, saute you veg in another, and toast you tortillas in the third. Or use our new Fajita Rub in either a spicy chicken fajita or a tasty corn and poblano one.

Smashed burgers

The ample griddle space lets you cook a bunch of burgers at once. Simply roll your ground beef into a ball, then use a spatula or, better, the burger press found in our Ulitmate Smashed Burger Kit to smash it thinly. Pro tip: Place a piece of parchment on the burger before smashing to keep the meat from sticking to the press. Want onions in that burger? Place some thinly sliced onion on the hot cooktop in a single layer about the size your bun then smash the meat down on it. Looking for some inspiration? We have a few great ones and counting. Try Tim Hollingsworth's porcini-dusted smashed burger or our Flat Top Smashed Cheeseburger.

Scallops and shrimp

Quick-cooking seafood like shrimp and scallops are perfect for cooking on the flat top. Pro tip: For the best sear, pat the seafood dry before putting it on the hot cooktop. These shrimp tacos from Dive Q burst with fresh lime flavor and cook up in minutes.

Steak, chops, and chicken breast

Whether beef, or tuna or swordfish, steak, with its even thickness is perfectly made for flat top cooking. The same is true for chops, like lamb or pork, and boneless chicken thighs or breast.

Vegetables

The beauty of the flat top if that you can saute all your vegetable side dishes right alongside the main dish.

Eggs

Take it from your local diner, eggs turn out great when cooked on the flat top. With all that space you can scramble a pile of them or fry up a dozen at a time. Omelets, like this one filled with bacon and cheese, are also fun to make on the flat top. They may be a little less round in shape, but they cook fast and you can amke multiples at once.

Stir-fry

The sided cooktop can act as a giant wok. Sear up your meat and vegetables, toss with pre-cooked rice, then scramble an egg into it and you can skip the take out.

Popcorn

You read that right. You can make popcorn on the flat top. Simply add a thick layer of to a portion of the hot cooktop. Add the kernels in a single layer and cover with the cooking dome that comes in our Flat Top Grill Essentials Kit. Carefully move the dome around and soon enough you’ll hear popping.