I would recommend this to folks whos are looking to add to an existing outdoor cooking experience. If you are looking to get creative and will utilize the griddle, grill, warmer and deep fryer at the same time, you can really impress a group with this thing but if you are looking to grill steaks, chops, burgers, brauts for more than 4 or 5 people at one time. I'd stick to a dedicated grill or add this to one you are already using.
Pros:
-Convenient
-Portability
-Versatility
-Attractive
-Ruggedness
-Complete
Cons:
-Smallish actual grilling Surface (Don't expect to cook for 4 or more people in one shot if doing burgers or steaks, dogs, etc.)
-Somewhat heavy (IT packs away nicley in it's bag but it's not light for a child or small adult to load)
-Promotes bad eating habits but soooo good (ie: deep fryer)We committed to tailgating at all the home games this year, GO RAVENS! We are new to the party but wanted to do it right so we started searching for tailgating ideas online and came across the Blacktop 360. We passed on it for several reasons and honestly their marketing/ads are their own worst enemy. One of our biggest concerns was size and practicality. While at the same time we wanted something fun and different. AND THEN I came across one at our BJ's Wholesale Warehouse. Once we were able to get one in hand and check it out we decided to buy it, we could always take it back... We ended up going back and buying a second one!!
Talk about a huge hit and major conversation piece!! We grilled polish sausages, hot dogs, and burgers. And while it's true the grilling surface isn't huge (ie.. you're cooking 6-7 dogs/sausages and 3-4 burgers and no more at a time) it was hot, fast, and efficient. We used the warmer to keep it all ready to serve. We used the deep fryer to cook seafood egg rolls, 3 lbs of bacon, and 2 lbs of bologna, and the griddle to toast the buns. It was FANTASTIC! We fed about 50 people, used less than one small can of propane, and was once never disappointed in the 360. Cannot wait to go back and do it again!
The design is efficient, have to give credit where it credit is due. They truly thought of everything. Set-up & clean-up were quick and easy. The system for draining the oil was all good. The legs are designed in such a way that the unit is extremely stable and it honestly couldn't be any easier. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this thing! So very happy with my purchase! The second one? It's not because we needed more space or one wasn't enough... it is a gift for the gentleman who made tailgating possible for us this year. (If you are familiar with M&T Bank Stadium you know parking is golden!) He too fell in love with the unit and will be receiving one as a thank you gift.
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I actually purchased this grill off of GroupOn for 150 + Shipping, but I figured I'd spread my wings and write about it on here for any prospective grill buyers.As a former alum of a major university and a fan of several nearby professional sports teams, I wanted to find something that would be far more easy and practical compared to charcoal grills, and wasn't afraid to spend a little bit of money in doing so. I saw this and was immediately taken back by its unique design and the fact that it had a deep fryer in the center. So after looking around for reviews (including on Amazon), I decided to pull the trigger.
Upon receipt, it was very well packaged, and surprisingly larger than I had anticipated! It comes basically assembled except for a few things such as a drip pan and container which attaches when you are ready to dispose of unwanted fat and similar fluids. It also has a steaming cover, thermometor for the fryer, and a cutting board, nice bonuses! But boy was it heavy! Not in a bad way, as it is sturdily built, just be prepared when it is zipped up to expect an uncomfortable trip to and from the car. On a similar note with the case, the strap is noticeably thin, so I worried that it would snap. Fortunately it withstood about a 200 yard walk to and from the campground. Just in case, hold onto the hand strap while carrying it and to relieve some pressure off of your shoulder.
I decided to break it out for a dry run in preparation for my school's homecoming next week, and I thought the perfect setting/victims would be my softball team. Upon busting it out, it took a little bit of reading to get everything set up, but I think it was moreso our lack of understanding with what was required. MAKE SURE to get a AA battery for the ignitor. We had forgotten one, but were able to instead light it with a lighter that somebody had, but I'm guessing it works marvelously.
The grill heated up instantaneously, and consists I believe of 3 different lighting locations in the grill, griddle, and deep fryer. The grill is about 2-3 inches below the grill cover, so we made sure to turn it all the way down to reduce burning. I threw 3 quarter pound burgers (the most you can get on the grill at a time), about 10 hot dogs on the griddle, and used the warming plate for buns. Then I filled up the deep fryer with some health-conscious Virgin Olive Oil and threw in a healthy portion of fries. One thing I found great was that since you can control the three main cooking areas separately, I could control the speed at which they were cooked more easily.
After about 10-15 minutes, everything was good and cooked, and served to my teammates. They all commented on how attractive the design was of the grill, and how many different functioning parts there were. Then the taste test. Delicious! No propane residue and the porcelain seared the burgers nicely, albeit a little thicker than usual. Completely even cooking, however, and easy to get the burgers off. Immediately I threw on some more burgers, and even used the griddle as a second "grill" to get 3 turkey burgers up, and had some additional room for more hot dogs. More importantly, the fries came out amazingly.
At this point we discovered something. DO NOT put the steaming cover on the grill portion. There doesn't seem to be enough aeration to keep the propane lit if the cover is on for more than a few minutes, and we thought we had run out of propane fluid. A quick unscrew and rescrew showed that it was in fact still good, and we relit and went on our merry way, feeding a few more teams while we were at it!
Upon completion, we noticed that we had been feeding a constant fire to all of the heating surfaces for an hour, and still had a quarter or half left of the propane tank! Very cost effective if you ask me, especially for what you get. Cleanup was typical, although we had a softball game to play, I forgot to remove the grease and it had pooled in the bottom of the grill. Not fun... Then I packed it up and put it back in the car.
This grill is pretty much one of the best combination grills I have ever seen and used for the price point, as long as you are aware that it has its limitations with how much food you can put on at a time. With a little creativity and planning, though, you can keep your guests entertained with a first course of food such as hot dogs while the other burgers come out. I am SUPER pleased I bought this grill, and hope you would too :)
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Draws a crowd because that is what it takes to try to clean it, no matter how much grill prep I do everything I have cooked has stuck to grill, the much ado about nothing super burner looks like it will quickly become so encrusted with food that it will become unusable, save your time and buy a reguler grill, that you do not have to soak in the bathtub to try to clean. Would have returned but knew it would never go back in the box it came out of.Want Blacktop 360 HFI Premium Party Hub Grill/Fryer, Black/Blue Discount?
We broke it in at a NDSU Bison football game. We made pancakes and sausage for breakfast. The Griddle worked great. For the main course we had ribeye steaks on the grill, deepfried shrimp and cheese balls in the fryer and texas toast on the griddle. The warming area does keep things warm. I ordered a extra metal cover (from the 360 maker) so I had one for the warmer and one to put over the grill.It worked great for hamburgers and fries and the deck.
To clean,You just tip the top up and slowly pour the cooled oil in the included metal catch bottle. Clean with soap and water.
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