How to Cook a Delicious Meaty Breakfast on a Meadow Creek Griddle
Outdoor griddle cooking has become popular in recent years. Pancakes, smash burgers, and fajitas are delicious, so why not "max it out," right?
That's what I think too.
But when you have a small patio—or a big patio with a dozen other grills and smokers—you might not have room for a dedicated griddle. That's why I love the idea of adding a griddle to a charcoal grill.
In this story, I will show you how to cook a delicious meaty breakfast on a Meadow Creek BBQ26S using the optional griddle.
What's a 26S? In case you are not familiar with this sweet grill, it comes standard with a pivoting "sandwich" grate for grilling chicken and other foods. It also has brackets for bringing the heat up closer to the top for cooking on an optional griddle or flat-grate, a single-panel grate for grilling with direct heat.
Here's a great story from someone who cooks on a BBQ42, our best-selling chicken cooker:
“My wife and I catered a wedding reception a few weeks ago. I met a guy there that was boasting about being a grill master, but he wouldn’t eat BBQ chicken, not even his own. After the meal was served, he told me his son kept pestering him about trying the chicken until he tried a piece. He said he was skeptical at first, but he went back three times and said it was the best he has had in years. The BBQ42 deserves all the credit, it makes it easy to make great BBQ chicken.”
- Bob Munchbach -
These grills are truly one of the barbecue world's best-kept secrets. The chicken that comes off of these grills is amazing. And the fact that you can upgrade the cooking surfaces to make it more versatile makes the investment even more worthwhile.
My BBQ26S has the optional raised pedestal base and stainless steel body. I recommend going with the pedestal instead of the standard pipe legs unless you need to remove the legs for hauling it. Stainless steel makes it much easier to maintain because you don't need to worry about rust or touching up the paint.
Firing the 26S Griddle
1
Add the Charcoal
I used charcoal briquettes for this cook because I needed it to last for a second cook, but if you're only doing breakfast, lump charcoal would work great.
Add enough charcoal to fill the tray when spread out in the pan. If it's an overcast day or very windy around the grill, add a little more. I didn't measure it, but I'm guessing it takes around 10 pounds.
Mound the charcoal in the center for lighting it.
2
Light It
I use a propane torch to light the charcoal in a couple of places, turn the torch off, and then let the fire burn until about half of the briquettes are turning gray.
A charcoal chimney would work great too. One chimney full of lit charcoal dumped on top of the unlit charcoal will get it going.
3
Spread the Charcoal Evenly
Mix the lit briquettes with the unlit ones and spread them out evenly in the pan using a shovel or garden hoe. This is how they should look:
4
Set the Griddle on the Grill
Make sure the griddle is clean and set it in the slots in the top of the grill. If you are making bacon or sausage, you probably don't need to oil the griddle, but if you're doing pancakes first, spray the inside of the griddle with cooking spray.
The Sausage
Here the griddle is set up and ready for meat!
I am using loose sausage from my uncle's family-owned meat processing facility in Kentucky. You can buy packages of loose sausage at your local grocery store.
Slice the sausage into thick patties about 3/4" thick.
Shape the patties nicely with your hands.
Transfer the sausages to the griddle.
We're cooking with charcoal so depending on the weather and how hot the fire is, the time will vary, but once the sausage is browned on the first side, flip them to brown the second side. Cook them to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.
My grill was slightly slanted so the grease ran to one end. I had removed the bacon so I could move the sausages to the other end away from some of the grease.
Crispy, savory perfection...
The Bacon
You know how you like your bacon. Flip the bacon with a fork to help it cook evenly and you might need to scoot it around if your fire is not heating the griddle evenly.
"One of the best bbq’s that I have owned, great for my family meals. Load it with chicken, pork rib eye steak, veggies, and bratwurst. Also great for Cabrito and boneless leg of lamb."
- F Maldonado, South Texas, BBQ42 owner -
The Pancakes
I'm assuming you know how to make pancakes and have a favorite recipe. These are gluten-free made with a store-bought pancake mix.
After the meat was done, I dumped out the grease and scraped the griddle with a spatula.
Flip them once...
They were soft with a heavenly exterior and flavor.
The Eggs
We scrambled a dozen eggs with some seasonings and poured them into the griddle, stirring them with a spatula as needed to cook them evenly.
Served with orange juice outside on my patio, this meal was fit for royalty. You're just not going to get this kind of food off of a non-stick electric griddle—and certainly not this much fun and pleasure cooking it.
With this grill, it's easy to become the hero of the party by mastering tender and juicy bone-in chicken, sausages links, cheeseburgers, sizzly steaks—and breakfast to satisfy a hungry lumberjack!
If you are in the market for a new grill for feeding your family or entertaining guests in your backyard, consider the Meadow Creek 26S with the optional raised pedestal base and griddle.
If your budget allows it, think about getting the body in stainless steel for a versatile grill that will serve you—and likely even the next generation.