Elevate Your Griddle Cooking: The Ultimate Guide to the Best Sauces for Your Blackstone

Blackstone griddles have revolutionized both indoor and outdoor cooking, earning their place as a favorite among home chefs and culinary enthusiasts. Their remarkable versatility, grill-like performance, and robust durability make them ideal for preparing an extensive array of delicious meals with ease. While the Blackstone griddle itself is an exceptional tool, any experienced cook knows that the true magic often lies in the ingredients – particularly the sauces.

Sauces are transformative, offering a simple yet profound way to infuse flavor, add variety, and create a visually decadent finish for your food. Whether you’re aiming for a sweet glaze, a tangy zest, or a savory kick, the right sauce can elevate an ordinary dish to extraordinary heights. This comprehensive guide explores some of the best sauces perfectly suited for cooking on your Blackstone griddle, delving into how each interacts with the griddle’s unique cooking surface and the incredible flavors they impart.

While many of these sauces are universally fantastic for traditional grilling, stovetop cooking, or oven baking, pairing them with the high-heat, direct-contact cooking style of your Blackstone is where they truly shine. By understanding how to best utilize these flavorful companions, you’ll be fully equipped to unlock new culinary possibilities and craft memorable dishes that delight your palate.

Discovering the Best Griddle Sauces for Your Blackstone

Our primary focus here is on maximizing the potential of your Blackstone as a griddle-top grill. We’ll explore how each sauce behaves under the griddle’s consistent, high heat, the unique flavor profiles that emerge through caramelization and searing, and provide recommendations for ideal food pairings. Prepare to transform your everyday griddle cooking into a gourmet experience!

Classic BBQ Sauce

No discussion of grilling or griddle sauces would be complete without the inclusion of BBQ sauce. Its iconic blend of brown sugar sweetness and vinegar tang is an irreplaceable flavor profile, especially when applied as a final layer over perfectly seasoned meats and vegetables. BBQ sauce offers an incredibly diverse spectrum of styles and flavors, ranging from smoky Kansas City-style to tangy Carolina mustard-based varieties, or sweet and spicy Texas blends. Whether you craft your own signature recipe or discover a beloved brand, the possibilities are endless.

A key characteristic of BBQ sauce on a Blackstone griddle is its tendency to caramelize beautifully under high heat. This process not only deepens its inherent sweetness but also introduces a delightful smokiness that enhances the overall flavor of your finished dish. The griddle’s direct heat creates a sticky, flavorful glaze that clings to your food, intensifying its taste beyond what you’d experience straight from the bottle.

To truly harness the high-heat cooking prowess of your Blackstone, consider experimenting with fruit-infused BBQ sauces. Peach and raspberry variations are increasingly popular and bring unique dimensions to your cooking. Raspberry BBQ sauces, for instance, often deliver a complex sweet and savory profile, with bright fruit notes that can perfectly complement and even amplify spicy undertones in your protein. When caramelized on the griddle, these sauces develop an exquisite tangy sweetness that enhances the umami richness of chicken, pork, or beef.

Peach BBQ sauces, on the other hand, typically lean towards a sweeter profile, making them an excellent choice for those who prefer less heat in their barbecue. As the peach flavors caramelize, they mellow into an almost honey-like richness, providing a succulent glaze. Unlike some overly sweet honey BBQ sauces, peach varieties generally don’t burn as quickly, allowing for extended cooking times to achieve that perfect sear and delicious caramelization without worry. This makes them exceptionally forgiving and rewarding to use on the Blackstone.

Versatile Honey-Dijon Sauce

Honey-Dijon mustard sauces stand out as one of the most versatile and beloved condiments in the culinary world. The robust, pungent flavor of Dijon mustard is expertly mellowed and balanced by the natural sweetness of honey, creating a harmonious blend that complements a wide array of seasonings and proteins. This sauce excels with both white and red meats, though it particularly shines in its ability to enhance the delicate flavors of chicken and pork, often surpassing its impact on bolder meats like beef or venison.

For chicken lovers, integrating honey-Dijon into your griddle repertoire opens up a world of possibilities. It’s an ideal choice for marinating chicken breasts, basting thighs, or serving alongside crispy chicken tenders cooked on the Blackstone. If you’re looking for inspiration, many of the best chicken recipes for Blackstone griddles can be elevated with a touch of this flavorful sauce.

While honey-Dijon can be sparingly used with seafood, caution is advised. The assertive mustard notes can sometimes overpower the subtle flavors of most fish and shellfish. Furthermore, the sauce’s bright yellow hue can obscure the more nuanced color and textural changes that signal when delicate seafood is perfectly cooked. For this reason, it’s often best reserved as a finishing sauce for seafood, rather than an application during cooking.

Although excellent store-bought honey-Dijon sauces are readily available, we highly encourage crafting your own at home. This allows you to meticulously customize the type of mustard, the precise amount of honey, and the addition of any other ingredients – such as a hint of garlic, a dash of paprika, or a touch of apple cider vinegar – to create a truly bespoke sauce perfectly tailored to your personal taste. For those eager to try their hand at a homemade version, The Recipe Critic offers a fantastic honey mustard recipe to get you started.

Exotic Thai Peanut Sauce

Thai peanut sauce might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you picture a Blackstone griddle, but the griddle’s high heat and direct cooking style are, in fact, perfectly suited for this incredibly flavorful condiment. Peanut sauces offer a broad spectrum of tastes, ranging from subtly spiced, savory, and sweet, to boldly spiced, fiercely capsaicin-kicked, and intensely peanut-flavored. Both ends of this spectrum perform exceptionally well on the Blackstone.

Sweeter versions of Thai peanut sauce will caramelize beautifully on the griddle, unlocking deeper, more complex flavors and creating a rich, glossy coating. More boldly flavored and spicier versions tend to develop a wonderful smokiness as they cook, enhancing the heat and intricate complexity of the spices within. The key to successfully using this sauce on your Blackstone is a layered approach: apply it several times throughout the cooking process. This ensures the flavors fully penetrate the food, rather than simply sitting on the surface.

This sauce is particularly outstanding on chicken, imparting a rich, nutty depth. It also shines with grilled vegetables such as zucchini, carrots, bell peppers, and eggplant, transforming them into vibrant, flavorful sides. For vegetarian griddle enthusiasts, Thai peanut sauce is an invaluable ally for cooking plant-based proteins like tofu or seitan. It helps create a desirable crispy exterior while maintaining a tender, flavorful, and creamy interior. While readily available in stores, a homemade version allows for ultimate customization. For a superb starting point, Fox and Briar provides an excellent homemade Thai peanut sauce recipe.

Bright Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

If peanuts aren’t to your liking, rest assured there’s an abundance of other Thai sauces that perform wonderfully on a Blackstone griddle. Thai Sweet Chili Sauce is a prime example of culinary versatility, making it a perfect match for chicken, pork, seafood, and even red meats like beef and venison. Its adaptable nature allows it to subtly absorb and complement the flavors of the ingredients it’s cooked with, offering a delightful yet gentle hint of spice and sweetness.

This sauce’s subtlety is precisely what enhances its versatility. You can use a small amount of Thai sweet chili sauce early in the cooking process to build a foundational flavor, then finish with a different sauce if you desire. Used on its own, it excels with a wide range of vegetables, adding a light, appetizing glaze and a mild kick. Beyond savory applications, Thai sweet chili sauce can impart a surprisingly delightful hint of spice and sweetness to grilled fruits such, as peaches, pineapples, or mangoes, creating unique dessert or side dishes.

Whether you’re looking to add a vibrant finish to griddled chicken skewers or a tangy glaze to sautéed shrimp, Thai sweet chili sauce delivers consistently excellent results. Its sticky, sweet consistency caramelizes beautifully on the Blackstone, creating a tempting sheen and deepening its nuanced flavors. For those who prefer the satisfaction of a homemade creation, Chili Pepper Madness offers a fantastic recipe to craft your own authentic Thai sweet chili sauce from scratch.

Flavorful Ponzu-Ginger Sauce

Ponzu is a Japanese citrus-based sauce that, while less universally known in Western kitchens than soy sauce, shares a similar depth of flavor and remarkable versatility. The primary distinction lies in ponzu’s refreshing infusion of citrus notes, which can vary in type and intensity depending on the brand or specific recipe. This bright, savory, and subtly tart profile makes it an exceptional base for a griddle sauce, especially when paired with the zing of ginger.

Just as orange and ginger create a fantastic culinary synergy, ponzu and ginger combine to deliver a lovely salty tang and aromatic complexity to almost any food. This Ponzu-Ginger sauce can be easily prepared at home by combining grated fresh ginger with ponzu, and a touch of honey or sugar to slightly thicken and sweeten the mixture. For an added layer of umami depth, consider incorporating a dash of oyster sauce. Various other spices can also be introduced to further enhance the sauce’s complexity. If your homemade sauce tastes perfect but seems too thin, a small amount of cornstarch slurry can be mixed in to achieve the desired consistency.

This sauce is particularly effective when basted onto your grilled items throughout the cooking process on the Blackstone, ensuring every bite is infused with its distinctive flavor. It also functions splendidly as a pre-griddle marinade, tenderizing meats and vegetables while imparting its unique savory-citrus profile. Its acidity helps break down fibers, allowing for a more tender and flavorful result. For a reliable homemade option, Food Network offers a nice recipe for ginger ponzu sauce, which can be easily adapted for griddle cooking.

Vibrant Chimichurri

Chimichurri is celebrated globally as one of the quintessential accompaniments for steak, particularly in Argentine cuisine. However, its vibrant, herbaceous profile makes it an equally outstanding choice for cooking directly on the griddle. This fresh, uncooked sauce can be added to your meal throughout the cooking process, imparting a burst of flavor that significantly enhances your dish.

For chimichurri, homemade is almost always the superior choice over store-bought versions. Its character is best enjoyed within a few hours of preparation, ensuring maximum freshness and potency of its aromatic ingredients. The good news is that chimichurri is wonderfully simple to make. Start with a base of high-quality olive oil – though canola or peanut oil can be used for a more neutral flavor. To this, add finely chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, or a blend of other leafy green herbs like oregano. Fresh minced garlic and fresh diced chilies (or chili flakes for convenience) are essential for its characteristic kick. Allow the herbs and spices to marinate in just enough oil to cover and combine them, stirring gently just before serving or incorporating into your meal.

Coating your proteins and vegetables in chimichurri before placing them on your Blackstone griddle is a fantastic way to infuse a tremendous amount of flavor from the outset. The fresh herbs and garlic will subtly toast and bloom on the hot surface, creating an incredible aroma and taste. Just be sure to reserve a portion of the chimichurri sauce for dipping later – it’s equally delightful as a finishing condiment. If you’re unsure how to integrate chimichurri into your griddle cooking, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how well it complements many of the best Blackstone recipes, adding a simple yet sophisticated touch.

Customizable Compound Butter Sauce

The final sauce on our list is perhaps the most versatile of all, offering endless possibilities for customization: compound butter. This is another sauce that truly benefits from being made at home. Compound butter refers to any butter that has been softened and then thoroughly mixed with various herbs, spices, or other flavorful ingredients to create a unique flavor profile.

The possibilities for savory compound butters are extensive: you can incorporate finely chopped basil, fragrant rosemary, minced garlic, a pinch of chili flakes, or even sun-dried tomatoes. These infused butters can then be used to add a layer of rich, nuanced flavor to almost any meal. Compound butter excels on a Blackstone griddle because the high, consistent heat rapidly browns the butter, quickly developing its flavors and toasting the herbs before they can wilt and lose their aromatic qualities. This swift caramelization of the butter solids and blooming of the herbs creates an unparalleled depth of taste.

The versatility of compound butter extends to sweet applications as well. By mixing in a little honey or sugar along with flavorings like vanilla extract, cinnamon, citrus zest, or even delicate rose or lavender petals, you can create extraordinary sweet compound butters. These are perfect for griddled pancakes, waffles, French toast, or even grilled fruit desserts.

An added benefit of compound butters is their excellent freezer-friendliness. You can prepare multiple different versions, portion them into smaller servings (perhaps rolled into logs and sliced, or pressed into molds), and freeze them. This allows you to have a variety of flavorful butters on hand, ready to elevate any dish whenever inspiration strikes. Making something simple, like scrambled eggs or sautéed vegetables, is transformed by the addition of a flavored compound butter. Once you experience the significant difference in taste and aroma, you’ll find it hard to go back to plain butter!

If you’re new to making this culinary secret weapon, Wholesome Yum provides an excellent how-to guide to get you started on your compound butter journey.

Want even more recipe inspiration to put these fantastic sauces to use? Explore a list of some of the best grill recipes that you can effortlessly adapt and try on your versatile Blackstone griddle.