Can You Use a Blackstone Griddle Under an Awning?

No, not under a fabric awning. Every Blackstone propane griddle manual checked for this page, from the 22 in tabletop models to the 36 in model 2420, says "do NOT use this appliance under overhead combustible construction," and an awning's fabric is combustible construction whether it is extended over the patio or rolled up on the wall. The same safety page asks for 36 in (1 m) between the griddle's sides and back and any combustible construction, and says not to use it "on or under any apartment or condominium balcony or deck."

The confusion comes from the paragraph just above, headed "Sheltered outdoor areas," which says a griddle counts as outdoors under an overhead cover with up to two walls. That paragraph is about ventilation, not about what the cover may be made of. The figures below come from nine owner's manuals from Blackstone, Weber, Pit Boss and Camp Chef, read in October 2026.

What the flat top manuals say

The five Blackstone manuals (three 22 in models, the 28 in 2351 and 2416, and the 36 in 2420) carry the same safety lines, so they share one row.

Three things stand out. First, no flat top manual gives a height above the griddle that would make fabric acceptable; they say not under it. Second, the side figures span a factor of two: Weber's 24 in, Blackstone's 36 in, Pit Boss's 50 in. Third, Camp Chef is the strictest by wording: it drops the word "combustible" entirely and names canvas among the materials to keep clear.

Pit Boss's opening safety list calls its griddle a "wood pellet appliance," a slip carried over from its pellet grill manuals; the "Griddle environment" section repeats the 50 in figure and the overhead line correctly.

"Blackstone says a covered patio is fine": what the page actually says

The Blackstone paragraph reads: "An appliance is considered to be outdoors if installed with shelter no more inclusive than" one of three layouts. Walls on three sides with no overhead cover. A partial enclosure with "an overhead cover and no more than two sidewalls," which "may be parallel, as in a breezeway, or at right angles to each other." Or an overhead cover with three sidewalls, "as long as 30% or more of the horizontal periphery of the enclosure is permanently open." Sliding doors, garage doors, windows and screened openings do not count as open.

Case b describes an ordinary covered patio, and that is the reading that circulates. But the paragraph defines outdoors, which matters because of the carbon monoxide warning on the page before it: "This appliance can produce carbon monoxide which is poisonous and has no odor. Using it in an enclosed space can kill you." It counts walls and openings because they decide whether exhaust escapes, and never mentions what the roof is made of.

The overhead line sits under a separate heading, "Maintain proper clearances from combustible material." So the page sets two tests, and the griddle has to pass both:

1. Ventilation: is the space open enough to count as outdoors? A patio with a roof and two walls passes.
2. Clearance: is there combustible construction overhead, or within 36 in of the sides and back? A fabric awning fails, however many walls are open.

Weber's Slate manual makes the split hard to miss, because it puts both tests in one paragraph. Its danger line forbids use in a "breezeway" or "beneath overhead combustible construction," and the bullet directly under it says a partial enclosure with two parallel walls, "as in a breezeway," counts as outdoors. Both can only be true if the definition is about air and the danger line is about what the cover is built from. The same split appears in Ooni's pizza oven manuals, covered in can you use a pizza oven under an awning.

Why a griddle is hard on an awning

A flat top is cooked on with oil across its whole surface, so the plume rising from it carries grease vapor as well as hot exhaust. Blackstone asks you to keep a type BC or ABC fire extinguisher at hand and not to fight a grease fire with water; Pit Boss says to turn the griddle off and not to throw water on it. That is not a fire you want under acrylic or polyester fabric, flame-retardant or not: the guide to awning fire ratings explains what NFPA 701 does and does not certify.

Without a flare-up, the grease still condenses on the underside of the fabric, the face hardest to clean; awning stain removal covers oily stains.

Where to put the griddle on a patio with an awning

1. Retract the awning before you light the burners. None of the nine manuals allows fabric overhead, and a flat top stays lit for the whole cook.
2. Turn the back to the house and measure 36 in. Blackstone's 36 in applies to the sides and back, not the front where you stand. Vinyl siding, a wood wall or a wood post is combustible construction; measure to the nearest one. At that distance the rolled awning on the wall is behind the griddle, not above it.
3. If the awning has to stay out, go beyond the front bar. Measure from the valance, which hangs below and in front of the bar, and add the manual's figure. The projection and pitch guide shows where the front bar ends up.
4. Keep the spare cylinder away. Blackstone says "DO NOT store a spare LPG cylinder under, near, or in this appliance," and Camp Chef uses nearly the same words. Where a cylinder may sit relative to the awning is a separate NFPA 58 question, answered in can you put a propane tank under an awning.

A griddle on wheels makes this easy: cook in the open, then let it cool before it goes back under cover. Camp Chef's booklet says to let the unit cool to 115°F (45°C) before moving or storing.

"I just want to keep the rain off"

That is the usual reason for wanting the griddle under the awning, and Blackstone's manual answers it without one: "NEVER leave oil exposed in the rain. This can lead to severe burns. Cover the burner when not in use or if it begins to rain." The maker's remedy is the hood or hard cover, not a roof. Whether the awning itself can stay out in that rain is answered in can retractable awnings stay out in the rain.

Under a metal or polycarbonate patio cover

Blackstone, Weber and Pit Boss forbid overhead combustible construction, so a solid aluminum roof with no wood framing above the griddle is not what those lines describe. Under such a roof the ventilation test decides (no more than two walls, or three with 30% of the perimeter open), and the side clearance still applies to posts and walls. Camp Chef's "ANY overhead construction" rules out a cover of any material. Wood beams and fascia are combustible, and polycarbonate is plastic; these covers are compared in metal and polycarbonate awnings.

RV awnings, apartments and condos

All four makers rule out installing the griddle in or on a recreational vehicle: Blackstone's manual says "do NOT install this appliance in or on a recreational vehicle," and Weber, Pit Boss and Camp Chef say the same of RVs and boats. A griddle on a camp table under the RV's own awning still runs into the overhead line, because the awning is fabric on a roller. Set the table beyond its front edge by the manual's side distance; grease film on the vinyl is covered in RV awning cleaning.

In apartments the manuals add rules of their own. Blackstone's says not on or under any apartment or condo balcony or deck, and Camp Chef's tells apartment dwellers to check with management and, if a griddle is allowed at all, to use it on the ground floor 10 ft from walls or rails. The International Fire Code's own 10 ft rule for open-flame cooking, and who it exempts, is set out in can you grill under an awning.

Where this answer stops applying

• Other models. These are propane models from nine documents. Electric griddles and natural gas versions were not checked; follow the manual for your own model, and if it names a larger distance than this page, use that.
• Restaurants and food trucks. Blackstone's manual says "for outdoor domestic use only, not for commercial use," and Camp Chef's says the same. Cooking under a commercial canopy is a question for the fire marshal; see restaurant awnings.
• Local rules. A city, HOA, landlord or insurer can be stricter than any manual.

Frequently asked questions

How far should a Blackstone griddle be from an awning?

Out from under it, plus 36 in (1 m) from the sides and back to the awning and anything else combustible. With the awning extended that means the griddle's back 36 in beyond the valance; with it retracted, 36 in from a combustible house wall, with the roll behind the griddle rather than above it.

Can I use a Blackstone under a covered patio?

Not under a fabric awning or a roof with wood framing above the griddle. The manual's "sheltered outdoor areas" paragraph says when a covered space counts as outdoors for ventilation; the separate line "do NOT use this appliance under overhead combustible construction" still applies. Under a noncombustible metal roof with open sides, the Blackstone wording does not forbid it, but the 36 in side clearance applies.

Can I use a Blackstone under my RV awning?

Not under it. The RV awning is fabric overhead. Set the griddle 36 in beyond the awning's edge.

Sources and further reading

• Blackstone: 28 in griddle owner's manual, models 2351 and 2416 (2024)
• Blackstone: 36 in griddle owner's manual, model 2420
• Blackstone: 22 in griddle with hood and FlexFold legs, models 2356, 2385, 2386 (v03)
• Blackstone: 22 in griddle with hard cover and cart, model 2389 (v02)
• Blackstone: 22 in griddle with hood and cabinet (v04)
• Weber: Slate 28 in rust-resistant griddle LP owner's manual, GP28 (2024)
• Weber: Slate 30 and 36 in rust-resistant griddle LP owner's manual, GP30 to GPD36 (2024)
• Pit Boss: Ultimate Lift-Off griddle owner's manual, PB2BGD2 to PB5BGD2
• Camp Chef: Flat Top Grill warning and instruction booklet, model FTG900-2