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When is a burger perfectly cooked ?

Mowgli
Mowgli Posts: 34
edited June 2012 in EggHead Forum
For some reason I can't seem to cook a perfect burger.
I want to do a Medium cooked burger, any suggestions to core temp. or any other way to ensure a medium cooked burger ? 

Comments

  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669
    Cook to temp @ 140 for medium
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • Hillbilly-Hightech
    Hillbilly-Hightech Posts: 966
    edited June 2012
    Burgers are one of the few things that I don't cook to temp on the Egg (pizza, ribs, and wings being a few other things that quickly come to mind). 

    Anyway, Mickey gave you a target temp, but if you just wanna "wing" it, when I do burgers, I do them direct, default grid level, 350* dome temp, and then 4 minutes, flip, wait about 3 1/2 minutes, then, if desired, open dome, add cheese, close dome for remaining 30 seconds. 

    That usually makes great burgers. 

    If you want Medium doneness, then perhaps 3 to 3 1/2 minutes per side (may have to "Egg-speriment" on a couple to get the timing down). 

    Or, just do them to the temp that Mickey suggested :-\"

    P.S.  to get INCREDIBLE burgers, you should start grinding your own beef - you can read what I did regarding grinding here: 

    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1134763/burger-grinding-egg-speriment-results#Item_9

    Also, you may or may not know these tricks, but in case ya don't, ya can read this to give ya some hints on how to form & handle the patties: 

    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/1179279/#Comment_1179279

    HTH,
    Rob
    Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup... Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend. - Bruce Lee
  • Mowgli
    Mowgli Posts: 34
    edited June 2012
    Mkaaaaay 8-)

    I will give it a go, but when you say four minutes, whats the thickness of the burger then ?
    Just got a thermapen, so I will try the 140 method too .

  • Hillbilly-Hightech
    Hillbilly-Hightech Posts: 966
    edited June 2012
    Mkaaaaay 8-)

    I will give it a go, but when you say four minutes, whats the thickness of the burger then ?
    I usually make my patties about an inch thick, maybe 3/4" (I dunno, you can see the size patties I usually make in the 1st link I provided) - if you're wanting medium doneness, and/or if your patties are thinner than 1" - you're gonna wanna cook for less than 4 minutes.  (perhaps 3 to 3 1/2 as I suggested above - maybe even less than that). 

    Also, as you may have already noticed when cooking burgers on the Egg, as long as you don't "smush" the patties down w/ a spatula (a big NO-NO), the patties won't really shrink up much - so a hockey puck sized patty that's raw will pretty much be a hockey puck sized burger when it's cooked.
    Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup... Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend. - Bruce Lee
  • NightwingXP
    NightwingXP Posts: 448
    I just flip them and check to see how they feel to me. You get a feeling for it after awhile. Sorry! I cook like my Grandma. Don't measure anything. Just throw it in and see how it tastes. Similar feel for done-ness on things. I can just tell how I cook them. Everyone has there own way!
    :P
    Only 3 things in life matter. Family, Steelers and my BGE!!
  • yumdinger
    yumdinger Posts: 255
    Hillbilly Is your 350 hotter than mine? I cook burgers (just over an inch thick) at 550* for 3 minutes per side then shut it down for 3-4 minutes adding cheeses etc... 2 minutes into that.
    I get burgers that are hardly pink and about 135-140 depending on where they were on the grill. Waaaay juicy!

    So hillbilly, how do my 550* burgers cook the same but hardly cook hotter?
  • Brownie
    Brownie Posts: 1,023
    I just flip them and check to see how they feel to me. You get a feeling for it after awhile. Sorry! I cook like my Grandma. Don't measure anything. Just throw it in and see how it tastes. Similar feel for done-ness on things. I can just tell how I cook them. Everyone has there own way!
    :P

    No shame in cooking like grandma.
  • NightwingXP
    NightwingXP Posts: 448
    I just flip them and check to see how they feel to me. You get a feeling for it after awhile. Sorry! I cook like my Grandma. Don't measure anything. Just throw it in and see how it tastes. Similar feel for done-ness on things. I can just tell how I cook them. Everyone has there own way!
    :P

    No shame in cooking like grandma.
    Amen! One of the best cooks I knew!
    Only 3 things in life matter. Family, Steelers and my BGE!!
  • No shame in cooking like grandma.
    Amen! One of the best cooks I knew!
    You knew Brownie's gramma? @-)
    Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup... Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend. - Bruce Lee
  • Hillbilly Is your 350 hotter than mine? I cook burgers (just over an inch thick) at 550* for 3 minutes per side then shut it down for 3-4 minutes adding cheeses etc... 2 minutes into that.
    I get burgers that are hardly pink and about 135-140 depending on where they were on the grill. Waaaay juicy!

    So hillbilly, how do my 550* burgers cook the same but hardly cook hotter?
    350* is 350* no matter where yer at, and 550 > 350 (this gets the Capt Obvious award for today) - so ummmmm... I dunno.  All I can speak to is my setup, and what I do, and what works for me. 


    Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup... Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend. - Bruce Lee
  • Brownie
    Brownie Posts: 1,023
    No shame in cooking like grandma.
    Amen! One of the best cooks I knew!
    You knew Brownie's gramma? @-)
    Oh God!
    =))
  • Ragtop99
    Ragtop99 Posts: 1,570
    consistency in the burger size is a key for me.  I weigh my mine as I form the patty and do them all the same.  I cook at a hotter temp, raised direct and assume 3 minutes a side.  Just hold temp and patty size constant and you nail the time in one or two tries.
    Cooking on an XL and Medium in Bethesda, MD.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,664
    make the burgers uniform and flat, no football shaped burgers. i like a hotter grill but for burgers but do them all ways. cook burger til juices rise to the top and check burger for color then flip, wait til juices pool up on top surface again and bottoms look good, your close to doneness. ive never had luck with thermapens on burgers, i gave up with that
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • NightwingXP
    NightwingXP Posts: 448
    No shame in cooking like grandma.
    Amen! One of the best cooks I knew!
    You knew Brownie's gramma? @-)
    Oh God!
    =))

    =)) =))     I peed !! Seriously I PEED A LITTLE !!!
    Only 3 things in life matter. Family, Steelers and my BGE!!
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    yumdinger: HH's 350 is dome temp, just like other dome temps.

    it's a reference as to how hot the air in the dome is, not how hot the lump is.  if you cook over a 350 degree dome temp, your fire is still around 100-1200 etc., it's just a smaller fire than one which drives the dome temp to 750

    so he's still searing at pretty much the same temps.  just a smaller fire, and easier to deal with maybe
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Mowgli
    Mowgli Posts: 34
    Thanks a lot guys, lots of usefull suggestions.
  • ribnrun
    ribnrun Posts: 174
    I watch the juice. I flip when the juice starts to come up. I pull em when the juice starts to show through the cooked side. If the juice is pink, middle will be pink. Juice is clear, burgers are well done. Works for me pretty well.
  • yumdinger
    yumdinger Posts: 255
    HH I was not implying your temps were wrong by any means  I was more or less looking to determine how our burgers likely turn out the same......perfectly cooked.  the 550 I reference was Done as well.  If Stikes explanation is accurate then we now know.  All I know is this egg cooks some great food.