Burger redemption

Try the umami burger recipe that's on this forum! It is really great!

I followed the instructions shown in the Instructions...

-  650 degrees in the BGE

-  Cook burger on direct heat for 2 minutes

-  Flip & cook burger on direct heat for another 2 minutes (at 650)

-  Flip again & shut all the vents and let the burgers set for 5 minutes on the grill while the temp drops

Burgers have always turned out great for me.

 Etxagg, glad this is working out for you but we see more people saying that their burgers taste like soot and almost every single time we trace it back to this technique (as it is written in the BGE cookbook). You should really never shut the vents and let your burgers drip grease into a dying fire. It gives off a very acrid smoke.

Keep it simple.  Ground chuck.  Get mine usually from a local butcher for convenience.  Minimally press to about a 1/2" thick, doesn't have to be perfectly round.  Those ridges and imperfections get seared and create more surface area for the cheese to melt.

1/4 - 1/3 lb for each patty.  A cast iron skillet and parchment paper works great here.  Salt, pepper, smokin' hot CI griddle.  Couple of minutes a side. American cheese, bacon.

 

 

Cen-Tex nailed the "chemical" source (reinforced by AleBrewer)- Etxagg, glad this is working out for you but we see more people saying that their burgers taste like soot and almost every single time we trace it back to this technique (as it is written in the BGE cookbook). You should really never shut the vents and let your burgers drip grease into a dying fire. It gives off a very acrid smoke.

This taste comment manifests itself when people do the same thing cooking steaks (or anything else with the above mentioned process).  I would cook without the "shut the vent" step-but just an opinion-and we all know what those are worth:)

I wouldn't do it on burgers, steaks, or anything else. Fat dripping on a dying fire = no bueno for Centex

yeah, C~T:
ribeyes (fattier steaks) will do it. strips less so, and tenderloin even less.

but burgers (if they are decently fatted up) will do it too. 

the soot is pronounced (and bad), because the fire is dying, the fat does not burn well (because there's no oxygen to fully combust it), and the kicker is that the smoke has nowhere to go but to settle on the steak.

i didn't have much experience with steaks and grilling, other than with a gasser, before using the egg.  i didn't notice how bad the steaks tasted using the sear and dwell method, because they were so much better than off the gasser. an improvement is an improvement.

but after a few months of time on the BGE, and getting educated about one steak vs another (say strips vs ribeyes), and i started to wonder what the heck the flavor was. why the ribeyes had that 'flavor' to them, but a tenderloin filet did not

thought about it, and realized the fat was not burning well when shut down, and tried it without doing it that way.  was immediately cleaner.

ever since it's been a recurring them on the forum.  some dude with the same problem, and we offer the same solution.  99 times out of 100 it's a fix

I usually only buy ribeyes, usually from the same butcher too. I knew right away on the first one that the funky taste was from closing the vent. I should have known better, but I closed it anyway. I've been cooking on charcoal for about 15yrs now, used to use an old New Braunfels, and more recently a Weber Kettle.....I never closed the top vent on those with food inside.

They really should stop telling people to do it....at least where there is a possibility of fat dripping directly onto the coals.

I've allways done burgers in the 500-600 degree range.  The last couple of times I did turkey burgers, and did them in the 400 range at normal grid height.  They really came out good, picked up more of the hickory flavor that I used.  I'm not sure if the lower temp would work as well with beef burgers, but I am going to try it next time.

I also did the close the vents method on one of my first steak cooks.  Probably the worst steaks I've ever bbq'ed. 

George

I've allways done burgers in the 500-600 degree range.  The last couple of times I did turkey burgers, and did them in the 400 range at normal grid height.  They really came out good, picked up more of the hickory flavor that I used.  I'm not sure if the lower temp would work as well with beef burgers, but I am going to try it next time.

I also did the close the vents method on one of my first steak cooks.  Probably the worst steaks I've ever bbq'ed. 

George

Hey George- You can certainly cook beef burgers at that temp but if it's extra smoke you are after, it may not make a huge difference (although more time over smoke would allow them to absorb a little more). It was not the temp that caused the Turkey to pick up more smoke. Poultry is much more sensitive (not a great descriptor but stay with me) to smoke than beef. you do a beef burger and a turkey burger side by side over smoke for the exact same time and the Turkey will be smokier every time.

distance to lump is more important than dome temp. if you are too close, you will char

350 dome but with the lump close to the grid is hotter than dome 600 and the lump further away

Well heck I was so confident in my method earlier today (650 and shutting it off). Tonight my steaks had that bad taste.

What's the overall consensus on grilling burgers/steaks? 350 and 5 minutes per side like my old propane grill? I'll miss that sear!!

easttexasaggie04 said:

Well heck I was so confident in my method earlier today (650 and shutting it off). Tonight my steaks had that bad taste.

What's the overall consensus on grilling burgers/steaks? 350 and 5 minutes per side like my old propane grill? I'll miss that sear!!

You won't have to miss any sear. Do them at 500+. Use an internal thermo to get to your doneness. If you have a cast iron grate, even better. You can also Trex or reverse sear or hot tub. You'll get the best sear and flabor you've ever had. It's all on here and we are glad to help if you want more info.

We're still waiting for the bikini pictures. Just an oversight I'm sure.