Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Cast iron burgers

Do yourself a favor and get a cast iron skillet to reverse sear your burgers with a dab of butter in the pan. You can thank me later.
Dave - Austin, TX
«1

Comments

  • Really ... I got a CI griddle that I might just have to try that on
    My PitMaster IQ120 FREAKIN ROCKS!!!!!!! Current BGE arsenal: XL & MiniMax
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    Agree! Agree! Agree!

    Except I do them on my baking steel with butter or lard. Booyah!
  • shtgunal3
    shtgunal3 Posts: 5,629
    Haven't done cast iron burgers on the egg yet but our favorite burgers are in an iron skillet on the stove. Very good. I have a chuck roast in the fridge to grind for burgers this week. I may try some egged iron skillet burgers.

    ___________________________________

     

     LBGE,SBGE, and a Mini makes three......Sweet home Alabama........ Stay thirsty my friends .

  • Terrebandit
    Terrebandit Posts: 1,750
    Just put it directly on your plate setter while you are cooking the burgers indirect on the grid. That will heat it up prior the the sear. When the burgers get to your desired pre-sear temp, crank up your egg temp and place them directly in the CI skillet. Sear them good on both sides in butter.
    Dave - Austin, TX
  • shtgunal3
    shtgunal3 Posts: 5,629
    Have you tried no platesetter. Just go direct with the skillet on the grid and fry them in the skillet the whole time.

    ___________________________________

     

     LBGE,SBGE, and a Mini makes three......Sweet home Alabama........ Stay thirsty my friends .

  • Terrebandit
    Terrebandit Posts: 1,750
    shtgunal3 said:
    Have you tried no platesetter. Just go direct with the skillet on the grid and fry them in the skillet the whole time.

    Are you able to cook them all the way through that way? The main reason why I do them indirect is to preserve moisture, reduce shrinkage, and make sure they are cooked before adding a crust with the skillet.
    Dave - Austin, TX
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414


    shtgunal3 said:

    Have you tried no platesetter. Just go direct with the skillet on the grid and fry them in the skillet the whole time.


    Are you able to cook them all the way through that way? The main reason why I do them indirect is to preserve moisture, reduce shrinkage, and make sure they are cooked before adding a crust with the skillet.

    I have done it this way with the baking steel. I do them more like traditional burgers(thinner, fried on a cook top). For thicker burgers, I will reverse sear them, especially with store bought ground beef. I cook them to a higher temp than meat I grind myself.
  • shtgunal3
    shtgunal3 Posts: 5,629
    I would imagine you could do them in the skillet the whole time. Plus they will lay in that tasty grease and oil the whole time. I'm not disputing your way by no means though. When doing them your way, at what IT do you throw in the skillet?

    ___________________________________

     

     LBGE,SBGE, and a Mini makes three......Sweet home Alabama........ Stay thirsty my friends .

  • jhl192
    jhl192 Posts: 1,006
    @terrebandit what dome temp did you use for the reverse sear and what IT did you switch to the CI pan?
    XL BGE; Medium BGE; L BGE 
  • Terrebandit
    Terrebandit Posts: 1,750
    shtgunal3 said:
    I would imagine you could do them in the skillet the whole time. Plus they will lay in that tasty grease and oil the whole time. I'm not disputing your way by no means though. When doing them your way, at what IT do you throw in the skillet?

    I took them to 140 before the skillet sear. They were probably about 155 when I finished. I wonder if I could cook them low and slow on the skillet and then crank the egg up to finish them off at the end?
    Dave - Austin, TX
  • shtgunal3
    shtgunal3 Posts: 5,629
    I was just sitting here thinking. What it you went ..... Platesetter legs up, no grid, skillet on platesetter, and just cook em in the skillet the whole time? Or sear in the skillet and then pull and reduce heat and finish on the grid.

    ___________________________________

     

     LBGE,SBGE, and a Mini makes three......Sweet home Alabama........ Stay thirsty my friends .

  • shtgunal3
    shtgunal3 Posts: 5,629
    I guess there's several ways that will work.

    ___________________________________

     

     LBGE,SBGE, and a Mini makes three......Sweet home Alabama........ Stay thirsty my friends .

  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    All good tips.  I'm just wondering why you need to involve the plate setter at all.  I have one of the griddles and I just put it on the grid so it acts as the indirect piece, then add a raised grid over it for the roast portion of the reverse sear.  Remove the grid and the meat while the skillet heats up for the sear.  


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669
    edited February 2014
    You are so right man. And I never use a platesetter. Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos
    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.   

  • NDG
    NDG Posts: 2,431
    @smokeypitt  . . thanks for simplifying, makes perfect sense.  I have a question though . . . during the roast portion, do you try to catch some of the juices in the cast iron to keep for the sear later?  It seems like it would add flavor, but would it make it through the high temp preheat?  
    Columbus, OH

    “There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as if everything is” 
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    NDG said:
    @smokeypitt  . . thanks for simplifying, makes perfect sense.  I have a question though . . . during the roast portion, do you try to catch some of the juices in the cast iron to keep for the sear later?  It seems like it would add flavor, but would it make it through the high temp preheat?  
    I usually use a drip pan on top of the CI to catch the juices.  I forgot the drip pan once so I just wiped it down after the roast with a wad of paper towels before I cranked up the heat.  

    I agree that if you have too much fat dripping on the CI in might not do well when you crank up the heat.  It would probably start to smell a little funky.  


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • NDG
    NDG Posts: 2,431
    Ok thanks.  I love this method because 1) no need to fumble around with a warm platesetter 2) the roast portion ensures your cast iron is already preheated . . easy money!

    LAST Q -what would be your target dome temp for the sear?  

    Columbus, OH

    “There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as if everything is” 
  • smokesniffer
    smokesniffer Posts: 2,016
    edited February 2014
    I have done burgers in a skillet before, but now this got me thinking. Grill them first on the extended grill, (that group buy a while ago), with CI skillet below to catch any drippings, and then the butter and sear, cheese on afterwards. Thanks, great post. =D>
    Large, small, and a mini
  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    @Cazzy did some for the Super Bowl. ..one if the best burgers I've had. We did gri.... cazzy ground fresh chuck. Even good left over.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    NDG said:
    Ok thanks.  I love this method because 1) no need to fumble around with a warm platesetter 2) the roast portion ensures your cast iron is already preheated . . easy money!

    LAST Q -what would be your target dome temp for the sear?  

    Well, to be honest I have only done this with steaks...and I go for around 600 dome.  For burgers, I might drop that back a to 450-500 range.  I have found that with ground meat if you sear it too hot sometimes the "crust" just separates from the burger. 


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • NDG
    NDG Posts: 2,431
    Gotcha.  I have not done much cast iron searing except for blackened fish.  I was shocked how quick the spices blackened with skillet on the BGE!  

    Do you find that this method (for steaks or burgers) works better with just S&P?  I usually use a good amount of cow lick on my burgers, but I imagine the cast iron sear is not ideal for all that spice?  Any thoughts?
    Columbus, OH

    “There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as if everything is” 
  • cazzy
    cazzy Posts: 9,136
    edited February 2014
    The best success i've had is roast on my small first, and moved over to my piping hot baking steel to get it's crust on.

    At @henapple 's house, we put the cast iron in on top of the platesetter legs up with the grid on top.  We roasted the burgers at 300 till they reached 110-115, then cranked up the egg.  It was raining, and he was crying because he was too cold, so we didn't let the CI pan heat up enough.  Due to that, we didn't get much of a crust.  While the burgers were good, I don't think enough of the fat rendered to make it super juicy.  Good beef flavor, just not pouring like my last burgers.  Learned a lil bit so we'll get them better next time.
    Just a hack that makes some $hitty BBQ....
  • cazzy
    cazzy Posts: 9,136
    NDG said:
    Gotcha.  I have not done much cast iron searing except for blackened fish.  I was shocked how quick the spices blackened with skillet on the BGE!  

    Do you find that this method (for steaks or burgers) works better with just S&P?  I usually use a good amount of cow lick on my burgers, but I imagine the cast iron sear is not ideal for all that spice?  Any thoughts?
    If you grind, salt and pepper is all you need so your beef can sing.  I've done the amazingribs recipe twice which calls for garlic powder, pepper, and onion powder in your meat, but I never pic up the spices.  S&P is all you really need IMO.
    Just a hack that makes some $hitty BBQ....
  • billyray
    billyray Posts: 1,275
    +1 on the baking steel
    Felton, Ca. 2-LBGE, 1-Small, PBC, PK360, Genesis Summit, Camp Chef Flattop, Smokefire 24, Traeger Pro Series 22 Pellet with a Smoke Daddy insert, Gateway 55 Gal. drum, SNS Kettle w/acc.
  • Terrebandit
    Terrebandit Posts: 1,750
    Glad everyone is chipping in on this thread. Someone asked how hot the egg needed to be for a proper sear on the cast iron skillet. Well, I just opened the lid of the egg and waited until the lump under the plate setter looked like lava. I never took a temp reading but I would guess between 500 and 600 degrees. One caution is to not add too much butter before drop the patties on the Hot CI. All you need is a small tad because there is plenty of moisture that will seep out of the burger. The idea is to partially blacken the patties with high heat. That won't happen if there is a lot of grease in the pan. Practice makes perfect so get those burgers cookin.
    Dave - Austin, TX
  • SkinnyV
    SkinnyV Posts: 3,404
    Storage wars.....yeeeeeeeep!
    Seattle, WA
  • cazzy said:
    NDG said:
    Gotcha.  I have not done much cast iron searing except for blackened fish.  I was shocked how quick the spices blackened with skillet on the BGE!  

    Do you find that this method (for steaks or burgers) works better with just S&P?  I usually use a good amount of cow lick on my burgers, but I imagine the cast iron sear is not ideal for all that spice?  Any thoughts?
    If you grind, salt and pepper is all you need so your beef can sing.  I've done the amazingribs recipe twice which calls for garlic powder, pepper, and onion powder in your meat, but I never pic up the spices.  S&P is all you really need IMO.
    what temp. do you get the interior of the burger to before searing it?
  • NDG
    NDG Posts: 2,431
    Looks like @terrebandit roasted them to reach 140 and @cazzy roasted them to 110-115 . . . so you have choices.  I am trying this soon, so I wrote a few steps down - maybe it will help you too:

    Burger - easy reverse sear
    • No Platesetter needed 
    • Place cast iron skillet/griddle on grill grate at normal level (cover skillet in foil so drippings can be discarded easy)
    • Place raised grate above cast iron skillet/griddle 
    • Place burgers on top of raised grate
    • Grill 250-300ish (indirect bc skillet blocks direct flame) until burger reaches something between range of 115F-135F
    • Remove Burgers & remove raised grate . . . . crank up egg
    • Get dome to 500ish - drop in chunk of butter - SEAR until crust forms - less than minute per side
    • Pull burger around 155 - or to your taste (after rest should be 160)
     
    Columbus, OH

    “There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as if everything is” 
  • NDG
    NDG Posts: 2,431
    now I just have to figure out what kind of meat to grind!  I have only ground my own chuck in the past, but thinking about adding in some brisket or short this time.  I want to keep it somewhat simple (no ox tail, etc) so any suggestions?  

    Also, I have always gone with a coarse grind (via my K.A. grinder) but reading on "serious eats burger lab" they suggest a fine grind if grilling.  I think I will go coarse at first and then decide if I want to do a second fine grind - I dont want to over handle them.
    Columbus, OH

    “There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as if everything is” 
  • cazzy
    cazzy Posts: 9,136
    @NDG It really just depends what you want your finishing temp to be. I stopped roasting mine @110ish cause my goal was a medium - rare plus. I'd only recommend this with meat you grind so you can be in complete control of sanitation. Too many variables with store bought ground beef

    I do think I like my burgers more medium to medium plus though. It's all preference really.

    I've only used coarse grind and try to minimally handle the meat and don't over compress the patties. Chuck steak is a standard for burgers. I have read that short ribs, while expensive, make pretty great burgers! Brisket is always good too! Just make sure you have enough fat!
    Just a hack that makes some $hitty BBQ....