Beaten by burgers - Thermapen not helping

grin_phi · September 2014

Hi there team,

Have a love-hate relationship with my egg sometimes. I liken it to playing poker - you start out great on beginners luck, then as soon as you learn a little something, your game goes to s**t.

Anyway, fluked delicious burgers the first time I did them - though it's possible that guests had consumed enough beer to not care.

Since then, every burger I've done has been way over cooked.

Until last night, when they came off raw.

They were pretty thin quarter pounders (Heston Blumenthal's for those that know them) and I cooked them for 2 mins either side at 350-375 F. The previous burgers had 3 to 3.5 mins either side and were too well done.

'Tried' to use my thermapen to cook them to perfection but the reading seemed to vary massively from nowhere near done to totally overdone.

So, I write mainly to share my frustration and secondly to get some tips on using the thermapen to tell when a burger is actually done. What's the right technique?

Thanks all.

Grin.

Crimsongator · September 2014

I don't know that brand. Are they preformed, frozen patties?

fljoemon · September 2014

First thing I would do is to make sure your dome thermometer is calibrated properly and is not giving you false reading. For the thin burgers I would use a Cast Iron skillet rather that grilling directly. Try that .. get the egg to 500°F and put on your CI skillet. Wait for the skillet to get real hot, add a small dollop of butter and put your burgers on it for 2 minutes. Flip burger after 2 minutes and cook it for another 2 minutes. Now check with your thermapen for your desired doneness. If you like to put cheese on it, do it before 10°F of your desired doneness and shut off all your vents and close the DFMT (daisy wheel) completely.

gdenby · September 2014

Not sure a thermopen would be much help in this situation. The patties might be thin enough that the probe tip either reads the cool center or the cooked exterior depending on a very small distance.

I found some reviews of the Blumenthal pre-made patties. They all cooked the burger fast in a hot searing pan. with frequent turns. The pans would transfer a lot of heat really quickly. This would produce a well seared surface, and I would suppose a still slightly pink interior. They were also coated in some sort of fat before the sear. That would help a Maillard crust form.

One of the classic low tech methods of knowing when pan seared foods are ready is that they stop sizzling, and lift pretty cleanly from the pan. Cooking in an Egg won't be the same unless you are using a CI griddle.

I'd go with a hotter dome temp, 450F - 475, cooking raised, direct. I think that would give a similar effect as using a pan w. oil near its smoke point, which would be around 400F. There will be flare-ups, and one will need to work quickly. It would be even better to cook at the lower position, but flipping the burgers is harder, and there would be lots of flame.

What I would look for is just how well browned the exterior is. I would hope that the patties are thick enough that the outside will be done while the inside is still pink. I could only find 1 pic of a Blumenthal style burger that had been bitten, and it seemed fairly reddish.

Old fashioned test, after a couple of flips, make a slice in the edge of one to see what going on inside.

johnkitchens · September 2014

gdenby said:

Not sure a thermopen would be much help in this situation. The patties might be thin enough that the probe tip either reads the cool center or the cooked exterior depending on a very small distance.

I agree with what @gdenby said. If they are thin it is very hard to get a good read. I would cook a thicker burger, but if you have to stick with thin you will need more practice using the Thermapen to check.

I have found that on the seldom thin burgers I cook I have to insert my Thermapen at an angle so I am still in the middle of the meat.

lkapigian · September 2014

I still go by feel. Only use a thermometer on low and slow to see where I am

Wolfpack · September 2014

On burgers I stick the thermopen probe in from the side of the burger- that way I know the tip is in the middle.

Skiddymarker · September 2014

Thin burgers are made to be fast fried - no egg needed, hardly seems logical to take 20-30 minutes to get and stabilize a fire to use it for less than 5 minutes. No time for the smoke to really make a difference. Like wokking, some folks like it.

I've always justified using my egg with the reverse sear method. Burger patties on at 225º indirect are easier to cook evenly and pull before target IT. finish with a quick sear in a CI pan or use a torch.

As @Wolfpack said - probe from side of burger to keep probe tip in the middle - your temps will still vary as the patty will be cooler in the center.

grin_phi · September 2014

Thanks for your comments people. Lot of sense here.

I'm weirdly attached to cooking burgers over the egg even though I can see a lot of sense in switching to a pan method.

Since Patty and Bun opened in London, I've been on a mission to make an amazing burger that's comparable to theirs. Still going.

FYI - Heston Blumenthal is an uber chef over here. He makes some stuff for one of our supermarkets including these burgers. They are special because the mince is all aligned to give a super smooth bite. Crazy.

Wolfpack · September 2014

I think the egg really excels at burgers- but I only light one side of the XL and cook indirect until 115 and then sear/cheese until 135 or so. Plus I usually make 1/2 pound burgers so takes a while to cook them.

Doc_Eggerton · September 2014

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/1430462#Comment_1430462

Only time I did this, but if direct does not work for you, you could try the Kettle Q.

Beaten by burgers - Thermapen not helping

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