REALLY Bad Bugers

Pjoe · October 2010

Had a friend drive down from Atlanta last night to visit. Threw some nice burgers on the new Egg at 650.
2 minutes, flipped them. Two more , flipped them and shut her down. Then I screwed up and left them on too long. They were without a doubt the worst burgers I have ever made. So dry they would choke you. I Know...I Know...I cooked them too long. All part of learning the new grill. Sigh. :unsure:

Frank from Houma · October 2010

650 is pretty high for burgers in my opinion. Maybe a quick sear at 650 and then roast indirect at say 400 would work but my process would be direct at =/- 400.

Do you have a good thermometer? A good instant read (Thermapen) is real high on my list of must have eggcessories.

Pjoe · October 2010

Thanks for the reply. The 650 came from the little book that came with the Egg. After the flips, the temp settled at around 400. I do not have an instant read thermometer. I just realized last night that I need one. :blink: Thanks for the recommendation. I will try to find that one. Any idea where to buy those?

2Fategghead · October 2010

This is what I use because it is fast and accurate. Tim

http://thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/splashproof_thermapen.html

SmokeyPitt · October 2010

I tried the recipe from the BGE cookbook and had the same experience. They were not the worst I've made, but a far too done. IMO, it is just not the best recipe for burgers. Maybe if you have big honkin 2 inch thick burgers it would work.

Frank from Houma · October 2010

What Tim said - you will use it a lot

Ripnem · October 2010

Joe,

That should be a lesson learned in a general sense for cooking to internal temp vs. time. Unless you're talking about a quick sear then roast, you should almost never worry about the time, regardless of what any recipe says. Which means (like what was said above) you would need a good thermometer to keep close tabs on things.

'Mollyshark' here on the forum is THE supplier of choice, as you can't beat the price for a top quality thermopen. e-mail her through the forum and she'll send one out.

stike · October 2010

my first questions here were always "i'm cooking X, what time and temp?"

took me not too long (after over and undercooking things) to realize that the times were a guide. and i got a thermapen from mollyshark

Ripnem · October 2010

I cooked on a kettle (went through 3) for 20 years and never knew what temp I was cooking at or to. :P Maybe that why things seem soo much better now.

Little Steven · October 2010

That was before the infamous hot dog episode?

NotabuttDave · October 2010

I cook my burgers at 650* or 700*.

1/3 lb, 3-4 minutes on each side.

Very good.

Go sports teams!

stike · October 2010

that sword cuts both ways. people also forget it's just a damn grill.

"help, i can't get my egg to stay at 350, it's at 375!!!"

just because we can dial in within 5 degrees, some of us think it's a problem if we are 5 degrees off

stike · October 2010

you'll have to be mor specific. unfortunately "hot dog episode" covers more than a few events in my life

dhuffjr · October 2010

The original cook book is really bad and honestly a joke. They newer one that comes with Eggs now I'm not sure of.

650 is way to high.

Shoot for 400-450 and go a few minutes on each side and then scoot the burgers away from the flames and roast them with the vents shut till done.

Too lean of burger is also really prone to dry burgers. 80/20 is a good burger mix 85/15 for the leaner end. Those 93/7 mixes are not made for hamburgers in my opinion.

fishlessman · October 2010

im going to go against all the advice so far, thermapens ruin burgers :laugh: you cook to food police temps of 160 for ground beef you got a dry burger. time isnt the way to cook a burger either, you need to stay with the cook and watch the juices rise, flip the burger and wait til the top gets all juicy again, check them and take them off the grill. you still need a thermapen, it comes in real handy, but it ruins burgers for me.

Ripnem · October 2010

fish,

160? :pinch: I'm guessing with your method you're not getting to 160. I never go that high and I know so cause I temp them. Not sure how a thermometer would ruin one, if you know the target temp you're after. No?

Like a potato, you can squeeze or temp, but only if you know what temp you're after.

fishlessman · October 2010

its more like im happier not knowing :laugh: i eat hamburger raw right from the package, then when i cook it with the therm i seem to over cook, never get the med/rare i want. just went back to the method that always worked for me, watching it.

somehow after we get a thermapen we forget all the things that came out great without one, burgers are one of those things and in the end, its really just a burger :laugh:

2Fategghead · October 2010

I get the 80/20 hamburger and I patty it out around 1/3 pound each. I have the egg at 400F dome with the CI grid in the spider. I sear them 1 to 2 min twist 1 to 2 min flip 1 to 2 min twist then 1 to 2 min off. I have my thermapen ready and keep an eye on the internal temp (IT) through out this process. I cook them to between 130F and 150F I don't remember exactly and it depends who is eating them. Depending on the (IT) I either pull the burgers off to rest or raise them in the dome to roast. Cindy don't want to see pink in the middle but I do. I pull them off early for the rest period because the (IT) will continue to rise some and the juices need to do their thing. You got to stay with your cook even if you have company. Here are some great things to ponder. Good luck with your quest. Tim

Look at this past post started up by PWise.

burger research

http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=896753&catid=1

Here is another post from the past I saved started by Grandpas Grub

What Meat To Grind for Burgers

http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=790684&catid=1

Ripnem · October 2010

I'm a rule breaker too, but need the darn thing to know when it's still undercooked. :laugh: can't stand a damn grey burger.

Isolated01 · October 2010

I had some awesome burgers the other night. Tried a new method. Just a third pound of regular ground chuck with some spicy tobasco teriyaki sauce rolled in a ball then rolled over dizzy pig raising the steaks rub, flattened out and seared on a cast iron skillet at 650 for a few minutes each side then finished on the grid with habanero cheddar cheese....
Best burger yet. Texture temp and taste was perfect...

Hillbilly-Hightech · October 2010

I've always had good luck / consistent results with putting the patties on direct @ 375-400 for 4 min / side & flipping once.

I don't use a thermapen at all for burgers, the "time" method works fine for me.

As with most things in life, you'll find that there's more than one way to do something - you just have to find the method that works best for you & gives you the best results.

HTH,
Rob

Pjoe · October 2010

Thanks everyone for the ideas. As in other things, there is no one size fits all answer. I WILL learn to cook a decent burger on this thing Lord willing!

Carolina Q · October 2010

I cook burgers on the egg the same way I cooked 'em on the Weber...or a campfire! Light it up, wait til it gets hot, put the burgers on for a while, then flip for a while. Add the cheese before the meat looks done. I've never had a bad one. Even on the egg.

As for the Thermapen, meh. I have one and think it was a waste of nearly 100 bucks. For burgers. I don't even bother. For most other things, I always seem to overcook anyway. I know that because I have a Thermapen. I don't care because it always tastes great regardless.

The Thermapen probe is useful with butts though. When you stick it in and feel no resistance, you know the butt's done. Before I got the egg and signed on here (where I learned I HAD to pull at 195°), I used to cook butts for 12-14 hrs and stick a fork (i.e. a "probe") in 'em. No resistance = done. Otherwise, cook longer. Bottom line, use a fork instead of a thermapen for butts. Save $100.

Will I be banned now?

2Fategghead · October 2010

Michael, A day or two ago I smoked some country ribs I went indirect and 275 until IT was 180F in all of them but they felt tough. I brought them in and like I said they were tough. I foiled them and popped them in for another 30 min's but, some were still tough. Some cooks you need to cook till tender but, I still use my thermapen. I'm not a young dog but, I hope to continue to learn even from an old dog like you. :woohoo:

Frobozz · October 2010

Another thing I have found useful is to get the cooking grid further away from the fire. I use a Woo ring in my medium Egg to raise the grid. I cannot overemphasize how much more useful the ring is in helping me control grilling temps and outcomes.

Frobozz · October 2010

Another thing I have found useful is to get the cooking grid further away from the fire. I use a Woo ring in my medium Egg to raise the grid. I cannot overemphasize how much more useful the ring is in helping me control grilling temps and outcomes.

Pjoe · October 2010

What is a WOO ring?
Bill

REALLY Bad Bugers

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