Stikes and Centex mentored me to perfection

Rubmyrock

Stikes and Centex guided me through some rookie mistakes. Centex solved my problem of "chemical burgers" by calling out the flawed "shut 'er down method". Stikes chimed in with his mastery of temp control suggesting my char burned burgers were causative of proximity to the lump and not in face affected by the 500 degree temp I was cooking. Took these guys advice and ended up cooking on a raised direct at exactly 600 degrees for the entire eight minute cook. Results were perfection. It took cooking burgers back to back to learn the way of my pittmasters but I'm grateful. Here are a couple pics and today's before Stikes advice and after Stikes advice. Thanks again my friends...

LizzieSamps

Looks like another grilling education from @Stike and @Cen-Tex Smoker has produced perfection, congrats!!

BYS1981

All the knowledge stike gives out has allowed me to look past being a patriots fan.

Rubmyrock

Here we are at pert near midnight and the gang is still happy!!!

Rubmyrock

cazzy

Burgers look great! What temp did you pull em off at?

Philicious

Is that raised grid at 600 for 4 minutes per side?

Rubmyrock

Philicious said:

Is that raised grid at 600 for 4 minutes per side?

Yes. And they were perfect

stike

cen-tex? what does he know?
ask centex where he heard about that sooty flavor from shutting the grill down...

:-\"

( heh heh heh. j.k., C~T)

The Cen-Tex Smoker

cen-tex? what does he know?
ask centex where he heard about that sooty flavor from shutting the grill down...

:-\"

( heh heh heh. j.k., C~T)

I never claimed to have an original thought in my head. just regurgitating it for the masses 

Plus, if you remember, I don't even have an egg. I only get to use the computer an hour a day and that's when I'm on good behavior.

stike

hahahah
and i just repeat the same stuff from the old forum. someone asks a question here, i go ask it there.  i pick the best answer and come back here and post it.

no one's the wiser

The Cen-Tex Smoker

hahahah
and i just repeat the same stuff from the old forum. someone asks a question here, i go ask it there.  i pick the best answer and come back here and post it.

no one's the wiser

Ha! Funny

easttexasaggie04

OK i'm reading carefully...so instead of using the shut'er down method I need to...

- Put grill on 600

- 4 minutes

- flip

- 4 minutes

- Pull meat

The shut er down method gave me a funky tasting steak last night.  So I'm making a change.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

OK i'm reading carefully...so instead of using the shut'er down method I need to...

- Put grill on 600

- 4 minutes

- flip

- 4 minutes

- Pull meat

The shut er down method gave me a funky tasting steak last night.  So I'm making a change.

If you do 600, you'll need to raise your grid to avoid the excess charring in rbubmyrock's photo. You can go a little lower temp (450-500) if you do them on your normal height grid

easttexasaggie04

OK I'll try a lower temp so I don't have to mess with raising the grid.  Does this same method work with steaks?

Before i was using the shut'er down method on burgers and steaks.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

OK I'll try a lower temp so I don't have to mess with raising the grid.  Does this same method work with steaks?

Before i was using the shut'er down method on burgers and steaks.

I go a little hotter on steaks when I just straight grill them but I rarely do that anymore. I did a flank the other night that I had it blast furnace hot, seared on CI grate at normal level then shut down (not off) for a few minutes per side.It was good.  I just closed the daisy 90% and left the bottom open

Now, I usually sous vide my steaks and reverse sear them very quickly with the dome open.

stike

stop timing your steaks and burgers.  it cannot be done consistently well, unless your meat is the same size and temp over the same exact fire every single time.

best thing you can do to undo the hang up about "what temp is my BGE at" is take the thermometer out of the dome and start paying attention to the coals.  control the fire with either or both dampers. try 3/4 open, for starters. just because the thermo has 2 degree tickmarks doesn't mean you need to zoom in and track it that closely.

when you are grilling, and your dome says "600", your coals are no hotter than the guy who grills at "400".  he just has more coals going.

a dome that says 250 doesn't mean the fire is burning at 250, it means the weak pile of 1000+ degree lump you have is only able to grow big enough (because it can't get any more air) to heat everything to 250.  but if you made a mini burger and held it close over those coals, you'd be searing at 1000+

the distance to the lump has more of an impact than the dome temp. but sure, it goes without saying that a higher temp means a larger bed of coals.

but it doesn't mean a better sear necessarily.

so you can still get searing at lower temps, but it will take longer because of the smaller amount of lump involved.

Little Steven

stop timing your steaks and burgers.  it cannot be done consistently well, unless your meat is the same size and temp over the same exact fire every single time.

best thing you can do to undo the hang up about "what temp is my BGE at" is take the thermometer out of the dome and start paying attention to the coals.  control the fire with either or both dampers. try 3/4 open, for starters. just because the thermo has 2 degree tickmarks doesn't mean you need to zoom in and track it that closely.

when you are grilling, and your dome says "600", your coals are no hotter than the guy who grills at "400".  he just has more coals going.

a dome that says 250 doesn't mean the fire is burning at 250, it means the weak pile of 1000+ degree lump you have is only able to grow big enough (because it can't get any more air) to heat everything to 250.  but if you made a mini burger and held it close over those coals, you'd be searing at 1000+

the distance to the lump has more of an impact than the dome temp. but sure, it goes without saying that a higher temp means a larger bed of coals.

but it doesn't mean a better sear necessarily.

so you can still get searing at lower temps, but it will take longer because of the smaller amount of lump involved.



you are the MASTER, do quote other's posts verBATim or rEword to make them youR own?

The Cen-Tex Smoker

stop timing your steaks and burgers.  it cannot be done consistently well, unless your meat is the same size and temp over the same exact fire every single time.

best thing you can do to undo the hang up about "what temp is my BGE at" is take the thermometer out of the dome and start paying attention to the coals.  control the fire with either or both dampers. try 3/4 open, for starters. just because the thermo has 2 degree tickmarks doesn't mean you need to zoom in and track it that closely.

when you are grilling, and your dome says "600", your coals are no hotter than the guy who grills at "400".  he just has more coals going.

a dome that says 250 doesn't mean the fire is burning at 250, it means the weak pile of 1000+ degree lump you have is only able to grow big enough (because it can't get any more air) to heat everything to 250.  but if you made a mini burger and held it close over those coals, you'd be searing at 1000+

the distance to the lump has more of an impact than the dome temp. but sure, it goes without saying that a higher temp means a larger bed of coals.

but it doesn't mean a better sear necessarily.

so you can still get searing at lower temps, but it will take longer because of the smaller amount of lump involved.



you are the MASTER, do quote other's posts verBATim or rEword to make them youR own?

I think he starts fake arguments between all of his 9 identities (I mean, has anyone ever seen Stike and Tweev in the same room????- I'm just sayin) and then "stike" slowly vanquishes all of them until he gets to the point he wanted to make in the first place

stike

Most of the time i'm simply repeating myself.
I really only have 2000 posts. The rest are answering the same question thirty five more times

There are only five egg questions

-how do i light my egg
-how do i control temps
-how can i have more-good/less-bad smoke
-how do i cook a steak/burger/chicken
-where is the pizza tossing kit

Little Steven

Way wrong,

Is my butt still safe?

How long do I cook a _____?

 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Way wrong,

Is my butt still safe?

How long do I cook a _____?

 

True. These must be added to the "list of 5". Which now makes it a list of 7

Little Steven

It could grow substantially on it's own thread

AleBrewer

-where is the pizza tossing kit

I thought it was over "there"....?

Lowflyer

Great info from these two, but I sure miss Village Idiot's insight :((

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Great info from these two, but I sure miss Village Idiot's insight :((

He has been laying low but I expect he will be back....I hope so anyway.

double

I put it on when it looks hot enough cook it till it looks good cut a piece of and if it tastes good it's cooked.... I think the biggest thing I have picked up from here is don't over think things and just have fun with it. Oh and drink a lot and start posting randomly on the forum ...