Thermapen question

jad

Just received my Thermapen and happen to be doing some burgers on the egg. I looked at the chef-recommended chart that came with the thermapen and it said 160 degrees for minimum done? (for food safety)
As I was cooking the burgers them seemed like they were done but I was waiting for 160 so I left them on. After a few min afraid of overcooking I pulled the burgers off at 130. When eating the burgers they were too cooked for my taste, they were not even a little pink. We like them medium to medium rare
and was wondering what temps to use. I am new to the BGE and after reading the forum and hearing its all about the temp and years of just going by feel
on the gas grill not sure what to do. Should I pull them next time at 110 to get medium? sounds low.
Just throwing it out there for the experts to show me the way 

travisstrick

Burgers taste best about 130 for me but you couldn't get me to eat one under 160 for a $100 bill. You take your gastrointestinal health in your own hands eating ground beef at less than 160. 

CajunEggHead

travisstrick said:

Burgers taste best about 130 for me but you couldn't get me to eat one under 160 for a $100 bill. You take your gastrointestinal health in your own hands eating ground beef at less than 160. 

jad

I pulled them at 130 if I waited till 160 I am pretty sure them would have been way over done.
So you are saying you can never have a burger that's a little pink? whatever happened to medium rare :(

travisstrick

jad said:

I pulled them at 130 if I waited till 160 I am pretty sure them would have been way over done.
So you are saying you can never have a burger that's a little pink? whatever happened to medium rare :(

You can but I wouldn't. Ground beef from our current food system is totally unsafe. If you slaughtered the cow and were sure it had been handled in a safe manner, I'd say eat it raw. If you buy it from the store I'd stick with 160 or nothing. I have never cooked burgers on my egg for that very reason. 

RLeeper

I tend to get different readings when I check the meat from top down vs side. The side technique tends to get me closer to the actual temp of the beef.

NibbleMeThis

If I want burgers at medium rare or medium, I will only do it if
1)  I ground the beef myself from sterilized whole cuts
OR
2) I sous vide the burgers long enough at 135f to effectively kill the nasties before throwing on the grill to finish them. 

e-coli is no joke to mess with. 

Terrebandit

I cooked some tonight at about 500 dome direct and ran them up to 155 before taking them off. That was about 4.5 minutes on each side. Well, they were well done, but still somewhat moist. I still like them a little pink in the middle so might try to remove them next time at 140. That might be about 3.5 minutes on each side. Really, things happen fast with burgers. The temp climbs quickly, in a short time period. It's not easy to get it right, I think.

Eggcelsior

I add a few tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce to my burgers if I don't grind myself. It helps keep them moist even though it's well-done.