Mastered burgers tonight, finally

Terrebandit

Tried to get it right about 4 times before, but failed. Wanted to give these successful tips to help others. Seasoning first - blended chopped onion with season salt, kosher salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Mixed it up with lean ground beef and made up some 1/2 to 1/3 lb patties. Set-up - large BGE with the stainless rack on the fire ring. Nothing fancy. The cook - fired up the BGE and ran it up to about 650 degrees. Opened the lid and added the patties. Kept the lid open to get a good sear on each side. Removed the patties from the egg and put them in a foil covered pan. Closed the egg and brought the temp down to about 375. Put the patties back on, closed the lid, and cooked them for 5 minutes on each side. Checked the temp with my thermopen and they were a perfect 160. Removed from fire and placed them back in the foil covered pan. Let them rest for 5 minutes. These dudes were awesome.

Ragtop99

Glad you're happy, but that's a lot of work. 

I'm about the same size patty as you (7 oz) and I find that 550* normal height for about 3 - 4 minutes a side, depending upon how cold they were before going on the grill, and they're done.  I cook to closer to 130*, so figure 5 minutes a side to get to 160*.

I sear my steaks open lid on spider similar to what you do.  I let the fire get roaring open lid and sear open lid.  I can then shut it most of the way down (i.e. bottom vent about a 1/2" - 3/4" and  DW holes open) and hit 325* for roasting without having to remove the food and wait for the egg to cool down.  Might be worth a try if you have to make burgers under a time constraint.

nlovold

A burger question for the group. Do you think mixing in spices with the meat improves flavor/texture? In my experience, mixing with seasonings (even gingerly) makes the burger tougher and more meatloaf-like. I have had better results when only seasoning the outside. What do you guys think? Am i doing something wrong?

Tjcoley

I only season the outside. Gently handle the 80/20 ground chuck when forming the burgers. Thumb indentation in the middle of the top of the burger. About 5 oz chuck per burger. Great results raised direct on the Egg, seared on a CI griddle, or cooked on a CI Hibachi direct.

Skiddymarker

Congrats on the burger success. The best internal seasoning I've had was when the cold cubed chuck/brisket was dusted with a favourite rub and then ground. The grinder did the mixing, only one pass. Burgers formed and a dimple added in the middle. I usually reverse sear, gets a touch more smoke into the burger. 

TexanOfTheNorth

There are a lot of ways to get from start to finish. Glad to hear that you've found one that works so well for you! Next time, post some pics! 

ReldtiCDN

I like to reverse sear with garlic butter applied to the burger just before searing. nothing added to the beef.

Terrebandit

I like mixing the seasonings into the meat before cooking. I don't go overboard though. I tried the reverse sear method last time but it made the meat drier. By searing them first, I think this helps to better seal in moisture better.

NibbleMeThis

I don't mind mixing in a low salt rub into my burger mix (Weber makes a good burger seasoning and I like the McCormick Grill Mates Pub Burger mix) but I don't like to mix in a lot of fillers like onions, peppers, eggs, bread, etc.  I used to do that but my tastes changed. 

Ragtop99

I mix the seasonings in before making the patties.  I don't use much and try not to work the meat a lot.

Skiddymarker

ReldtiCDN said:

I like to reverse sear with garlic butter applied to the burger just before searing. nothing added to the beef.

I usually reserve this for steaks.... until now. Great idea. Must try list. 

BuckeyeBob

I actually grind up Montreal Steak Seasoning so it's not so crunchy and sprinkle that on the outside. I usually start at regular height around 450 and then do raised grid to finish. Works great for me.

MaskedMarvel

Dimple in the middle?

TexanOfTheNorth

MaskedMarvel said:

Dimple in the middle?

Supposed to limit patty shrinkage.

Motoboss

MaskedMarvel said:

Dimple in the middle?

Copied from  here http://localfoods.about.com/od/grillingtips/tp/10-Tips-For-Perfect-Burgers.htm 

 "Don't Overwork the MeatThe more you handle the meat, the tougher your burger will be. In a large bowl, pull the meat apart into small chunks, add salt or other seasonings, and toss gently with fingers spread apart until loosely mixed. Use Wet Hands to Form Burger Patties

A bit of dampness at the start will keep your hands from getting sticky. It also allows the meat to come together faster and prevents over-handling. 

Make Burger Patties With a Dimple In the Center

Divide the meat into equal portions and form patties about 3/4-inch thick at the edges and 1/2-inch thick in the center. Since burgers shrink and pull in as they cook, this dimple will even out as the burgers cook, resulting in an even patty-shaped burger at the end.

 

 Keep Burgers Cold Until They Hit the Grill

Unlike other meats that will cook up better if brought to room temperature before hitting the grill, you want those patties cold so they stay together and stay as juicy as possible. Put the patties in the fridge while the grill heats up. This helps more of the flavor-carrying fat stay in the meat."

 

It does work to keep the burger from shrinking up,,,,,,go figure!