Burgers

hashissmokin

What would be the best temp to do burgers?  I've heard everything from 3-400 degress to 6-700 degrees.  I want a nice sear so I was thinking around 600.  Also feel free to post any other burger ideas here as I am cooking burgers for a rather large crowd this weekend and would welcome any tips.  I usually tried to keep it around 500 on the gas unit but as I learned last weekend the egg is a completely different beast.

Griffin

Lot of factors to consider. Lets start with how much meat. 1/4 lb? 1/3 lb? 1/2 lb? Then, how thick, thin are you going to do them? I generally do 1/3 lb, not quite as thick but wider diameter wise so it fills out the whole bun and I cook them at 400. Then again, some times I do 1/4 lb ones really thin and do a double patty burger and cook them higher temp for shorter time.

 

hashissmokin

I will probably do 1/4 lb to 1/3 lb patties not excessively thick, probably comparable to what you do.  I was a little iffy on the temp though.  Want a nice sear but don't want to cook them too fast either.

SmokeyPitt

In my personal experience a hot fire with a load of burgers can get sketchy with flare ups.  I like to keep it around 400.  If you have some way to raise the grid (like bricks) that makes it easier.  Another option is to just use a little less lump to increase the distance between the fire and the food.

One thing you could consider is let the egg burn hot for a while and let the grid heat up, then perhaps dial it back before you put the burgers on.  

hashissmokin

Yeah I have been looking for ways to raise the grid as I have found cooking without the plate setter seems somewhat awkward to me anyway.

Griffin

Agree with Smokey Pitt. Large crowd, lots of burgers, I'd keep the temp down. Probably 350 would be best as you'll have the dome open for longer periods of time when flipping the burgers.

nolaegghead

We like our burgers thick and on the rare side so I cook them around 500F give or take.  Not much fat comes out of them to flare up.  If I were cooking a grill full of burgers, I'd slow it down with a raised grid and/or lower temp.

fishlessman

ive never been happy with burgers when cooking lots of burgers on the egg, too much grease smoke and i taste that in the burger, so i wont give any temps or methods. i will tell you to toast all the buns first before cooking the burgers to avoid that greasy smoke on the buns. my best burger is a 3/4 inch slice of beef tenderloin marinated then flattened and grilled served on a burger bun with the fixins

TexanOfTheNorth

hashissmokin said:

Yeah I have been looking for ways to raise the grid as I have found cooking without the plate setter seems somewhat awkward to me anyway.

Lot's of ways to raise the grid... I use paving stones on top of the fire ring which gets me to gasket level. If I want go higher I put another 3 stones on the first grid and put a second grid on top of those. While I've never used them, I've read where others use beer cans (empty) to raise the grid. Just make sure to use 3 (not 2) of whatever you use, otherwise, you can have balancing issues.