The "perfect" burger

Tbonez3858

I've been on the quest for the "perfect" burger for about a decade. The perfect burger means many things to people but to me its a thick greasy, juicy "charbroiled" burger close to what you would get to a beach grill. I've never nailed it but I've come close. My current recipe..

BGE set up - Coals built in a mound to 500 degrees
Meat - Mix of 2 pounds of 80/20 with 1 pound of pork (for fat content to kick the flames up) with Worcestershire, salt, onion 

1st phase Cooking method - Close bottom vent, open lid, wait until flames are above the grill surface, cook 2 minutes per side for char- "flamebroiled" taste
2nd phase cooking method - Open bottom vent, close lid, cook 2 minutes per side until mid rare 135 degrees
rest 5 minutes

They are delicious but I still dont get that true beachfront restaurant charbroil taste. They get a nice thick char in phase one but its missing the distinct taste..The allusive taste is my goal. Im not sure if its a special type of grill or years of built up "gunk" on the grill that achieves this taste, but I want it.


Any suggestions to nail "that" taste...

caliking

That sounds delicious! Let me know if you need someone for quality control/taste testing...

Wolfpack

Wonder if it’s heat build up in the grates?  At the grill it’s heated all day long- thinking that like a pizza stone you might need to give it extra time to properly heat up? Also maybe a cast iron grate would help with the sear ratio.

SGH

If you are getting the results you like on the “beach” type grill it might be worth buying one of that is an option. However I feel any “open” style grill such as a kettle should give near identical results all things be equal. 

I like that same taste you describe. When I do burgers on my large BGE I use a water pan out of a WSM and put Kingsford charcoal in the pan. I place the pan in the BGE and leave the dome open for the duration. The pan does not have holes in it and as such it limits the flames to a very controllable level. The fire does not run away. Especially if you use charcoal. 

I know everyone has different tastes and likes what they like. But to me the best burgers are cooked over Kingsford charcoal and either a little oak or pecan in an open environment. Hope you find what you are looking for 👍

QDude

You may want to try Wagyu hamburger from Sam's or Costco.  I tried it last weekend and it definately upped my burger game.

fishlessman

maybe instead of shutting the dome in the second stage you just raise the grid.  i dont like cooking lots of burgers in the egg at one time either, they take on smoke like a sponge with all the fat drippings and a closed dome

TEXASBGE2018

Maybe go visit the beach burger place you like and ask them where they source their meat and what type of grill they are using. I’ve found that consistency in the source of your ingredients leads to better results. And buy quality ingredients too. Then again, I dislike grilled burgers and prefer them on a flat top so my opinion doesn’t have much merit.

Mattman3969

I totally agree with@SGH on using briquettes for burgers n dogs.  It gives a taste like no other and for some reason even taste better from a kettle style grill 

Your plan sounds good for getting a char crunch.  Your lack of flavor may be from the lack of dwell time over the flame. At higher heat your not getting a smoke flavor other than what the fat drippings are creating. Try a med fire with the burgers closer to the fire and don’t flip till you get the crust your looking for. You may not get a great crust on the second side before you hit target temp but I’d rather have a good solid crust on one side than a mediocre on both.  That’s just me though. 

buzd504

Adding onion to to meat is also adding water to the meat.  You might try serving grilled onions separately.  And I wouldn't salt your meat before mixing - just add salt to the patties right before cooking.

Powak

I just tried this method a month ago and it was unbelievable. The only thing that might make it better is doing it over kingsford on a kettle.
https://youtu.be/pGVzEZdVK44