Best Temp for Burgers?

Unknown

Hi everyone,[p]After wanting one for several years, my large BGE is finally being delivered this Friday and we are having a cookout Saturday (our annual "Fall-Back party"). I'm excited about trying things such as turkey, salmon, pizza, etc. but for now I just need to know the best way to cook burgers (best temp, cooking time, etc) on the BGE. Because we are having a large crowd, I'll probably just buy burger patties from Sam's. Any suggestions? i just gave my gas grill to my sister. :-)[p]Thanks!

BlueSmoke

CraigD (TN),
You just blew off your gold star for "favorite brother..."
:-)))))[p]I like my burgers like my steaks: charred on the outside, pink on the inside. Run your temps up to the 650+º range, put the burger on for 2 mins., flip and grill another 2 mins. That's all.[p](Oh, spray your grill with Pam. After you've sprayed on "enough", give it another 15 to 20 second spray.) Start from cold grill, cold burger.

Steve-O

CraigD (TN),
BlueSmoke's recommendation works great if you are making your own patties. I have done a LOT of those patties from Sam's and if you follow the directions and go straight from the freezer to the grill, you need a little longer cooking time at a lower temp than if you are making your own. I put the patties on when the grill is stablalized 450* and turn them a couple of times - every 5-6 minutes or so. I like to season them with Cowlick Steak Rub and some mesquite wood or Jack Daniels barrel chips. I put the wood on the fire the last 5 minutes or so and do about a 2 minute dwell at the very end. Very good flavor for a frozen pattie. Since you are going to be cooking a lot of burgers, you might want to run the temp up to 500* or so because when you load the grill with burgers, the temp is going to fall quite a bit. I would adjust the bottom vent about half way open the the daisy wheel half to 1/3 open and watch your temp. Also, when you are cooking a lot of burgers, they tend to take a little longer to cook.

ColoradoCook

CraigD (TN),[p]To add a bit to the guys below, I would go high like Bluesmoke, burgers and steaks demand nuclear temps (700 +). Quarter pound patties take 2 mins. a side for medium and half pound burgers take 3 mins. a side for medium. I use to like using Pam or putting olive oil on the burger itself to keep from sticking until I learned the release properties of beef. I read that when a steak or burger releases easily then it's ready to flip but you need to be cooking at high heat and the grid needs to be hot as well. The Egg is a bit cumbersome to flip burgers in, your only dealing with 4 to 6 minutes a burger, I would throw on 5 or 6 burgers at a time, easier to flip and your Egg temps won't change dramatically. I also like to use a digital thermometer, my medium burger reads around 160 degrees. [p]One other thought on burgers, go buy yourself some of that thick cut bacon at Sam's Club. I look to precook mine in 3 inch slices. Freeze them on a cookie sheet and transfer them to a Ziplock or vaccum pack; you're now ready for instant bacon cheeseburgers. When you flip your burger add 2 or 3 slices of frozen bacon and a slice of cheese. These are the best, I guarantee it![p]CC

Unknown

ColoradoCook,
I do a twist on the bacon in that instead of kitchen cooking a couple pounds at a time I smoke it in the BGE. Then stack it with wax paper between each piece and freeze. Addes a great taste kicker to pizza and besides when you're nuking burgers the wood chips just burn not smoke. ^oo^~

ColoradoCook

kat,[p]What temp do you smoke at? Are you doing 250 then jacking up to 400 or higher to finish off?[p]I've cooked bacon by the side of the burger before right on the grid, then transferred to the burger. This method had me lifting the lid too much. [p]CC

Unknown

Steve-O,[p]I'm just learning "grilling" jargon. What is a "dwell"?

Unknown

ColoradoCook,
I use my plate sitter inverted with foil on it to keep bacon grease in check, then aim for 225° using hickory chips. I also spray the bacon with apple juice from time to time - this takes about 20 to 25 minutes per side. I know you could use a higher heat, but I like the forgiving nature of the lower fire.