Steaks and burgers

Unknown

Just bought first BGE today. Really thrilled and have read many of
the comments. Need tips on cooking steaks or burgers from the experts.
How to control temps, time, do you flip?,etc. Anyone ready to help
us achieve success from the start?

Dr. Chicken

M Jenison,
I'll defer to a whole lot of better cooks on this forum than I am, but I'd suggest the steaks right off the bat! I played with the temp a little when I bought my first Egg and it got me even more anxious and ready to "get with the program"! I let the 'green monster' get to roaring, threw some hickory chunks on and followed with the steaks. I had 2"thick KC strips seared them for 3mins on each side, religiously, then closed the vents and waited for the magic to happen! I took 'em off 5-6 mins later and they were great! Since then, I've refined the process, but basically its still the same old routine! Kinda like; "time to make the donuts!" It may be boring at first, but it works and it just keeps getting better! I'm sure Spin, MikeO, Cat, Tim M, Char Woody, Nature Boy or one of many others will give better pointers, but just jump in there and have at it! You're gona love it! BTW, welcome to the 'clan', you won't find 'em any better than the bunch on the forum! Good Luck![p]Dr. Chicken

Spin

M Jenison,[p]Welcome to the family and forum. Search the archives and recipe section on steak cooking techniques. Lots of info there. Steak is a rewarding first cook and you'll get excellent help from this forum.[p]Hamburgers will be great off your EGG. You can grill them with the dome open but I would humbly suggest a different approach. Your EGG design has been refined over more than a thousand years of experimentation and cooking. BGE made this design tough. Cook with the dome closed. This will require estimating cooking time (flip once half way). Cook at 350F dome temp. The temp can range from 275-400F (they just cook faster or slower). At the higher temps you will get a little tasty charring on the surface. Use a leaner hamburger and cook a couple of small ones (proper thickness)to get a feel for cooking time. Looks are quite deceiving as a smoke ring will be produced on the surface of the meat (pinkish coloring). Once you get the hang of it you will never turn back.[p]Spin[p]

JJ

M Jenison,
There a couple of good Hamburger recipes in the recipe section under beef.

Earl

M Jenison,[p] Welcome to the party. You will have things down pat in no
time. I would go with mustard coated steaks for the
first try. Then after the Egg cools down, throw on some
lean burgers at a temp of 350F for as long as it takes to
cook to your liking. I usually cook for aprox 25 mins.
You do not have to worry so much about them drying out, but
you will have to watch that you get a bite for yourself.

Earl

CaptainBBQ

M Jenison,[p]Congrats on the big purchase! I am also a new owner and I have been thrilled with the results. The first try was a steak. Used the mustard recipe. Made one mistake....didn't get the egg hot enough to start with. I heated it to 600 degrees then put the 1.25" top sirloin on to sear it. Did 3 minutes on each side and then shut down the air completely for about 5 minutes. It was a perfect medium rare. I just wished it would have had a more crunchy outside. Next time I will take the egg to at least 750 to make sure... Also, I expected the mustard to give a little seasoning...it doesn't. So, make sure you season the meat the way you usually do.[p]One more thing. Be careful when you open up the lid after you have shut down all the airflow. Read about it in the instruction manual. I understand the "flash" you get is pretty exciting if you aren't aware of this phenomenon.[p]You are going to love it! The taste of the food is incredible. Have a great "q"![p]CaptainBBQ

Nature Boy

CaptainBBQ,
You bet! Steaks are awesome, and you sure gotta watch those hot fires. And fireballs.[p]When you get a chance, let that thermometer start lapping around again (900 degrees plus), and try searing those steaks. Might be just what you are looking for. Fill up the firebox, and let her crank away until you get back around to 100 again. They sear up very nicely, and also need less dwell time.