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I hate to ask this to all you PRO cookers but.....

Vanzo
Vanzo Posts: 125
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
what temp and time do you try to use just to cook a regular hamburger? about a 1/4 pounder. I burned some up last night, you could have used them as hockey pucks!

Thanks,
Van

Comments

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    no time, no temp. i'll throw you a curve ball and say forget all that time/temp thinking. it's exactly how i was when i landed here, every question i asked was "i have a (insert meat here) and need to know time and temp".

    when all is said and done, you can cook just about anything any way. i learned that from everyone here, and you'll see it in their answers.

    even for burgers, you have options. you can cook them:

    -high heat, flip once, til nice and rare or medium rare (by feel or with a thermometer til 145 for example). at high heat you'll get some flaring, and it'll be like a fencing match, you with the spatula reaching thru the flame

    -or cook them raised direct at a medium-ish temp. less flaring when the dome is open, longer cook, more predictability. flip once only when it is ready to flip. if it sticks, you are too early with the spatula

    don't over think it. it's a grill, and more importantly, it doesn't know it is a BGE. don't let it know.

    what i mean is that none of us ever worried about time and temp on the gasser before, we just tossed it on and went with it.

    what you DO need to get a handle on is when is it 'done' to your liking. your choice of cooking method did not overcook the burgers last night, you did. sounds harsh, but that's freedom actually. you suddenly don't need to worry about the method, and only need to pay attention to 'done-ness'. get a thermometer and find your desired temp. and at the same time feel for the way the burger changes as it gets more done. you won't need the thermometer after a while, you'll just 'know' when it is done.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • I generally cook them around 500 dome temp for 3 minutes per side. I don't believe the dome temp has a lot to do with anything if you have a good bed of glowing coals below. Lump burns at around 1200 degrees and that is what the meat is feeling when cooking direct. I would agree that an overcooked hamburger is not good and for years I have has a tendency to over cook them. A slightly pink center gives you a moist flavorful burger. Also don't go too lean on the meat as the fat is where the flavor is. I try to use an 85% hamburger although purchase beef on the hoof so I get whatever the butcher gives me.
  • BillHill
    BillHill Posts: 109
    400-500. The key is to keep the lid closed. Keep the flame down, close the draft door if you have to suffocate the flames. That's how I do it.
  • Firetruck
    Firetruck Posts: 2,679
    about 450 til they are done. If you have a thermapen, pull em about 125-140 depending on your taste. Keep the dome closed as much as possible.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    what stike said about temps and times is right on, i went over a year cooking without a dome thermometer and other than cooking breads it didnt make much difference. pick a temp between 350 and 450, raised grate is more forgiving than working at the original grate level. thin burgers can take more heat so i go hotter with those. i hate using a thermapen on a burger, i watch for liquid to rise and watch the bottoms on the first side, then flip and watch for the liquid to puddle on top again, then take the burgers off. i also let the egg burn clean before the burgers go on, nothing worse than tasting chicken fat smoke from a prior cook in my burger
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Very well said. I've been struggeling with this.
  • BobS
    BobS Posts: 2,485
    I think that Strike nailed the answer. When you go out and make the first turn, you should be able to get a pretty good handle on how the cook is going (fast or slow) and adjust the second look from there.

    FWIW, I prefer 85/15, or a little leaner, for burgers, becase they normally won't flare up when you open the dome.

    Except for searing a steak, blackened fish or pizza, 400 is a hot cook for me and, on a raised grate, it is really pretty hard to over cook food.
  • "Insert meat here"
    you sure about that?
    :woohoo: