Searing vs Burning on the XL

wnaber · November 2011

Last week my woo3 arrived along with the BGE cast iron grate. I was excited because I figured I had what I needed to produce the best possible burgers. After 2 attempts I think I am still lacking some skill / knowledge because my burgers were not what I expected. They looked awesome but they tasted burnt.

I'm hoping some of the experts here might be able to help me understand where I might be going wrong.

So here is what I did:
7 oz burgers (15% fat) about an inch thick, warmed to room temperature
XL BGE 650 in the dome
woo3 spider lowest position
Large BGE cast iron grate

Seared burgers for 60 seconds each side.
Flipped 2x to get the cross hatch sear marks (total of 4 minutes searing)
Removed from BGE for about 15 min while egg cooled down to 425
Put the XL stainless grid on top of the woo3
Returned to BGE for 6 minutes (flipped at 3 min)

The burgers looked awesome, were amazingly jucy, but tasted burnt. Im thinking the searing is actually burning the meat. Looking at the posts here I thought I had it figured out. Any help would be appreciated.

Will

stike · November 2011

searing IS burning. question of how long.

that close to the lump, you must ignore dome temp.

all charcoal (whether dome is 200 or 1200) is around a thousand degrees (it ranges, upwards of 2000 if there's a lot of airflow). but lump itself is never at 750 or 450 or 250

if i read you correctly, you had the burgers at the lowest position for about 5 minutes just about directly on the lump.

that's a recipe for toast.

burnt toast.

drop low onto the woo for initial sear and then raise them to normal height to pretty much roast for the remainder. if you take them off and let the BGE settle at 450, then return to a higher position, you will be roasting them with only a little more direct sear from the lump. if they are at the same low level at 450, then they are still getting blasted by 1200 degree lump

think of it this way... the sun is a few million degrees. back where we are, the radiant heat isn't as harsh. closer you get, the sun is no warmer, but you sure feel it.

with your burgers a few inches away the lump, no matter dome temp, they are getting jetted with 1200 degree heat (roughly). how much lump is at 1200 degrees is one thing, and is a factor to be sure (a 250 degree dome temp means only a small amount of 1000-1200 degree lump). but when you're that close to the lump, "dome temp 450" is mostly irrelevant

wnaber · November 2011

Thanks for the input Stike. Your explanation on dome vs lump was very helpful.

Just to clarify. After searing for about 4 min, I removed the burgers for about 15 min. When I returned them to the grill, they were finished on the stainless grid which was at gasket level.

So based on your comments, is searing for 4 minutes too long?

ribmaster · November 2011

yes...cut it in half and see what you get. where the grids cross may be where you are getting your burnt taste.

Try 60 seconds with one flip only.

tjv · November 2011

that there stike is wise beyond his years.............good advice

all I can reconfirm is: it's better learn to recognize how the lump burns and how the meat reacts. it's all about experience so it will take a while to get the hang of it. But once you do, you'll be able to handle most any situation between burning lump and meat. also realize once you move the meat up, it will still add some char or crust.

it's good to cook by feel or experence (not by time) cause with lump, not all burns are created equal........

thanks for the support......

tom

Nature Boy · November 2011

Already good info as always here. But just a another perspective from here in Virginia. Wondering about a couple things...just the first things that come to mind. You said they looked awesome, but taste burnt. Were they black? Was there sugar in the rub? Any wood in there? Any old charcoal with nasty grease or residuals?

Pictures would really help as well!
Cheers, and here is to non-bitter burgers!
Chris

Squeezy · November 2011

LOL !

stike · November 2011

squeezey the doosh...

doesn't even get the joke.

what color is the stupid in your world?

stike · November 2011

hey squeezy, what;s your issue?
got your email thru the forum. real classy, dude.
viz:
"Squeezy sent you a message.

You can kiss my [VERNACULAR REFERENCE TO HIS BUTTOCKS DELETED] you pompous [EXPLETIVE DELETED viz: a monosyllabic onomatopoeic transitive verb, of likely germanic origin, which entered the english language likely via the saxon line]
Who
do you think you are?

---
Follow the link below to check it out:

Have
a great day!"

thanks squeezy! to answer your question publically, rather than in an anonymous email, re: as " who do i think i am?" i think i am someone who answers some posts and tries to post interesting stuff. all i know about you is that about a third of your replies are guesses at best, generally missing the mark. the rest are useless things like "LOL!" or attempts to rile me.

have a nice day.

stike · November 2011

not by my dictionary. which is frankly the only one that counts.

bowbender7 · November 2011

Well, you can read the difference between searing and burning each other right here in the very thread.

tjv · November 2011

Priapus quote: "If that's true, Mr. Smart Guy, then why is it colder in the mountains than it is at sea level?"

let me dust off the meteorology degree and answer..........colder in the mountains due to less atmospheric pressure in the mountains when compared to sea level.......dynamics with regards to inversion layers excluded..........

t

wnaber · November 2011

Reducing the sear time from 90 to 60 seconds and only flipping once did the trick.
Thanks for all the input!

Will

Searing vs Burning on the XL

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