Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Youtube | Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.
Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch
Improving burger flavor on the Egg
Options
Powak
Posts: 1,391
After many cookouts this summer and swmbo leaning towards burgers from the cast iron skillet vs direct on the Egg, she's straight up told me my burgers on the grill don't taste as good as they used to ( I was a kettle griller the past 8 years). Me being a completely diehard egghead these days felt a little stunned. How could burgers on the egg be anything but the holy grail? but after a little thinking I realized the difference - cooking burgers over lump vs briquettes and gas. I love the maillard effect from the red hot lump but could it be the fat dripping onto the coals is causing that semi nasty flavor swmbo's tasting? I hate to consider getting Grill Grates but could it be worth it?
Comments
-
Grill your burgers right over the coals for a sear, then farther away from the heat to finish, or use CI on the egg. Both are delicious.Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
-
As alluded to by @bgebrent, eggsperiment with your cooking style (change only one variable at a time) and see where you land. Lump or briquettes-much better than a gasser right out of the gate. FWIW-Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win. Life is too short for light/lite beer! Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
-
Don't know what size egg you have but if you light charcoal on side and create an indirect space it may help eliminate some of the smoke coming off the burger drippings.
And to check a couple bases- what kind of charcoal are you using? Could it be too heavy a smoke profile for her tastes? Are you sure you are letting all the VOC's burn off prior to putting food on?Greensboro, NC -
I do burgers on my Weber kettle. The BGE is a great choice for many things. It's tough to beat a kettle for a burger cook.Michiana, South of the border.
-
Wolfpack said:Don't know what size egg you have but if you light charcoal on side and create an indirect space it may help eliminate some of the smoke coming off the burger drippings.
And to check a couple bases- what kind of charcoal are you using? Could it be too heavy a smoke profile for her tastes? Are you sure you are letting all the VOC's burn off prior to putting food on? -
Teefus said:I do burgers on my Weber kettle. The BGE is a great choice for many things. It's tough to beat a kettle for a burger cook.
-
Eventhough they sometimes get that off taste, burgers in the egg always come out super moist. Even when well done.
-
Hamburgers for me on Blackstone..... SWMBO only likes them that way now... I agree...Charlotte, NC - Large BGE 2014, Maverick ET 733, Thermopen, Nest, Platesetter, Woo2 and Extender w/Grid, Kick Ash Basket, Pizza Stone, SS Smokeware Cap, Blackstone 36"
-
JohnnyTarheel said:Hamburgers for me on Blackstone..... SWMBO only likes them that way now... I agree...
-
So, she likes the "gasoline" taste? Make sure you put seasoning IN the meat, not just on it. If done properly, you should only need S&P. Fat content should be 80:20 (most fast food places use ~72-74) k
-
onedbguru said:So, she likes the "gasoline" taste? Make sure you put seasoning IN the meat, not just on it. If done properly, you should only need S&P. Fat content should be 80:20 (most fast food places use ~72-74) k
-
I've got a set of grill grates. I think they do a good job doing burgers on the egg.
I do think the grates reduces some of the fat dripping and burning on the coals.
You can, and I sometimes do, flip the grill grates over where I'm cooking the burgers on a flat surface. This does promote more of a Blackstone style crust formation on the burger. -
Try 85/15 Ground Round next time. It's noticeably better than 80/20 chuck in my opinion.
-
Powak said:... she's straight up told me my burgers on the grill don't taste as good as they used to ... could it be the fat dripping onto the coals is causing that semi nasty flavor swmbo's tasting? I hate to consider getting Grill Grates but could it be worth it?GregW said:I've got a set of grill grates. I think they do a good job doing burgers on the egg.
I do think the grates reduces some of the fat dripping and burning on the coals....- I, also, have felt like burgers on the Egg get more of a burnt-fat flavor and fragrance than they used to on other grills, and it's made me less happy about burgers on the Egg than anything else. I LOVE everything I cook on my BGEs except burgers. So I tried grill grates, hoping they'd cut back on the dripping fat burning back up into the meat, and I think they do help, and I'm using them for burgers, now.
- But... when I've cooked steaks on them, they made really cool looking grill marks, but I wound up deciding that the meat between the grill marks was LESS seared than on a plain grid, so overall, I really think I'm getting a better edge-to-edge sear on a plain grid, even though the grill marks aren't very noticeable or pretty. So I can't help wondering whether burgers might be similar. I get less of that burnt-fat taste with grill grates, and really nice looking grill marks, but I wonder whether, like the steaks, I'm getting less overall sear edge to edge with the grill grates. I won't use them for steaks, for example, because I think I get a better sear without them.
-
I still use my Weber kettle for a lot of cooks.
-
big but thin burgers partially frozen on the egg 450 plus direct, limit the flipping to one as it dumps less grease. if youre feeding burgers to a crowd the blackstone hands down
fukahwee maineyou can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it -
I'll share what works for me on the egg.
1) thinner patties. If you want more meat, stack 'em. But the additional surface area for browning and shorter cook yields a better tasting patty IMO.
2) Fish sauce. Awesome way to add some Umami to the burger. Having a hard time getting the correct link to load on this computer, but this should get you there.
XL & MM BGE, 36" Blackstone - Newport News, VA -
SWMBO buys the groceries- really have no idea what the level of meat she buys they are usually pre-made patties either sliders or patties. Sometimes if she buys the patties from costco we pull about 1/4 off reform and remake.
Seasoning- varies but usually we use Jane’s Mixed-Up Salt sprinkled on top both sides ~10 min before grilling.
Cook- 400 degrees raised direct- PS Woo, Original Grate. I dont care about grill marks and I generally dont put cheese on until I pull them off.
Results- my 11 yo spent the night w a friend over the weekend. When picking her up and asking about breakfast she noted the night before she had burgers and they were terrible compared to the ones you make. "I mean I forced myself to eat it because I was hungry but I like yours way better"XLBGE, LBGE, Charbroil Gas Grill, Weber Q2000, Old Weber Kettle, Rectec RT-B380, Yeti 65, Yeti Hopper 20, RTIC 20, RTIC 20 Soft Side - Too many drinkware vessels to mention.
Not quite in Austin, TX City Limits
Just Vote- What if you could choose "none of the above" on an election ballot? Millions of Americans do just that, in effect, by not voting. The result in 2016: "Nobody" won more counties, more states, and more electoral votes than either candidate for president. -
Agreed with 400 degrees raised direct. Also make your own ground beef 50/50 chuck/sirloin.Large Egg, PGS A40 gasser.
Categories
- All Categories
- 182.7K EggHead Forum
- 15.7K Forum List
- 459 EGGtoberfest
- 1.9K Forum Feedback
- 10.3K Off Topic
- 2.2K EGG Table Forum
- 1 Rules & Disclaimer
- 9K Cookbook
- 12 Valentines Day
- 91 Holiday Recipes
- 223 Appetizers
- 516 Baking
- 2.4K Beef
- 88 Desserts
- 163 Lamb
- 2.4K Pork
- 1.5K Poultry
- 30 Salads and Dressings
- 320 Sauces, Rubs, Marinades
- 543 Seafood
- 175 Sides
- 121 Soups, Stews, Chilis
- 35 Vegetarian
- 100 Vegetables
- 313 Health
- 293 Weight Loss Forum