I keep it open when I’m grilling.

I close the lid.  Less flare up.

bluebird66 said:

Langner91 said:

I close the lid.  Less flare up.

Yep, this is the way I do it also.

Me too

@JohnfromKentucky, I will give you my favorite way to make burgers lately.

Check out GrillGrates.  They work super for steaks, but if you flip them over, they make an awesome surface for smash burgers on the large.  Even just grilling a hand-formed patty works fantastic on the back side of these bad-boys.  I probably won't ever make burgers on the wire grid again.

I have a MMBGE and a LBGE, so I bought the Mini-Max set and added an extra 13.75" panel to replicate what they sell for the large.

I close the lid when I cook this way, too.

Reminder:  The actual green egg was the least expensive part of this hobby!

I use my Blackstone for smash burgers. Especially when I need to make 20-30 burgers for a bunch of people. And do grilled onions and bacon on the side.

JohnfromKentucky said:

bbracey21 said:

Closed lid for me. Run around 450° and flip at the 4 minute mark. Cook another 3 minutes then add cheese and cook for 1 more minute. A perfect medium-well for me every time. I use a burger press so burgers are consistent in size & shape every time as well. 

I will say smash burgers is on my list to try very soon. 

where did you get the burger press?

Smash burgers are steak n shake burgers...just flat burgers. They are ok, not sure what the big deal is with them.

steak and shake may have started smash burgers but they dont use a hot enough griddle.  no real char develops and thats where the flavor is and thetrick is  a screaming hot quick cook so they char while staying moist inside. dont put oil on the griddle either, you want them to stick

"Reminder:  The actual green egg was the least expensive part of this hobby!"

JohnfromKentucky said:

When you all cook burgers on the egg, do you keep the dome open or closed?  BGE has a recipe for burgers, but you flip about 2 minutes in and again....so wondering if you keep the dome open?

I cook raised direct on a griddle, 425F, close the lid for 4-5 minutes, flip, 3-4 minutes then throw on the cheese. I use bacon and brie, with a black pepper honey glaze, about a half ounce.

I just cook them direct, not raised, with the lid closed.   Flip a few times so they do not burn.    

JohnfromKentucky said:

YukonRon said:

JohnfromKentucky said:

When you all cook burgers on the egg, do you keep the dome open or closed?  BGE has a recipe for burgers, but you flip about 2 minutes in and again....so wondering if you keep the dome open?

I cook raised direct on a griddle, 425F, close the lid for 4-5 minutes, flip, 3-4 minutes then throw on the cheese. I use bacon and brie, with a black pepper honey glaze, about a half ounce.

I do not have a way to raise it yet....sounds like something I need to get

If you want to try it before you buy something, you can put your grid on 3 equally spaced beer/pop cans which sit on your fire ring. That will give you the "Raised Direct" effect. I did that with Chicken the first time, it convinced me to go buy a raised rig.

My process is something like this:

• Light with bottom vent wide open.
• Once actually lit, let it go 10-15 minutes with dome open, no platesetter if going indirect.  Just let the coals get hot and fire spread out.
• Put in ceramic if doing indirect.
• Close dome and open top vent all the way.
• Start shutting it down as the temperature gets within 100°F of setpoint.  I close a little at a time as it gets closer.

By doing this, I get it heated up faster and I think I get rid of any bad smoke from new charcoal or previous cooks.

I also don't sweat +/-50° on the dome.  It's like horseshoes.

JohnfromKentucky said:

So opening up the bottom helped speed it up. Burgers cooked and have eaten them now. They were really good! 

Thanks all for the information.

unless they changed things, its good to take the top off of the egg, not just wide open for startup. especially when shooting for temps 400 and up