Learning on the BGE ...

[RunInRed 16,430]

Ok, I'm learning guys ... bear with me.

I decided to go back to basics a little with cook #2 (for those who missed it, I did some chicken indirect in cook #1).

The Meat:

Burgers (Ground Chuck 80/20)

The Seasoning:

Light sprinkle of Sea Salt, Coarse Pepper, Granulated Garlic on both sides

Grill Prep / Temps:

For this cook, I decided to use the direct heat method and was pretty successful at taking the temps up to and holding it steady around 400 using BGE Natural Lump Charcoal.  I'm not sure I love the flavor of it or if my grill still needs to "season" but it's the starter bag they included so I'm going through it.

The Cook:

I cooked each side for 6 minutes which gave me internal temps around 150 ... I was happy with so added some cheese and let it finish for another 90 seconds or so ....

The Result:

Perfectly cooked throughout - not too rare, not too overdone ... consistent.  The flavor profile seemed off a little ... nothing bad, just nothing "wow, that's a good burger."  I'm not sure if it's the charcoal I'm still getting used to, the sterile/new egg itself, the need for more seasoning, etc.  But again, it was good ... just nothing that sent me over the top.  Also, still getting used to the lack of grill marks/outside sear.  I'm just not getting this.  Maybe I don't have it hot enough (on purpose for first few cooks) ... or maybe I need to look into a cast iron grate?  Thoughts?

Also, one last little peeve, using the direct heat method, the grate is lower than the opening surface area of the egg.  Does this make sense?  Is there a way to raise the grate ... do people do this?  Just a little difficult to flip the meat and orchestrate while cooking.

[Barnacle 9,064]

I've found the secret to cooking good burgers is in the way I "pack" or "mold" them. IMO, the key is packing them as lightly as possible - just enough to hold the shape long enough for me to transfer them to the grill. I season mine with a little bit of Dale's marinade - easy to overdo, though. That method typically results in very tender, juicy burgers. I'm not a fan of really dense, thick burgers.

As far as burgers go, my favorite burgers are cooked "smashed" on a flat top - think Five Guys. Carl's in St. Louis makes the best one's I've ever eaten.

[RunInRed 16,430]

Looking to potentially break out the pizza stone this weekend and maybe do some ribs/wings as well.  Diving in!

[AUDub 11,153]

The trick to a good sear and grill marks is to let the grill get rocket hot and to brush oil on the meat rather than the grill.

I dimple mine slightly. A properly done shallow indentation will result in a nice flat burger, not to mention it provides a handy indicator of when to flip when you see the grease start to pool.

Season exclusively with kosher salt. 

Only grill I have right now is a Char-Broil infrared commercial series with natural gas. Flavor leaves a bit to be desired, but it’s damn convenient.

[McLoofus 35,182]

21 hours ago, Barnacle said:

I've found the secret to cooking good burgers is in the way I "pack" or "mold" them. IMO, the key is packing them as lightly as possible - just enough to hold the shape long enough for me to transfer them to the grill. 

Huge, huge, huge difference.

21 hours ago, Barnacle said:

As far as burgers go, my favorite burgers are cooked "smashed" on a flat top

I still haven't found a good way to do this at home. Tried it once in the kitchen and the whole house smelled like beef fat for 3 days. Have tried making a "flat top" on the grill with aluminum foil per the internet's recommendation, but wasn't entirely pleased with the results. Considering throwing a cast iron pan on the grill, but I don't know if that would make a big mess of the pan?

I like to grind my own meat, but don't actually have time to do it all that often. If anyone has a Kitchen Aid at home, the meat grinder attachment is DOPE. 

Just salt and pepper on my patty, btw, pls. 

[Barnacle 9,064]

9 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Huge, huge, huge difference.

I still haven't found a good way to do this at home. Tried it once in the kitchen and the whole house smelled like beef fat for 3 days. Have tried making a "flat top" on the grill with aluminum foil per the internet's recommendation, but wasn't entirely pleased with the results. Considering throwing a cast iron pan on the grill, but I don't know if that would make a big mess of the pan?

I like to grind my own meat, but don't actually have time to do it all that often. If anyone has a Kitchen Aid at home, the meat grinder attachment is DOPE. 

Just salt and pepper on my patty, btw, pls. 

I haven't found a good way to do them either. I've tried two or three times, and they never come out right.

[McLoofus 35,182]

6 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

I haven't found a good way to do them either. I've tried two or three times, and they never come out right.

It's a shame. I realize that this is a BBQ club and it might be heresy to say it, but burgers really do do better on a flat, solid surface. 

Edit: I just need to buy a dedicated cast iron griddle for outdoor use, I think.

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

1 hour ago, McLoofus said:

It's a shame. I realize that this is a BBQ club and it might be heresy to say it, but burgers really do do better on a flat, solid surface. 

Edit: I just need to buy a dedicated cast iron griddle for outdoor use, I think.

I do like to get the pre-seasoning work done inside. Better Temp control, despite the presence of smoke alarms.

[McLoofus 35,182]

7 hours ago, Barnacle said:

I haven't found a good way to do them either. I've tried two or three times, and they never come out right.

Too funny. So my office had a little retreat out on Tybee Island today and this guy totally grilled some vegetables in a cast iron pan over a charcoal grill. So I guess it's not that big a deal. I will report back if I don't hear from you guys sooner.

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

8 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Too funny. So my office had a little retreat out on Tybee Island today and this guy totally grilled some vegetables in a cast iron pan over a charcoal grill. So I guess it's not that big a deal. I will report back if I don't hear from you guys sooner.

If you want to get any smoke in them, you'll need some kind'a over-dome lid and a flipper (and some sort'a pot-holder wouldn't be a bad thing), but eminently do-able.

[AUDub 11,153]

52 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Too funny. So my office had a little retreat out on Tybee Island today and this guy totally grilled some vegetables in a cast iron pan over a charcoal grill. So I guess it's not that big a deal. I will report back if I don't hear from you guys sooner.

Perfectly OK. I use my wife's cast iron from time to time on the grill. Cast iron melts at something like 2100 degrees, so you won’t hurt it by accident, though there may be some soot buildup on the bottom that can be difficult to clean. 

[Barnacle 9,064]

1 hour ago, AUDub said:

Perfectly OK. I use my wife's cast iron from time to time on the grill. Cast iron melts at something like 2100 degrees, so you won’t hurt it by accident, though there may be some soot buildup on the bottom that can be difficult to clean. 

Definitely use mine in there all the time. I love all things cast iron.

[McLoofus 35,182]

1 hour ago, AUDub said:

Perfectly OK. I use my wife's cast iron from time to time on the grill. Cast iron melts at something like 2100 degrees, so you won’t hurt it by accident, though there may be some soot buildup on the bottom that can be difficult to clean. 

Yeah. The soot issue is my... issue.

[AUDub 11,153]

15 hours ago, McLoofus said:

Yeah. The soot issue is my... issue.

A wet paper towel and some elbow grease is the usual remedy. For hard to clean stuff inside the skillet, boiling some water loosens things up nicely. 

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

16 hours ago, AUDub said:

Perfectly OK. I use my wife's cast iron from time to time on the grill. Cast iron melts at something like 2100 degrees, so you won’t hurt it by accident, though there may be some soot buildup on the bottom that can be difficult to clean. 

Somehow, I've never worried about the bottoms much? As long as it doesn't smear/flake/scratch into the seasoned surface of the pan below when I stack them on the counter, blackening of black iron has never been a concern.

[Barnacle 9,064]

1 hour ago, AUDub said:

A wet paper towel and some elbow grease is the usual remedy. For hard to clean stuff inside the skillet, boiling some water loosens things up nicely. 

Key is to clean it while it's still hot. Afterwards, I typically wipe it down with a little bit of whatever cooking oil I have on hand before putting it up. 

[kevon67 2,368]

On ‎5‎/‎23‎/‎2018 at 11:28 AM, Barnacle said:

I've found the secret to cooking good burgers is in the way I "pack" or "mold" them. IMO, the key is packing them as lightly as possible - just enough to hold the shape long enough for me to transfer them to the grill. I season mine with a little bit of Dale's marinade - easy to overdo, though. That method typically results in very tender, juicy burgers. I'm not a fan of really dense, thick burgers.

As far as burgers go, my favorite burgers are cooked "smashed" on a flat top - think Five Guys. Carl's in St. Louis makes the best one's I've ever eaten.

So true on the Dale's........Marinaded 2 ribeyes in Dale's and cherry coke about 15 years ago on a Thursday morning before work. Worked late and never got chance to grill. Left Friday morning for Gulf Shores.......returned the following Thursday night and ribeyes were bleached white?

[lionheartkc 6,150]

On 5/24/2018 at 4:38 PM, McLoofus said:

Too funny. So my office had a little retreat out on Tybee Island today and this guy totally grilled some vegetables in a cast iron pan over a charcoal grill. So I guess it's not that big a deal. I will report back if I don't hear from you guys sooner.

Cast Iron was actually originally designed for cooking directly on hot coals. Look into a cast iron dutch oven... for some recipes you even bury those in the coals. 

 

[lionheartkc 6,150]

On 5/26/2018 at 3:11 PM, kevon67 said:

So true on the Dale's........Marinaded 2 ribeyes in Dale's and cherry coke about 15 years ago on a Thursday morning before work. Worked late and never got chance to grill. Left Friday morning for Gulf Shores.......returned the following Thursday night and ribeyes were bleached white?

You know what sucks about Dale's? They don't sell it in Kansas, that's what.

I make burgers with a little bit of Dale's (when someone nice sends me some... Worcestershire is a poor substitute, but a substitute none the less, when it isn't available), a little bit of barbecue sauce (usually Jack Stack), and some instant beefy onion soup mix. I've been told they are addictive, at least to the pallets around here.

[RunInRed 16,430]

Going to take the temps way up and try some pizzas tonight ... wish me luck!  HA

[McLoofus 35,182]

48 minutes ago, RunInRed said:

Going to take the temps way up and try some pizzas tonight ... wish me luck!  HA

Good luck, indeed. It's actually pizza that makes me want to get a BGE the most, because a home oven can't get nearly hot enough to do a true Neopolitan pie. 

Let us know how it goes!

[RunInRed 16,430]

On 6/1/2018 at 1:42 PM, McLoofus said:

Good luck, indeed. It's actually pizza that makes me want to get a BGE the most, because a home oven can't get nearly hot enough to do a true Neopolitan pie. 

Let us know how it goes!

Surprisingly, given my amateur status, turned out great!  The cornmeal to keep it from sticking was the key.

[Barnacle 9,064]

18 hours ago, RunInRed said:

Surprisingly, given my amateur status, turned out great!  The cornmeal to keep it from sticking was the key.

Nice. Yeah, cornmeal is key. Love pizza off the BGE - ends up with a little of that smoke flavor. We buy our dough from Publix. 

[RunInRed 16,430]

47 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

Nice. Yeah, cornmeal is key. Love pizza off the BGE - ends up with a little of that smoke flavor. We buy our dough from Publix. 

That's where we got it ... was a little hard to roll ... may try Whole Foods and see if it's any better next time.

[Barnacle 9,064]

8 hours ago, RunInRed said:

That's where we got it ... was a little hard to roll ... may try Whole Foods and see if it's any better next time.

Let me know if there's a big difference