GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
Have you tried making smaller burgers? We make them about 6 ounces each.
Grilled Burgers Don't Taste Grilled.
- Thread starter mborner
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
mborner
Assistant Cook
I have, but I haven't really thought about it being an issue.
This is without a doubt my favorite burger joint. This is a full 13 oz. prime sirloin burger from Le Tub Saloon in Hollywood, Florida. It takes about 40 minutes to get your burger after ordering. Their grill is small so if the place is crowded, the wait can be up to an hour and a half! (still, well worth it). This is the best cheeseburger I have ever had in my 50 years. (please note, this is not me in the pic.)
GA Home Cook
Sous Chef
Some things I have found out in my years of burger cooking.
1. Season well.
2. Let the meat come to room temp before grilling.
3. Hi heat- short time.
4. Use a good thermometer.
I took a cooking class one time and the chef said we have two temperatures we cook at. Hot and hotter. I let my grill get very hot. When you let the meat (I do steaks this way) come to room temp, you can get the sear on the outside, the correct temp on the inside and not turn the outside into phase 1 charcoal. Alos I use 85/15 meat. I know, I know - but the flavor as Chief said is created when the fat sizzles.
1. Season well.
2. Let the meat come to room temp before grilling.
3. Hi heat- short time.
4. Use a good thermometer.
I took a cooking class one time and the chef said we have two temperatures we cook at. Hot and hotter. I let my grill get very hot. When you let the meat (I do steaks this way) come to room temp, you can get the sear on the outside, the correct temp on the inside and not turn the outside into phase 1 charcoal. Alos I use 85/15 meat. I know, I know - but the flavor as Chief said is created when the fat sizzles.
mborner
Assistant Cook
Breakthrough!
Hi all.
I don’t usually like to bring back old threads but I felt compelled to let everyone know what is going on with my burger woes. First, I want to thank everyone that helped me with their tips, tricks, and processes. I want to let everyone know that as time went by, I wasn’t gaining any success, whatsoever. To recap, I simply couldn’t create a great backyard grilled burger. I mean, they were good, just not fantastic. They were missing a certain flavor element that all restaurant grilled burgers have. To be truthful, this flavor is impossible to describe. It’s just a great backyard char-grilled flavor that went missing on my burgers.
I’ve spent an incredible amount of time (and banging my head against a wall) trying to recreate this flavor on my own grill. Believe me, I tried everything. The hours of research boggles the mind. I was determined to get answers. Why were my grilled burgers lacking flavor?
This might sound a bit strange but my biggest discovery thus far has been the fact that 99.9% of the entire population doesn’t know or doesn’t care about missing flavor elements in their grilled burgers. A burger comes off the grill and it tasted good, that’s all they know. This is not to disparage the fine community, here, it’s just that I’m after something that people just don’t understand or just don’t care about. I care! Where was I to turn if no one understood?
I had a breakthrough!! That’s right, I now fully understand what I was doing wrong all along. I kept going back to my favorite burger joints, trying to put together an element that I was missing. I realized that restaurants use a commercial char griller. Wait, though, would that make a difference? Do I need to purchase a commercial char griller? Not quite. Here’s my breakthrough; I’ve never seen a restaurant with a lid on their grill. It’s that simple. The burgers are seared with extremely intense radiant heat at the cooking grate. We’re talking temperatures in excess of 650 degrees. When you close the lid on a consumer grade grill, you’re using mostly convective heat, essentially baking the burger. This was robbing my burger of massive amounts of flavor and drying it out.
Another big discovery I made was the fact that almost all consumer grilles sold today just can’t cook with the lid up. They’re designed to cook with the lid down. They just can’t produce enough heat to properly sear a burger. On my own grill, (Genesis S-310) I doubt the temperature at the cooking grate could maintain 250 degrees with the lid up. I thought about investing in a new infrared grill but I just got my Genesis and I think it might outlive me.
How was I going to create this kind of heat on my grill? I thought about Grillgrates and the concept became clear. Grillgrates cover the grilling surface, trapping heat underneath and concentrating it onto the cooking surface instead of it wasting away into the air. I was sold but I wanted to experiment, first, before spending any money. I covered my entire grill grate with foil. Don’t laugh, I know this is essentially frying a burger but bear with me a moment. I noticed that infrared grilles all had tiny holes drilled into the heating element/grilling surface. I poked tiny holes in the foil, between the grate rods, lots of them. Since this was a hardware experiment and not a software one, I was unconcerned that I was using pre-frozen ground meat. I preheated my grill and tossed on a couple of half pound chuck patties. They sizzled and smoke immediately! They smelled wonderful. Unlike my last experiment with the lid up, this was working! The burgers were actually searing with the lid up. Heat was being retained beautifully. Small amounts of fat drippings were dripping down into the heat tents but flare-ups were not an issue. These were the best burgers my grill has ever produced. I’ve repeated it twice, already. I’m going to be buying Grillgrates for my grill shortly.
Sorry for the long post and thanks, again, to everyone.
Hi all.
I don’t usually like to bring back old threads but I felt compelled to let everyone know what is going on with my burger woes. First, I want to thank everyone that helped me with their tips, tricks, and processes. I want to let everyone know that as time went by, I wasn’t gaining any success, whatsoever. To recap, I simply couldn’t create a great backyard grilled burger. I mean, they were good, just not fantastic. They were missing a certain flavor element that all restaurant grilled burgers have. To be truthful, this flavor is impossible to describe. It’s just a great backyard char-grilled flavor that went missing on my burgers.
I’ve spent an incredible amount of time (and banging my head against a wall) trying to recreate this flavor on my own grill. Believe me, I tried everything. The hours of research boggles the mind. I was determined to get answers. Why were my grilled burgers lacking flavor?
This might sound a bit strange but my biggest discovery thus far has been the fact that 99.9% of the entire population doesn’t know or doesn’t care about missing flavor elements in their grilled burgers. A burger comes off the grill and it tasted good, that’s all they know. This is not to disparage the fine community, here, it’s just that I’m after something that people just don’t understand or just don’t care about. I care! Where was I to turn if no one understood?
I had a breakthrough!! That’s right, I now fully understand what I was doing wrong all along. I kept going back to my favorite burger joints, trying to put together an element that I was missing. I realized that restaurants use a commercial char griller. Wait, though, would that make a difference? Do I need to purchase a commercial char griller? Not quite. Here’s my breakthrough; I’ve never seen a restaurant with a lid on their grill. It’s that simple. The burgers are seared with extremely intense radiant heat at the cooking grate. We’re talking temperatures in excess of 650 degrees. When you close the lid on a consumer grade grill, you’re using mostly convective heat, essentially baking the burger. This was robbing my burger of massive amounts of flavor and drying it out.
Another big discovery I made was the fact that almost all consumer grilles sold today just can’t cook with the lid up. They’re designed to cook with the lid down. They just can’t produce enough heat to properly sear a burger. On my own grill, (Genesis S-310) I doubt the temperature at the cooking grate could maintain 250 degrees with the lid up. I thought about investing in a new infrared grill but I just got my Genesis and I think it might outlive me.
How was I going to create this kind of heat on my grill? I thought about Grillgrates and the concept became clear. Grillgrates cover the grilling surface, trapping heat underneath and concentrating it onto the cooking surface instead of it wasting away into the air. I was sold but I wanted to experiment, first, before spending any money. I covered my entire grill grate with foil. Don’t laugh, I know this is essentially frying a burger but bear with me a moment. I noticed that infrared grilles all had tiny holes drilled into the heating element/grilling surface. I poked tiny holes in the foil, between the grate rods, lots of them. Since this was a hardware experiment and not a software one, I was unconcerned that I was using pre-frozen ground meat. I preheated my grill and tossed on a couple of half pound chuck patties. They sizzled and smoke immediately! They smelled wonderful. Unlike my last experiment with the lid up, this was working! The burgers were actually searing with the lid up. Heat was being retained beautifully. Small amounts of fat drippings were dripping down into the heat tents but flare-ups were not an issue. These were the best burgers my grill has ever produced. I’ve repeated it twice, already. I’m going to be buying Grillgrates for my grill shortly.
Sorry for the long post and thanks, again, to everyone.
CraigC
Master Chef
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2011
- Messages
- 6,486
You have discovered how to turn your grill into a flat top.
Ever tried an Ollie Burger?
Recipe(tried): Geniune Lum's Ollieburger and Bun Sauce - Recipelink.com
Ever tried an Ollie Burger?Recipe(tried): Geniune Lum's Ollieburger and Bun Sauce - Recipelink.com
Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
Thnis is precisely why I use a Webber Kettle, charcoal grill. I can cook with the lid up, with a full load of charcoal and get teh 650' radiant heat, or cover and adjust vents to make jerky. It's so versatile, and costs a fraction of the price of a gas grill. But that's just me.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
My charcoal grill doesn't seem to have any issues with getting hot enough at the grates with the lid up. If you gas grill does then I suspect you have something wrong with the grill or it is a poorly designed one (particularly if it won't get above 250F with the lid up)
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
You can accomplish the same thing with a hot cast iron skillet on the stove.
Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
Except for the smoke, unless you're willing to turn off all of your smoke alarms.
Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
Steve Kroll
Wine Guy
I have the same Weber gas grill as the poster and it's probably one of the best designed grills on the market. Mine gets plenty hot for cooking with the lid up - especially when using the searing burner feature.
To be honest, I don't like the grill screaming hot when making something like burgers. Doing so usually results in the outside of the burger being overcooked and the inside raw. I turn mine down to the second large mark on the burner control, and let it cook a little longer on each side. This seems to give the right amount of outer char while still leaving a slightly pink middle, which is the way I like them.
One other thing I'll add. The type of cut used for burgers makes a HUGE difference in flavor. I've seen recipes that call for all chuck or all sirloin. Personally, my favorite is a mix of 60% sirloin and 40% chuck. Nice fatty chuck, because fat = flavor. And the sirloin also adds a flavor component that can't be duplicated with cheap meat, making any burger taste more like a good steak.
Dang. This made me hungry. I think we'll be having burgers for dinner tonight.
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roadfix
Chef Extraordinaire
As mentioned, using a cast iron griddle on the gasser would accomplish the same thing.
I recently purchased a double burner camp stove (30K BTU each) with a large 16" x 32" heavy steel flat top griddle. Burgers come out fantastic on this griddle. It gets as hot as any commercial griddle out there.
I recently purchased a double burner camp stove (30K BTU each) with a large 16" x 32" heavy steel flat top griddle. Burgers come out fantastic on this griddle. It gets as hot as any commercial griddle out there.
Zagut
Head Chef
Mayhaps it isn't the grill design then eh?
Design is one thing but performance is another.
Time to give that grill a checkup and/or tune up if it isn't getting hot enough to cook a burger with the lid up.
It's amazing what havoc a tiny bit of dirt can cause or what an improperly sized orifice or faulty regulator will do.
I'm a charcoal user so I have no problem with heat. I want it hotter I put the grate closer to the coals.
Had a customer getting rid of a gas grill once because it wouldn't start for him. I took it home and put a new battery in. It started right up and I gave it to my neighbor. I've since had many tasty things cooked on that grill.
mborner
Assistant Cook
My grill is working as designed. It was one of the things I looked into most extensively. I went around and around with the possibility of a defective grill. I bought it brand new. Throughout the many calls to Weber, they told me that their gas grills are pretty much useless with the lid up. I said "but"...and they wouldn't let me finish speaking. They told me that it is an absolute must to grill with the lid down, it's how the engineers designed the grill. I have to believe them because they're right, my grill won't cook with the lid up. I think I made reference earlier in the thread about my burgers looking like raw wet meat on a cold sidewalk when grilling with the lid up, and that's true. Even after throwing the burgers on a blazing hot preheated grill, if I leave the lid up, after about 2 minutes, nothing is happening. They stop cooking almost completely. They get tan on the bottom after about 20-30 minutes but they're nowhere near searing. No sizzle, no smoke. 99% of the heat is just wasted away into the air.
I don't have *all* the answers. All I know is:
1. My grill is operating as designed.
2. My grill grille won't cook with the lid up and Weber confirmed this.
3. My experiment of trapping heat and forcing it onto the cooking grate so that I could grill with the lid up worked beautifully. I've never made such tasty burgers.
I don't have *all* the answers. All I know is:
1. My grill is operating as designed.
2. My grill grille won't cook with the lid up and Weber confirmed this.
3. My experiment of trapping heat and forcing it onto the cooking grate so that I could grill with the lid up worked beautifully. I've never made such tasty burgers.
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mborner
Assistant Cook
Steve, I have the S-310 not the S-330. Unfortunately, I don't have a searing station.I have the same Weber gas grill as the poster and it's probably one of the best designed grills on the market. Mine gets plenty hot for cooking with the lid up - especially when using the searing burner feature.
To be honest, I don't like the grill screaming hot when making something like burgers. Doing so usually results in the outside of the burger being overcooked and the inside raw. I turn mine down to the second large mark on the burner control, and let it cook a little longer on each side. This seems to give the right amount of outer char while still leaving a slightly pink middle, which is the way I like them.
One other thing I'll add. The type of cut used for burgers makes a HUGE difference in flavor. I've seen recipes that call for all chuck or all sirloin. Personally, my favorite is a mix of 60% sirloin and 40% chuck. Nice fatty chuck, because fat = flavor. And the sirloin also adds a flavor component that can't be duplicated with cheap meat, making any burger taste more like a good steak.
Dang. This made me hungry. I think we'll be having burgers for dinner tonight.
Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
I say go with what works for you. If you are happy with your results, that's all that matters. How you get there is up to you.
Think of your experience this way; you've just exercised your problem solving muscle, and successfully completed a good set of brain pushups. Nice job. This is you -
Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
roadfix
Chef Extraordinaire
I believe this is what they told you but I don't believe what they told you to be true.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
You concentrate the heat with foil, the lid does the same thing - it holds in the heat.
CharlieD
Chef Extraordinaire
I never close the lid when grilling burgers. But as far as restaurants go, there are a lot of them that do use griddles and not grill.
mborner
Assistant Cook
Baking the burger, robbing it of flavor.
I don't know how exactly to describe it or the science behind it but searing a burger using intense radiant heat as opposed to baking it (lid close) with convective heat makes all the difference in the world.
