# Grilling burgers method



## duggy (Jan 29, 2013)

Hey all

Every time that I've tried grilling burgers I've had to deal with flare ups. I read articles on using indirect heat or closing the lid so the fire goes out by itself but neither really worked for me. With the indirect heat, the burgers seem to be cooking too slowly and with closing the lid, by the time I open it again the burgers seem burnt. 

Some people told me to freeze the patties the night before but I would like to know if there's any other way. Am I simply doing indirect heat the wrong way (putting the charcoal on one side of the grill and grilling the burgers on the other)?


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## diggingdogfarm (Jan 29, 2013)

Try using a grill basket along with a bed of coals large enough so you can move the burgers back and forth if there's a flare-up.


~Martin


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## cliffcarter (Jan 29, 2013)

First sear both sides over the coals-













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__ cliffcarter
__ Jan 29, 2013






Then move them to the other side of the grill and cover to finish cooking to 165°-













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__ cliffcarter
__ Jan 29, 2013






I usually use 85/15 ground beef and have few if any flare ups. If you are using 80/20 burger then you will get flare ups as the fat drips onto the hot coals, if you are using 75/25 the flare ups will be almost constant.

Enjoy-













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__ cliffcarter
__ Jan 29, 2013


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## pgsmoker64 (Jan 29, 2013)

Dang Cliff, those are some tasty looking burgers!

I usually cook indirect until it's time to put a little crust on the burgers, which doesn't take long!

Bill


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## themule69 (Jan 29, 2013)

cliffcarter said:


> First sear both sides over the coals-
> 
> 
> 
> ...


that should do it every time.


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## dougmays (Feb 6, 2013)

i wouldnt freeze them....if you do that then even as they start to thaw it'll take you much longer to cook the inside and you'll end up burning the outside.

i usually make sure i have plenty of room on the grill. When flare-ups occur its usually when alot of fat has collected in one area from one or multiple burgers dripping into it. So when this happens i'll usually move the burgers in the "flare zone" to a another spot in the grill and usually the flair will go out pretty quick once the fat has burned. so if you want to cook over direct heat the whole time just have room to move them around so you can "dilute" the grease pools.

another trick i've i do is when i see the grease pool on top of of a patty...i'll slowly tilt the burger to allow the grease that is there to slowly fall off and flare...this usually results in a smaller flare up to which the fire burns down quicker, instead of having a larger pool or multiple pulls fall into the fire at the same time..


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## onewondershow (Feb 19, 2013)

I use 85/15 and have very little trouble with flair up. I do cook with the lid on the whole time except for 1 flip halfway through cooking. I usually grill my burgers over high direct heat crisping the outside but leaving the middle at a nice medium rare. I do clean my grill very well at the beginning of spring and again at the end of fall as I use it all year round and don"t want any build up. I never freeze my burgers before cooking but I do take the meat right from the fridge to the grill while they are still cold as I feel this just helps them to keep their shape and not fall a part on me. I do agree with others always leave enough room to move them around if needed.


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## hova1914 (Feb 23, 2013)

I cook my burgers like my steaks. Flash cook on direct heat, let cook and smoke on indirect heat.


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## redwood carlos (Mar 21, 2013)

The trick is getting a nice ash buildup on them first. Get em good and hot after they are more grey than black put the top on for a bit to calm the fire. There will still be plenty of heat but it will be under ash. Then burgers on the grill and you should be good to go. Don't be afraid of a few flareups.


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## mountainhawg (Mar 23, 2013)

I had the problem of over cooking hamburgers on the grill but went to the reverse sear and they come out great now. Also use no more than a 85/15 hamburger meat or it will seem dry, 80/20 is best for a great juicy burger. For any flare ups, a little spray bottle with a dense fine spray will put out most flares for at least a short period of time. A little mixture of water and your favorite cooking wine or even beer will flavor the burger while your playing fireman.


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## jaybone (Apr 19, 2013)

Yep!


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## jaybone (Apr 19, 2013)

Hova1914 said:


> I cook my burgers like my steaks. Flash cook on direct heat, let cook and smoke on indirect heat.


Yep!


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## paul01 (Sep 22, 2013)

Sometimes i cook my paneer tikka like this. Flash cook on direct heat, let cook and smoke on indirect heat.


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## jeffed76 (Sep 25, 2013)

paul01 said:


> Sometimes i cook my paneer tikka like this. Flash cook on direct heat, let cook and smoke on indirect heat.


I like this idea. I have an offset smoker but the spot nearest the intake is super-hot.  I think I'll sear them there and then move them off to smoke.  Thanks paul01!


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## greg b (Oct 2, 2013)

REDWOOD CARLOS said:


> The trick is getting a nice ash buildup on them first. Get em good and hot after they are more grey than black put the top on for a bit to calm the fire. There will still be plenty of heat but it will be under ash. Then burgers on the grill and you should be good to go. Don't be afraid of a few flareups.


That's a great tip Carlos! It took me awhile to learn to wait and let them temp stabilize before putting the food on.

I always offset cook on the grill. Yes it takes a little longer but the food is so much better! Even if I'm doing burgers, I let the coals get completely ashed over then throw a couple wood chunks on top. MMM mm MMM!


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## marteenhook (Oct 3, 2013)

I also face many problems to grilling burgers. But after this post I will do it better,


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## newbsmoke (Oct 4, 2013)

Not trying to steal the thread but I always have a problem with them falling apart when I make my own patties.... Any suggestions?


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## foamheart (Oct 4, 2013)

NewbSmoke said:


> Not trying to steal the thread but I always have a problem with them falling apart when I make my own patties.... Any suggestions?


Wrap the outer edge of the patty with a strip of bacon? Usually if you'll just sear 'em first instead of trying low and slow you'll be ok. Normally you are grilling a patty, not smoking it low and slow.


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## redwood carlos (Oct 4, 2013)

NewbSmoke said:


> Not trying to steal the thread but I always have a problem with them falling apart when I make my own patties.... Any suggestions?


A few things.

Clean your grill well, if you have an old grill rough/rusted, you will have more difficulty but it should not be impossible.

Let the meat cook you do not need to look and flip and move if your fire is prepared well. You know when one side is done when the juices start to form on the top(Well done wait for them to start "pooling") meat releases itself from the grill. If you put the spatula underneath the burger and it does not want to come right off, one of many things is wrong. Not letting it cook long enough; Fire too hot; etc...

The meat should be handled 3 times to done. 1.On the grill 2.flipped (add cheese at this moment) and 3.off the grill.


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## redwood carlos (Oct 4, 2013)

Double post


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## imp81318 (May 28, 2014)

Hova1914 said:


> I cook my burgers like my steaks. Flash cook on direct heat, let cook and smoke on indirect heat.





cliffcarter said:


> First sear both sides over the coals-
> 
> Then move them to the other side of the grill and cover to finish cooking to 165°-
> 
> ...


When you close the lid, how long do you leave it closed for?  I've tried closing the grill with both my propane and charcoal grills, and every time I do I end up overcooking the burgers/steaks.  Right now, all I do is high and fast for burgers/steaks, but I think I'll be better off if I can get the hang of how long to leave them go with the lid on...


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## cliffcarter (May 29, 2014)

Sorry, but I've never checked how long it takes. I've cooked burgers this way for a very long time, a couple of decades, so....

I guess you could probe for temp after 7-8 minutes and go from there. I used to take them off when the juices ran clear, sometimes I still do.


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## imp81318 (May 29, 2014)

I wasn't looking for an exact amount of time because every cook is going to be different, I was just trying to get an idea of how soon I should be checking them.  Like I said, when I've tried to grill with the lid closed it just seems like they always end up way overcooked.  I did pork chops this way last night, and they nearly turned to rubber.


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## bluewhisper (May 29, 2014)

One odd thing - ground beef is labeled with the % of fat, but the typical grocery store "bratwurst" or breakfast sausage is never labeled with the fat content.

When I grind pork butt to make sausage, I include all of the fat and I think there's a lot of fat, but I've never come anywhere near the fat (or salt) content of commercial sausage.


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## bruno994 (May 29, 2014)

I have taken a liking to doing my burgers on my UDS here lately.  Not grilling, not smoking, but a nice mixture of the 2 worlds,  With 2 intakes open, my UDS will run about 300 degrees, throw a few chunks of mesquite or hickory on the lit coals then pop the burgers on.  I mix my ground meat 2/3 chuck, 1/3 lean, season the raw meat up, add about 1/4 cup of bbq sauce to add flavor and keep the meat from binding up, then form patties about 1/3 # each.  Use the old thumb print in the middle to keep them from shrinking up too much also.  With the UDS I get the grilled over charcoal flavor along side the smoke from the wood chunks or chips.  Nice smoke ring and juicy.  About 20 minutes on each side, occasionally I'll baste with my bbq sauce towards the end.  













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__ bruno994
__ Jun 11, 2013


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## trickyputt (Nov 16, 2014)

I have more fun cooking on Lava Rock than should be allowed. Its a secret you see, right in front of you but hidden. You know if somebody fights or complains about flares on lava rock they dont have the right idea about a secret talent lava rock has, that is unparalleled in the various grill anti flare, heat source protecting, drip catching methods. And its really clean. In fact, its probably the cleanest way to cook because its grilling with steam. Imagine some Hawaiian with some pork cooking on some dying lava on the edge of the sea. The heat makes steam, but the rock is hot enough to sear. Its easy to imagine the quantity of water involved is high. The porous rock produced when hot lava hits cold water has a huge surface area and can hold a great deal of water. The holes caused by the original heat and water created steam tunnels which all lead outside the rock. When I am cooking with Lava Rock its on my grill, which is a high heat source. When I smoke, I could use them in my pan, but usually I am boiling the water enough to keep a moist smoker so I dont worry about it. No, I like Lava Rock on my grill. 

I will fire the grill and throw on the burgers say, or sausages. Usually on a medium grill, but tonight it was cool and raining so I had it on high. It sits on the edge of a gazebo so it catches a little rain. 












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__ trickyputt
__ Nov 16, 2014






Anyway, under high heat dry lava rock is famous for flaring uncontrollably, but thats just because it misses the ocean. When you add water, or my case I love hops flavored steam so I use beer,  things begin to change in that respect.  If you run a real hot fire you have to attend it a bit more by adding more liquid, but you can create a cooking condition that is neither pure steam nor pure dry heat but a combination of both. The flares tell you where the rock is dry and thirsty. Give it a good drink and close the lid. Its like pyrotechnics to watch, steam boiling or flares crackling high. The purifying effects of the steam keep the food moist and cleans the grill neatly, and even if the grill flares a bit it doesnt burn the moist food like you would think because the food is moist. If I cook on a low temp, there are no flares as I moisten the rock along the cook, but not much and not often like a high fire would require. Medium heat is in between for time between waterings. To clean too much buildup, which lots of cooking on low can create, imagine it to be like the black coating on a cast iron ware. Black and oily. Fire the grill high and dry and it will self clean. When the fire starts let it burn until the rocks are clean and porous again and you are ready to go. My wife is suspicious, but tonight I cooked 4 lbs of hamburger and toasted the skin on 10 Brats and the grill drank 3 beers.













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__ trickyputt
__ Nov 17, 2014






Afterwards, no greasy build up, even a polished clean hot spot in the middle of the grill. All the black on the grill is carbonized material at this point.


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## medic92 (Dec 11, 2014)

I'd rather use 70/30 beef any day of the week.  I really don't have a lot of trouble with flareups.  It doesn't take long to get a good sear on the burgers and letting them be kissed by a little flame isn't necessarily a terrible thing.


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## k2guy (Dec 17, 2014)

Get some Grill Grates.  These grates work great and really keep the flare-ups to a minimum.

http://www.grillgrate.com/


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## inkjunkie (Jan 14, 2015)

dougmays said:


> i wouldnt freeze them....if you do that then even as they start to thaw it'll take you much longer to cook the inside and you'll end up burning the outside.
> 
> i usually make sure i have plenty of room on the grill. When flare-ups occur its usually when alot of fat has collected in one area from one or multiple burgers dripping into it. So when this happens i'll usually move the burgers in the "flare zone" to a another spot in the grill and usually the flair will go out pretty quick once the fat has burned. so if you want to cook over direct heat the whole time just have room to move them around so you can "dilute" the grease pools.
> 
> another trick i've i do is when i see the grease pool on top of of a patty...i'll slowly tilt the burger to allow the grease that is there to slowly fall off and flare...this usually results in a smaller flare up to which the fire burns down quicker, instead of having a larger pool or multiple pulls fall into the fire at the same time..


I too look for the puddle. On the BGE when I get a flare I will shut the lid and put the ceramic cap on it, flare is out almost immediately.


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## danbono (Mar 17, 2015)

Hi Take a look here..https://www.mygrillgrate.com/Round_Grills_s/28.htm


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## frog1369 (Mar 17, 2015)

Lately, my two favorite ways to cook burgers:

Season and Sous Vide at 150 degrees for an hour or so, then flash sear on the grill about a minute for each side.  Real, real juicy burgers!

Season and put them in the smoker at 200 degrees until the IT reaches about 125, then flash sear on the grill until the IT is about 155-160.


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## oscuba (Mar 22, 2015)

Good tips. I never really thought about it. The Mule's (great looking burgers Mule) way is what I've instinctively done but I don't have flair-up problems even when using a solid bed of coals.

I think these things add up to a low flair burger:

• Meat-market 85/15 burger

• Only use powdered NO SALT flavorings added the night before

• Don't over work the meat as that changes the texture causing more juice to run

Cheers!

Scoobs


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