Best Way to Cook a Thick Burger Through & Through???

I've would like to offer a really thick burger (around an inch OR inch and a quarter in the middle). Years ago I recall tasting one (char-broiled) at an affair in the park and it was delicious!!! This burger will probably be hand made. I already know lots of people here like their burgers well done.

Is there a best way to cook a really thick burger completly well done without drying it out? It has to be juicy. I have a gridde, a char-broil gas grill (lava rocks - usually add contained wood chips), under griddle broiler, pizza oven and Electric wood smoker.

I was thinking the best way to go was the gas grill, but I'm open to any suggestions if someone knows a better way. I guess it doesn't necessarily have to be char-broiled, though it would be nice. The smoker is probably not an option although it cooks really, really tender wood smoked meats & BBQ, it takes several hours for them to get that way.

My neice says her George Foreman grill cooks thick juicy burgers really fast through and through because the heat is applied from both sides. That sounds really nice but probably wouldn't help if my cook got orders for about 20 cheese burgers which he sometimes does.

So my ears are open, thanks you very much.

For burgers that thick, I would sear both sides over high heat to form a crust, then move them to a cooler part of the grill so they will cook under indirect heat.

Honestly, burgers like that shouldn't be cooked well. They should be cooked medium rare, or medium at worst. If you have someone who absolutely demands well done, make them two thinner patties instead of one big one.

Cooknotic wrote:I already know lots of people here like their burgers well done.

Really? I would guess just the opposite. If you're going through all the trouble to source good meat and hand make a nice thick burger, it would be a real shame to ruin it by cooking it past medium rare (or medium if you must). In any event, no matter the final desired temperature Fujisan's advice is good advice. Make a two stage fire, sear the meat on both sides over the hot part and then move it to the cool side of the grill until it reaches the desired degree of doneness.

stevez wrote:Fujisan's advice is good advice. Make a two stage fire, sear the meat on both sides over the hot part and then move it to the cool side of the grill until it reaches the desired degree of doneness.

And it wouldn't hurt to stick a good-sized pat of butter in the center of the burger when you're forming it.

Best,
Michael

I would experiment with nuking the well done burgers just enough to get the internal temp raised a bit before putting it on the charbroiler. However, I am not sure that people that order a thick burger well-done really care if it is juicy. Personally, I like the idea of cooking it as two thinner patties, like some places insist on butterflying well-done steaks.

Cook's Illustrated recommends making them with a panade: milk-soaked bread mixed into the meat. That stops them from drying out... but to me you end up with grilled meat loaf, not hamburgers.

I do burgers in an iron skillet, about one inch thick... nothing but room-temperature 80% lean ground chuck, salt, pepper, and safflower oil. About 3-4 minutes per side on medium high heat... the skillet should smoke a little when you drop the patties on. When you flip, throw a piece of american cheese on that puppy....

JoelF wrote:Cook's Illustrated recommends making them with a panade: milk-soaked bread mixed into the meat. That stops them from drying out... but to me you end up with grilled meat loaf, not hamburgers.

I agree. This is a pet peeve of mine, burger recipes that contain milk & bread or breadcrumbs, and/or egg. As you said, that's not a burger, that's a meat loaf. It still may taste good, but please don't call it a hamburger.

After you shape the thick burger make a deep indent right in the middle with your finger. This will help the middle get cooked to the more done stages.

It's a shame to do it but ground beef below 155 truly is dangerous to serve.

drbbq wrote:After you shape the thick burger make a deep indent right in the middle with your finger. This will help the middle get cooked to the more done stages.

Or all the way through! Hey! Meat Donuts!

I also remembered the Hackney method: fry 'em in an inch of fat -- that'll keep them juicy.

JoelF wrote:Or all the way through! Hey! Meat Donuts!

Or White Castle....

Cogito wrote: What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?

HA HA HA HA !!!! Awwh Man! That's Classic !!!

I hide the dent on the bottom.

Someone wants a burger well done, at my place, where I'm the host, I graciously turn the grill over to them. *I'M* not cooking no burger well done.

This drives TODG just crazy, "You're the HOST!" she says. Ruins our home life for days afterwards. I don't care. I'm not cooking no burger well-done. You want it that way, you cook it that way. Not me.

Geo

Geo wrote:Someone wants a burger well done, at my place, where I'm the host, I graciously turn the grill over to them. *I'M* not cooking no burger well done.

This drives TODG just crazy, "You're the HOST!" she says. Ruins our home life for days afterwards. I don't care. I'm not cooking no burger well-done. You want it that way, you cook it that way. Not me.

Geo

Same here.

After watching enough meat go to "waste" the occasions I grill downstate and being the subject of "but, there's still juice in it!" exclamations...I've nigh given up the whole art. Let someone else "ruin" their burgers/steaks/etc. I just take what I'm given and enjoy it well enough...when in Rome...

Good for you.

My impression is that we're talking about a food service situation, a quick service restaurant, I think?

In any case, If you don't want to split the burger in half or deep fry it in oil, do consider adding some adulterants to the well done ones, like butter or a little onion or something.

But I'd either split the patty in half or tell the customer "we strongly advise against ordering well-done, as it tends to dry out the burger".

Christopher Gordon wrote:

Geo wrote:Someone wants a burger well done, at my place, where I'm the host, I graciously turn the grill over to them. *I'M* not cooking no burger well done.

This drives TODG just crazy, "You're the HOST!" she says. Ruins our home life for days afterwards. I don't care. I'm not cooking no burger well-done. You want it that way, you cook it that way. Not me.

Geo

Same here.

After watching enough meat go to "waste" the occasions I grill downstate and being the subject of "but, there's still juice in it!" exclamations...I've nigh given up the whole art. Let someone else "ruin" their burgers/steaks/etc. I just take what I'm given and enjoy it well enough...when in Rome...

Good for you.

Let me put it this way, there are people (and lots of them) that don't want to see any pink in their food. Whether it be hamburgers, steaks, prime rib, etc.

Others don't want it unless there IS pink in it. I am in a multi-cultural area, I myself am African American, my culture tends to prefer their food well done (atleast here is this restaurant), many will settle for no pink, which can usually be done with medium or medium well; which is what I've been doing, and letting them know it will not be any pink. But since they always ask for well done & I wanted to do a really thick burger which would be even more difficult, I thought I'd pose the questions here to see if anyone knows or has devised a way on how to cook it that way and maintain the quality. I feel as if I've gotten some good suggestions, I'll have to try them out to see once I start selling the thick burger.

Apparently though, most feel a well done burger is not really an option if you want to maintain quality, and there is nothing wrong with that, it is presently my opinion also. But I posed the question to see if anyone had devised a way since I get so many orders for well done. Since being on this forum I've realized that there's a massive amount of knowledge and some extremely experienced individuals on here. So I figured I might come across someone who may have figured it out, and I might have, like I said I'll have to try it out.

At any rate, this wonderful forum has truly change my life as a restaurant owner by me being able to tap into a wide array of experience and knowledge on a variety of things I know little or nothing about. I wish I had discovered it sooner.

Thanks all-

I forgot to mention the dent in the middle part. It's a good trick--keeps the meat from swelling up, so it keeps a more bun-friendly shape.

Cooknotic wrote:

Christopher Gordon wrote:

Geo wrote:Someone wants a burger well done, at my place, where I'm the host, I graciously turn the grill over to them. *I'M* not cooking no burger well done.

This drives TODG just crazy, "You're the HOST!" she says. Ruins our home life for days afterwards. I don't care. I'm not cooking no burger well-done. You want it that way, you cook it that way. Not me.

Geo

Same here.

After watching enough meat go to "waste" the occasions I grill downstate and being the subject of "but, there's still juice in it!" exclamations...I've nigh given up the whole art. Let someone else "ruin" their burgers/steaks/etc. I just take what I'm given and enjoy it well enough...when in Rome...

Good for you.

Let me put it this way, there are people (and lots of them) that don't want to see any pink in their food. Whether it be hamburgers, steaks, prime rib, etc.

Others don't want it unless there IS pink in it. I am in a multi-cultural area, I myself am African American, my culture tends to prefer their food well done (atleast here is this restaurant), many will settle for no pink, which can usually be done with medium or medium well; which is what I've been doing, and letting them know it will not be any pink. But since they always ask for well done & I wanted to do a really thick burger which would be even more difficult, I thought I'd pose the questions here to see if anyone knows or has devised a way on how to cook it that way and maintain the quality. I feel as if I've gotten some good suggestions, I'll have to try them out to see once I start selling the thick burger.

Apparently though, most feel a well done burger is not really an option if you want to maintain quality, and there is nothing wrong with that, it is presently my opinion also. But I posed the question to see if anyone had devised a way since I get so many orders for well done. Since being on this forum I've realized that there's a massive amount of knowledge and some extremely experienced individuals on here. So I figured I might come across someone who may have figured it out, and I might have, like I said I'll have to try it out.

At any rate, this wonderful forum has truly change my life as a restaurant owner by me being able to tap into a wide array of experience and knowledge on a variety of things I know little or nothing about. I wish I had discovered it sooner.

Thanks all-

Perhaps I came across rather harsh. Not my intention. The downstaters I know definitely prefer well done across the board. I've learned to take it in stride(if I happen to man the grill then I make sure to cook a few to my liking). If not and I'm served "cooked-thru." Well, no biggie.

And, of course not all burgers should be cooked pink: how about a medium rare charburger?...yecch...

and welcome to LTH...I await posts from your experiences as a professional

Ah, you're in a *commercial* situation, eh? Well then, that's a different story. You can't opt out and let them do the cooking, as per my suggestion! Sorry!

OK, here's another factor, then. One of the best means to preserve juiciness is to handle the patty as little as possible, especially in regards to pressure. But your needs are exactly the opposite. A tightly-pressed burger is going to cook faster and more thoroughly than a looser compacted one.

So, if you compact your thick burgers with some pressure, you'll move toward your goal. But in this case it'll be pretty well necessary that you dimple one side of the burger. I use something about the size of a soy sauce bottle top, smooth plastic, wetted, and pushed nearly half-way through the patty's height. Now it'll rebound a bit after the first push, so maybe push it in a second time.

A final thought: working some finely minced onion into the ground meat before forming the patty really helps keep things moist--not juicy or pink, but moist--inside. You could always hype them as 'special onion-burgers' or, at least, offer them as options. Might be a nice piece of marketing.

Whatever works, good luck to you!

Geo

Thanks a ton guys, really, truly appreciate it !!!

I'm not sure this is financially feasible for a restaurant, but I made fat burgers out of freshly ground ribeye recently. A few guests "ordered" theirs' well-done, but the meat was so fatty, they turned out perfectly juicy. (And, yes, I cringed about cooking them for so long,but seriously people, not to get all Emily Post about it, but that's what being a good host is all about...making guests happy, no?)

Anyway, maybe you could use a fattier cut of meat, or add more fat to the ground beef. Butter has been suggested, but if you're looking at restaurant production, maybe adding beef tallow to the mix would work? This might be a bad idea (and maybe a fire hazard?), but if McD's used beef tallow in their fry oil, is there a reason it can't be added to ground beef?

cooknotic-

I recall James Beard recommended making two patties, spreading ice chips on one, and topping that with the second patty and pressing the edge to seal. That way you could get a really good crust on the outside and have the inside still at least medium, and moist.

crrush wrote:Anyway, maybe you could use a fattier cut of meat, or add more fat to the ground beef. Butter has been suggested, but if you're looking at restaurant production, maybe adding beef tallow to the mix would work? This might be a bad idea (and maybe a fire hazard?), but if McD's used beef tallow in their fry oil, is there a reason it can't be added to ground beef?

That's actually a pretty good idea.. if you're using 85/15 or 80/20 for your burgers, maybe either switch to 70/30 or 75/25 or start getting orders of both. I dunno how financially viable that is.

Yeah, after posting the beef tallow suggestion, I poked around and found that the problem of dry, fat well-done burgers is solved with a higher fat:meat ratio--one guy swears by a mix that's 30 percent fat.

The idea of adding fat to the mix came from my own experience with sausage making. Too little fat definitely makes for dry sausage. Adding more pork fat nubbins (which the butcher ground separately) helped.

I'm guessing it's fairly easy to find commercial beef tallow through a restaurant supplier, but I could be wrong. [Edit: You can buy 5 GALLONS of beef tallow here for $100. Don't know if that's a good price, but you could experiment and make a ground beef mix solely for "well-done" orders.]

Also, if tallow is rendered suet, would ground suet work better? Or does suet have un-render-able skin on it (which would make for some texturally-nasty burgers)?

MikeLM wrote:cooknotic-

I recall James Beard recommended making two patties, spreading ice chips on one, and topping that with the second patty and pressing the edge to seal. That way you could get a really good crust on the outside and have the inside still at least medium, and moist.

Alas, my partner's family is compulsively worried about microscopic critters in food. . .his mom cooks cut up chicken pieces for THREE HOURS!!!!

Well, you can imagine what hamburgers look like when we grill. I was determined to find a way that we could prevent hockey pucks. I did a little research online and saw a similar suggestion to MikeLM's post, among others.

Last time I grilled, I tried three things. I bought Whole Food's ground chuck, for the fattiest of their three options. Then, I mixed some crushed ice with salt and pepper (about 3 T worth of ice per pound and 1/2 t salt per pound), then measured out 5 ounce patties, flattened them to about 3/4 inch thick and then put a deep finger size hole in the middle, almost all the way through.

They were unbelievable good, and I only like burgers medium rare to medium. In fact, I was originally going to take mine off at medium, but it felt so soft when I poked it, that I I thought it was still medium rare, so I left it on for another minute. When I took it off, it was still very soft to the touch - about medium in feel - but it was well-done! I've never seen a well-done burger that was that soft. In retrosepect, when it was medium it probably felt like it was rare.

While this won't be how I make my own personal burgers, it is how I will do them for the family from now on. Most of them loved them, except the one brother; but that was to be expected as he cooks his 1/2 inch sirloin steaks at home for 30 minutes. . .

The reason I cook my burgers longer than the rest of my beef (I love my steak medium-rare) is to prevent the danger of E. Coli, which usually occurs during butchering and processing. If you're buying from a reputable source, especially one where you've seen the butchering facility, cook it howevah you want! Especially with the recent recall of potentially contaminated ground beef - wasn't it upwards of 45,000 pounds?

I like the idea of adding more fat to the burger to make it moist. I'll have to try that.

-Katherine

I always believe in getting people what they want how they want it. I can serve well done without destroying the meat or drying out the product.

What people object to is the pink or the bloody juices running throughout the meat. To get rid of those, you need to heat the meat to a certain temperature. If this is done in a "wet" environment, it does not dry out.

Cook the hamburger about 2/3 of the way and place it in a pan of an jus. Them finish it it on the grill to get rid of any exterior liquid.

Not my favorite thing to do. However, beats noone eating the meat.

Hi all,

In an unrelated forum a member had posted some myths about grilling steaks that he found in one of his industry publications. He raises Polled Herefords beef cattle.



He had made mention of only a few of these "myths". The on that caught my eye was that "Maximum tenderness was achieved by turning the steak every 2 or 3 minutes until done. (Seems to be because juices are redistributed upon flipping)".

Frankly...I was from the only turn once school and that you should be able to determine the best time to turn only once for the desired doneness(always temp) . But I still felt compelled to give it a try. After a bit of experimentation I was surprised at the improvements. My guess is that juices continually redistribute throughout the entire thickness of meat, instead of cooking one side through (pushing the juices out) and then repeating the process on the second side.

I had such good results with the steaks I tried this method with hamburgers...and it worked really well! (I would start with my grill heated on high heat so the grates quickly release the meat. Once I put the beef on the grates I turn all burners to low).

This still goes against everything I previously thought aabout grilling steaks. But hey...I used to also be in the "sear to keep in the juices" camp as well. Live and learn

take care all>>>

dan