Burgers cooked indirect

[Finster]

Anyone cook burgers to well done (don’t judge me, i ain’t eating it) on the kettle using indirect heat?
rough estimate on time for a 4 oz burger? Hoping to get well done without completely drying it out…

[RichieB]

Do smash burger. Well done and juicy. I don't think I'll ever grill again unless it's a stuffed burger.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

smoked burgers are great even with no sear, can't give you timing but anywhere from 1 hour to 2 depending on thickness and temp

[Huskee]

When I started out in the smoking world I'd do my burgers that way, and it's definitely a good hour even to medium well, cuz typically grilled burgers are on the thick side plus indirect heat is slow as we know. Can't remember much more detail though, sorry.

To aid in your specific endeavors I'd suggest a high fat burger (20-25% fat) and a HOT indirect cook (325+) if you want it well done w/o being dry.

[Sid P]

What’s "well done" for a burger? I cooked this one at 250° on the Silverbac, and it took about an hour to get to 155°. It was a half pound burger that started out about an inch high. It was delicious and still very juicy.

[Finster]

To the person in question? Dead as a door nail. No pink whatsoever.
Beyond what a thermometer registers as well done.

[DavidNorcross]

Sid, I cook mine this way often. Very juicy with a great flavor. Good job!

[Sid P]

DavidNorcross I didn’t know if people even smoked burgers, but I saw this on Grilla’s website and decided to give it a try. It’s ridiculously simple and works great.

[Mosca]

If you use your instant read thermometer you can get a juicy well done 165° burger direct. Any time I’ve tried to smoke them I’ve been unhappy with the result.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

gotta make 'em thick for smoke only

[fzxdoc]

I like smoking steakburgers indirect because they pick up that nice smokey flavor in the hour or so that it takes them to get to a "safe" temperature.

If you don't want steakburgers done to 165° but want them safe to eat or serve, you can pasteurize them in the sous vide setup, then sear on the gasser or in a skillet.

Here's what Kenji Lopez-Alt says about SV burger safety:

At 130°F, it takes 2 hours to safely pasteurize beef, while at 140°F, it takes only 12 minutes. Remember—these timeframes begin once the center of the burger reaches pasteurization temperature, so it's a good idea to add an extra half hour to those times for any burger you plan on pasteurizing.

Pasteurization cannot safely take place lower than 130°F, so for this reason, I strongly recommend freshly grinding beef for sous-vide burgers you plan on serving rare to medium-rare.

Meanwhile, with sous-vide cooking, you set the temperature of your water bath to the desired final temperature of your meat, making it nearly impossible to over- or undercook your burgers. Not only that, but the window of time you have in which to achieve perfectly cooked meat is quite large—on the order of hours. A burger cooked for 45 minutes at 130°F will be nearly indistinguishable from one cooked for three hours.

The color and juiciness of a burger are directly related to the temperature to which they're cooked.

I usually SV thick 8 oz steakburgers for 90 min just to be sure. I first did them at 140° but the family didn't like the texture of the "underdone-looking" burger. Now I SV them at 149° and do a quick super hot sear (700°+) on the GGs on the gasser. They come out in the low to mid 150s, which is where we like them.

Kathryn

[Finster]

Thanks all.
Ended up cooking it indirect at 300ish for about 20 minutes, then seared for a minute on each side, then melted cheese on it another 5. Mine I just did direct for a couple minutes per side before the 5 minute indirect cheese melt.
Just to add to the excitement, it started raining mid cook so I got to juggle an umbrella along with the burgers…