How to Grill Burgers on a Cast Iron Griddle
The perfect burger starts before the fire, not on it. These are four things you need to know if you want to graduate from decent burger chef to Transcendental burger chef with the cast iron.
Step 1 for Burgers on Cast Iron: Meat Preparation
I'm guilty, you are. Don't try to deny it. You stuff all kinds of stuff into your burgers blue cheese, bread crumbs, eggs- you basically make individual meatloaf and put it on a bun. Stop that. Instead, let the meat be the main course build your patties with good quality hamburger meat (Jason recommends 85/15 burger) and don't handle them so much.
Adding ingredients to the meat changes the way it cooks (and these extra additions are typically used to help retain moisture, which will no longer be a problem cooking on cast iron). Pro-tip: Watch the video below to learn the "plate trick" and make perfect burger patties every time.
Perfect Cast Iron Cooking Temperature
The high heat that you achieve with cast iron sears the meat and locks in the juiciness of your burger. We cooked at around 275-300°F. Temperature is dictated by the oil you use. If you apply your oil and it smokes, you are burning the oil. Stop that as well.
The smoke will ruin your burger's flavor. Instead, chose an oil with a high smoke point so you can cook at a higher heat.
a. The oil used in the video is vegetable oil which has a smoke point between 400-450° F.
In need of a thermometer to easily check the temperature of your cooking surface? Get it here.
Putting your Burger Patty on the Grill: A Hint
No one likes shrinkage- especially in your burgers. To help prevent this, make an indent (your finger is perfect) to the top of the patty.
This will counteract the shrinkage and also prevent the burger from swelling in the center.
Cast Iron Secret: When to Flip Your Burger
You know it's time to flip your burger when the cooked brown coloring starts to work its way from the bottom edge of the burger upward and inward. The closer you let the brown get to the center before flipping, the more well done your burger will be.
After the flip, you'll only have maybe 2-4 minutes till your burger is ready. Be careful not to overcook it.
Hallmarks of the Cast Iron Burger: Why to do it
The first thing you will notice immediately after that first flip will be the "diner crust" usually associated with restaurant style burgers. That's from the cast iron and its ability to get a perfect, even sear on the beef patty. The next thing you'll notice?
If you've followed the directions above, when you bite into that cast iron burger, you'll find one of the juiciest patties you'll have probably ever cooked yourself. Cooking on cast iron can be the purist's way, or you could experiment with your recipe and burger prep to see what you can build.
Good luck, and let us know any burger tips/tricks you may have. We are always looking for an excuse to break out the Traeger.