SmashBurgers on the Goldens' Cast Iron

I guess I haven't been keeping up with all the latest bbq terminology/fads/whatever, so I'll admit I had to do some research to find out what the heck a SmashBurger was. OK, easy enough and I have the tools to make one in my backyard. Let's see how we did.

The Goldens' Cast Iron comes standard with a Searing Plate. I've only used it as a diffuser, have never attempted to cook on it. Until today!

Since I halfheartedly seasoned it when I got the grill it was in DIRE need of a seasoning and some rust removal. It hangs on a wall in my garage but has built up quite a bit of rust. I'm somewhat embarrassed to even post this, but here goes. Before pic -



Nasty. But some (ok, a lot of !) elbow grease, #0000 Steel Wool, even some sandpaper and it was looking much better -



I took care of both sides. The opposite side has no lip so grease can be pushed off the edge. I actually own TWO searing plates, the other one doesn't have the slot for the grate lifter. I've never used it and I think getting it out of the grill with just the Goldens' Welders Gloves would be quite a task. I flipped it to the non-lip side and set it in place in the grill -



Here's the side with the lip just for reference as it was being seasoned in the grill -



I don't recall what the grill temp was at, but the Searing Plate was up to task -



I'm sure it hit temps higher than that during the cook, no time to pull out the IR gun.

Plenty of room for burgers, bacon and peppers. I also had the Brioche buns on with these, no time to take a pic.



Just about done, with a pile of mozz. These burgers cook quickly! -



Served with a side of fries, baked beans and a Sammy Summer Ale -





A really excellent burger and quite a lot of fun to make! I think I may be using the Searing Plate on the Goldens' quite a bit more.

Thanks for checking out tonite's dinner!

-lunchman

Mrs lunchman can't believe I posted that before shot of the searing plate. Actually it didn't look that bad until I started attacking it with the steel wool. No matter what, it needed to be seasoned. So it goes, I can't post all beauty shots.

Jrogers84 said:

Keep in mind the side you put to the fire will lose seasoning on every cook. Spray or oil it when your done or youll be fighting that rust forever. Also instead of scrubbing you can do a diluted vinegar bath 30 mins at a time.

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Exactly! I don't always remember to re-oil it after every cook and never get to the bottom side afterwards. It was fun yesterday pulling the searing plate out and placing it somewhere, removing the tool, flipping the plate and placing it back into the cooker. Even at the 250 deg temp I was seasoning at, that plate was scorching hot. Good thing I bought the Goldens' welders gloves.

I think I'll be firing up the cooker this morning and seasoning both searing plates. Like you said, I don't want to be dealing with rust on this again.

Thanks for the tip on the vinegar solution. Yesterday I was using a damp rag with coarse sea salt which did a decent job.

-Dom

Big George's BBQ said:

Very nice I wonder if that would fit on the Large BGE

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For size reference, here's a pic of the searing plate in the Goldens' with a measurement -



If you need the actual diameter without the tabs, I can get that for you.

The 20.5" searing plate is available on the Goldens' Cast Iron website for $85. Go to Features, then Online Store. They also sell one for their 14" cooker at $45.

Pic of the non slotted searing plate before seasoning (no rust!) -



Darkening up very nicely -



Now to get it out to season the other side. I know why Goldens' added the slot!

-lunchman

For anyone who wants to purchase these and perhaps cut off the tabs, here's the diameter of the plate itself -



Both plates are now seasoned, blackened up quite nicely. I had to use the Bubba Keg grate lifting tool to lift the edge of the non slotted plate to be able to get a glove under it. The slot and the Goldens' grate lifter are a necessity with this plate.

-Dom

Jrogers84 said:

Ya those plates look cool, fun to cook on for sure. If you ever use the salt method again cut a potato in half and scrub with that. It looks like a nice griddle for outdoor cooks!

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Yep, great idea and had I thought of it or Nitrile gloves yesterday, my fingernails would have thanked me.

Big George's BBQ said:

Very nice I wonder if that would fit on the Large BGE

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@Big George's BBQ, you probably already have a ceramic platesetter for your BGE, but while poking around the web for BBQ accessories I came across a number of cast iron platesetters. There are some on Amazon, some independent seller sites, a review on nakedwhiz.com.

Had the Goldens' not come with the searing plate I might have considered one of these though the BGE versions probably aren't the correct size for my cooker. The ones I've seen all have a grooved cooking surface, probably not ideal for griddling, but something to consider. Then again, a large griddle or cast iron skillet would serve the same purpose.

If I ever damage my BGE platesetter I use in the Bubba Keg (going strong after 8 years), I'd consider buying one of the cast iron versions as a replacement.

-lunchman