New Griddle Owner - Looking to Improve My Griddle Burger Process for Parties

LakeFranci · Feb 14, 2017

Hello Everyone-

I'm new here, but I recently set up my first griddle. A Camp Chef flat top grill/griddle. I've made some of the best burgers I've every made, but I'd like to do better on turning out burgers for a crowd. I'd like for the burgers to finish at roughly the same time.

Here's my process for 12 burgers:

Prep Steps

Light griddle, all medium/low
Slice the onion, put in a bowl
Roll 80/20 ground beef into 2.5" balls
Put a spoonful of clarified butter (from Trader Joes) in a small glass bowl
Grab the burger flipper, scraper, and silicone brush and head outside

Cooking Steps

Place clarified butter in top left (to allow it to melt)
Put onion on middle left burner with oil. Give it a few minutes head start. Try not to put your beer too close to the side or it'll get warm.
On the far left burner, spread out some clarified butter with the brush and put the buns down. Probably 6 at a time.
When the buns are toasted, move them to a cookie sheet on the first rack to keep them warm and do another 6 buns, all while the onions are cooking.
Pull the last set of buns and put them on a platter on the first rack to keep warm.
Crank up the right 2 burners to medium/high
Place a meat ball down, put parchment over it, and smash it (repeat for 6 total)
Flip it, salt it, and cheese it (still working on the right tool to steam the cheese on 6 burgers)
Remove the burgers and put them on the bottom buns which are underneath on a platter
Repeat the burger making for 6 more

Things I want to fix:

Finish all 12 burgers at the same time, which probably means just sliding the onions over to the far left and doing all 12 at once
Steaming the cheese for mass quantities (looking at roasting pans or something rectangular. I have a 14" wok cover, but it's not the right tool for a rectangular griddle surface.

I'd love to hear your tips for churning out burgers for a crowd. I love this new griddle. I used to hate making burgers on my weber gas grill, I couldn't consistently make good burgers.

mattmountz94 · Feb 14, 2017

When cooking for a crowd i don't do smash burgers takes to long per burger. Till you get done smashing the first one is normally done. I like to make all uniform patties and throw on at once.

arbkab · Feb 14, 2017

(still working on the right tool to steam the cheese on 6 burgers)

Disposable aluminum pan with a neodymium magnet on one side and a magnetic hook on the other. Total cost: couple of bucks.

quamdar · Feb 14, 2017

arbkab said:
(still working on the right tool to steam the cheese on 6 burgers)

Disposable aluminum pan with a neodymium magnet on one side and a magnetic hook on the other. Total cost: couple of bucks.

Was gonna suggest disposable pan also but what's the magnet and hook for?

Also for big crowds I'd precook the onions. They hold well and it's one less thing to shuffle around.

cowgirl · Feb 14, 2017

Welcome to the forum!

IXL · Feb 14, 2017

What is the benefit of "smashing" the burgers? Is it simply to shorten the time required to create a crust?

Free Mr. Tony · Feb 14, 2017

For cheese melting, I'd get a squirt bottle with super fine tip. Squirt a fine line of water right down the middle of each row of burgers. Not too much. It melts the cheese in a hurry, no topper needed. Unless you are using super thick cheese.

LYU370 · Feb 14, 2017

Pre-form all your burgers ahead of time and pre-cook your onions. I remember from my time at McD's as a kid, I could cook 48 at a time. They'd be frozen so it was easier to put them on the grill. We'd put down 2 rows of 6 burgers at a time. By the time you got burger 47 & 48 down, the first rows were ready to flip. By the time you get to the end again, they were ready for you to start taking them off the grill.

Jrogers84 · Feb 14, 2017

quamdar said:
Was gonna suggest disposable pan also but what's the magnet and hook for?

Also for big crowds I'd precook the onions. They hold well and it's one less thing to shuffle around.

Use it as a handle to lift the pan

THoey1963 · Feb 14, 2017

If this is going to be something you do often, why not get a steamer pan set. You can use the lid for the "steaming". I am sure you can use the pan itself for something too.

choice-replacement-full-size-solid-dome-steam-table-hotel-pan-cover-for-choice-8-qt-chafer.jpg

I'd go look at Restaurant Depot.

arbkab · Feb 14, 2017

Jrogers84 said:
Use it as a handle to lift the pan

This. Don't really need it though.

rwalters · Feb 15, 2017

I cook LOTS of burgers quite often on my Blackstone. As far as melting the cheese... right as the burger comes up to the desired temp, I will flip and immediately place cheese on the side that just came off the hot griddle surface. Melts beautifully within a minute or so, even if you remove the patty from the griddle.

LakeFranci · Feb 16, 2017

Thanks everyone. I might try the roasting pan idea for melting the cheese. I'd like to still be able to smashburgers for a crowd, but I realize why mattmountz94 doesn't like doing them for that many.

I might pre-cook the onions, but the smell is awesome on a nice day outside.

New Griddle Owner - Looking to Improve My Griddle Burger Process for Parties

LakeFranci

Found some matches.

mattmountz94

Babbling Farker

arbkab

Got Wood.

quamdar

Full Fledged Farker

cowgirl

somebody shut me the fark up.

IXL

is one Smokin' Farker

Free Mr. Tony

is Blowin Smoke!

LYU370

Resident Idjit

Jrogers84

is Blowin Smoke!

THoey1963

somebody shut me the fark up.

arbkab

Got Wood.

rwalters

Quintessential Chatty Farker

LakeFranci

Found some matches.

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