Holding Burgers

I don't have catering experience which is what/where you are asking, but some backyard experience for parties....


Does your roaster have enough room in it for (and do you have) one of those grilling screens you can place in the bottom to keep the burgers out of the au jus/water?


My pans I have used for parties are just the bunson burner warmers and I was trying to keep the burgers out of direct contact with the liquid and/our direct heat from the burners.


No secret au jus as I don't cater and this was only a family party or two.


Hopefully you get a better answer from those that know.


Good luck to you!

I'm not a caterer either, but have been volunteered many, many times to help out on large cooks or serving large crowds. For one customer in particular, we would cook around 50 patties at a time on a cabinet smoker and for hot holding we used Nesco brand roasters. We bought the patties from Sam's Club that had little perforations and were actually designed to grill from a semi-frozen state.

So, using a cabinet smoker (below) it would take about 45 minutes per batch (turning once), and they bought foil grill toppers (like for fish or veggies) which I trimmed down to fit the roaster upside down to keep the patties just above the hot juice. For the steaming liquid underneath I used Minor's Au Jus base cut with water. 1/2 gallon was plenty to keep the roasters primed. The same drill worked for brats, only I used a butter/beer/hot sauce liquid.

Your idea to cook at home is sound. Just double seal the patties in ziplocks as soon as they've cooled enough to not melt the plastic and cover in towels in a cooler. They won't dry out. Most people don't expect food in such a setting to be 'hot off the grill' anyway. Nor will they be disappointed if the buns aren't toasted and hot. Pack the lettuce, tomatoes, and onions on ice to keep them crisp. You WILL be thanked just for doing the work.

I've used beef tallow before. I got the idea from Mimsy's Barbecue in Crockett, TX. They smoke their burgers and hold them in tallow until ordered then give them a flame kiss and serve. You could also use a flat top.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiOZ32F0MWc