Searing on the 26.75


 
Gary S

Gary S

TVWBB Guru
I got home late tonight but the Mrs. was hoping for a BBQ'd burger. We had some fresh medium ground beef. I had some left over coals from the brisket cook on the weekend, about 2/3's of a chimney. I lit them and decided I would try out my idea of searing on the 26 using a cooking my HD cooking grate from the 22."
I poured in the lit coals and spread them out. Layed in the 22" cooking grate where the charcoal grate should be. Remember I'm using a CI grate below.

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Put on the beef
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[/URL][/IMG] At this point given the fat content, air control is important. Kept the coals glowing but did not allow enough air for a flair-up.

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The Nomex gasket worked well. Note nothing coming out around the lid but we have a full head of steam going on inside.

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I had to work quickly to avoid flare-ups but when they happened I just closed the lid and the drafts to smother the flames immediately. Once out in a few seconds I reset the vents. At the end I pulled the burgers off when they were done. No issue with burning, they were cooked through and very moist but notice no juices. There are no binders in the hamburger meat, just garlic,onion and seasoning. In hindsight I should have taken a photo of a cross section of one of the burgers.

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Next time I will use fresh Maple Leaf Briquettes and sear some steaks. I was pleased with the results.
 
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I'm not a fan of KB because of the additives however given the opportunity to burn off I'm sure they would work just fine. The only briquette I use is Maple Leaf because it's 100% pure hardwood.
I prefer lump for almost everything I do but given the limited space I have to work with in this application briqs are better suited. I might consider another mod to raise the grate one more inch. Still working things out for searing, this is the first time I tried it.
 
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Gary S said:
In hindsight I should have taken a photo of a cross section of one of the burgers.
Click to expand...

So that means that you had:rolleyes:.................no leftovers?:confused::confused::confused::confused:. to go back and take a second shot??...............well done my friend, well done:cool:;)............................d
 
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Gary,

I have not posted in a while but it is good to see the 26.75 in use. It looks great. I do have smoke coming out from the lid so I plan to get a gasket. Thanks for the post.
 
Thanks guys. I did the same thing again tonight, wanted more practise. No flare-ups. Bergs were great. The dome temp hit 425 and it's a long way from where the coals were. I may try taking some temps with the Maverick but there is no doubt in my mind the CI grate for coals makes a big difference.
 
You are getting some awesome searing temps that is for sure. Love the mods you have done to your OTG 26.
 
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