Yes, thickness is the key factor. You don't want the heat so high that you turn them to cinders. Avoid briquettes which burn really hot and impart a fuel flavor to the meat. For well done (God knows why you would want to eat a well done burger) you should look for an internal temp of 160F measured by an instant read.
In my experience manning the grill at football tailgates for over three decades, the 160F internal temperature threshold is insufficient for people who order well-done hamburgers.
They basically want a dry, lifeless hockey puck that is almost unrecognizable as a piece of ground meat.
Every time I have cooked a hamburger patty slightly beyond the "medium well" stage (i.e., into the 160F area) and served it to someone who asked for a well-done hamburger, it always gets tossed back on the grill. "Cook it more."
Today, I don't even bother. Our tailgate is pretty mostly self service and I will happily toss a hamburger patty on the grill and tell the "well done" folks to pick up the patty when it is cooked to their desired degree of doneness. I continue to grill hamburger patties for anyone who wants a medium-rare or medium burger.
I often have an instant read thermometer on me at tailgates, but it is utterly useless for this purpose.
I would have to agree that a thermometer is pretty hard to use accurately on a normal sized burger patty. As to why people prefer well done hamburgers- apart from the disconcerting notion of your dinner standing up and mooing at you, a lot of people disagree with the conventional view that the ideal piece of meat is a raw chunk of fat. Personally, I find underdone meat repulsive, so I cook it the way I like it.
If other people like ultra-dead hamburger patties, that's fine by me but I am no longer involved in the determination of what well-done means to any given diner.
Note that standard USDA meat doneness ranges are zones between two different temperature readings, except for well-done. Attaining 160F internal temperature on a meat thermometer is the starting point for well-done according to the USDA, but there's no upper limit unlike the other doneness levels (rare, medium rare, medium, medium well).
That's what makes cooking a burger well-done difficult because you don't know *HOW* well-done the person wants it.
Since our tailgate is mostly self-service, it's easy. It's not like I'm paid to cook for these people.
When someone asks for "well done" I just throw on a patty, chuckle and say "Well, I don't know how well done you want your meat, so feel free to pick it up yourself."
At home, the microwave oven is great at nuking meat.
That said, I like various meats in various levels of doneness depending on the dish, cut, quality, etc. I don't think that there is anyone here that thinks that all meats must be rare all time in all dishes.
There are certain cuts and dishes where rareness would result in an inedible dish (like carnitas or BBQ ribs).
Hamburgers are one of the few meat dishes that can be successfully enjoyed by many at a huge range of doneness levels. Heck, someone right now on this planet is probably enjoying a beer tartar "burger" while another might be enjoying a beef jerky "burger."
Well, good to see we're all objective here. And if, in thy hubris, wouldst tear the living flesh from some poor broken beast, where's the power to say thee nay?
I guess i should have added the explanation that people somehow have the misconception that there is something magic about time and a result with meat and there is not which is why is i suggested the chart and the meat thermometer. That is not to say that i would ever cook a piece of meat to well done or serve it it my home. I live in Nebraska. That is a crime here.
Well, due to the lack of legislative foresight, it is perfectly legal to serve and consume well-done beef here in California. As far as I can tell, it is not a crime in many other places on this planet.
I will reiterate my belief that using a meat thermometer to figure out if a hamburger is "well done" or not is a useless exercise.
For better or for worse, there's a fair amount of inclusivity here in California, including matters of culinary preference.
This is really not an answerable question, there are too many variables and unspecific terms. You probably want heat on the high side of medium and somewhere around 10 minutes. Hamburgers generally give off some moisture throughout cooking, and when this stops being red you will be well done. If desperate enough, you might resort to a thermometer but it's best to learn to judge doneness without; if worst comes to worst, you can always throw the patty back on the grill.
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They basically want a dry, lifeless hockey puck that is almost unrecognizable as a piece of ground meat.
Every time I have cooked a hamburger patty slightly beyond the "medium well" stage (i.e., into the 160F area) and served it to someone who asked for a well-done hamburger, it always gets tossed back on the grill. "Cook it more."
Today, I don't even bother. Our tailgate is pretty mostly self service and I will happily toss a hamburger patty on the grill and tell the "well done" folks to pick up the patty when it is cooked to their desired degree of doneness. I continue to grill hamburger patties for anyone who wants a medium-rare or medium burger.
I often have an instant read thermometer on me at tailgates, but it is utterly useless for this purpose.
Those people seem to be very happy with that.
(shrugs)
If other people like ultra-dead hamburger patties, that's fine by me but I am no longer involved in the determination of what well-done means to any given diner.
Note that standard USDA meat doneness ranges are zones between two different temperature readings, except for well-done. Attaining 160F internal temperature on a meat thermometer is the starting point for well-done according to the USDA, but there's no upper limit unlike the other doneness levels (rare, medium rare, medium, medium well).
That's what makes cooking a burger well-done difficult because you don't know *HOW* well-done the person wants it.
Since our tailgate is mostly self-service, it's easy. It's not like I'm paid to cook for these people.
When someone asks for "well done" I just throw on a patty, chuckle and say "Well, I don't know how well done you want your meat, so feel free to pick it up yourself."
At home, the microwave oven is great at nuking meat.
That said, I like various meats in various levels of doneness depending on the dish, cut, quality, etc. I don't think that there is anyone here that thinks that all meats must be rare all time in all dishes.
There are certain cuts and dishes where rareness would result in an inedible dish (like carnitas or BBQ ribs).
Hamburgers are one of the few meat dishes that can be successfully enjoyed by many at a huge range of doneness levels. Heck, someone right now on this planet is probably enjoying a beer tartar "burger" while another might be enjoying a beef jerky "burger."
:o)
I will reiterate my belief that using a meat thermometer to figure out if a hamburger is "well done" or not is a useless exercise.
For better or for worse, there's a fair amount of inclusivity here in California, including matters of culinary preference.
But that's just me...