A two-level fire is the best way to cook a thick burger What this allows you to is cook over high heat to get the sear you need (if the coals or flames start to flare up, just cover the grill with the lid until the flames subside) and grill over lower heat to gently cook the burger through Conventional cooking wisdom, as we know, tells us that you should sear first and finish on the cool side But! This methodology is all based on the false premise that searing first helps lock in juices, something which we now know to be a fallacy In fact, after running a few side-by-side tests, I found that doing the exact opposite results in more evenly cooked meat: Start your burgers on the cool side of the grill, using a thermometer to check for doneness, and then transfer them over to the hot side once they’re within 10 degrees of your desired final serving temperature By doing this, you warm the meat to the point that a deep, wellcharred crust can develop over the high heat in about half the time it would take for it to so if you slapped the burger on there raw Minimizing time spent over high heat maximizes even cooking, resulting in a better, tastier burger Big flames look cool but are bad for flavor It’s OK to Flip Out Backyard burger chefs seem to have extraordinarily strong opinions on the issue of flipping, and how often it should be done, but we’ve already seen that, with steaks (see here), it doesn’t really make a difference how often you flip— indeed, multiple flips will yield a marginally better finished product in less time Some quick tests confirmed that the same is equally true for burgers: multiple flipping is A-OK But there’s one good reason why you should consider easing up on the flipping toward the end: the cheese A good grilled cheeseburger should have the cheese melted completely by the heat of the grill Once you flip that burger ... you should consider easing up on the flipping toward the end: the cheese A good grilled cheeseburger should have the cheese melted completely by the heat of the grill Once you flip that burger... flips will yield a marginally better finished product in less time Some quick tests confirmed that the same is equally true for burgers: multiple flipping is A-OK But there’s one good reason why... to have extraordinarily strong opinions on the issue of flipping, and how often it should be done, but we’ve already seen that, with steaks (see here), it doesn’t really make a difference how