Expert: Teri Davis Newman - 7/5/2008

Question
I recently cooked 250 8Oz fresh burgers for a gathering but found that in order to ensure the meats were never pink, the outside of burgers becamed too charred. For our next event I wish to precook the burgers in ovens and finish off on the bbq, is this a good idea?
1) Can burgers be pre-cooked in an oven and finished off on the bbq several hours later? .Where should they be stored for the 2-3 hours in between?
2) How long should the 8Oz burgers be precooked for in the oven?, finished on bbq?

Answer
If you trust the source of your ground beef, you can leave it pink in the middle, I use a reputable butcher and I am not worried about eating the meat raw (which I like) but I know he grinds on premises and has sanitary equipment. I've been eating rare burgers and tartare from my butcher for 20 years and never had a problem, but it's a judgement call for me. Your grill was too hot so you burnt the outside of the burger before the inside was cooked.  I don't recommend precooking them as you suggested because they will be really awful if you do. Cook them on a lower heat and then at the end you can turn it up a bit if you need to. Preventing flare-ups is the most important thing with a burger grill as the flames will also char the outside of the burger badly.  You didn't say whether your grill was gas or charcoal but if it's charcoal you can raise the grate or spread the coals out to "cool" the grill.  With a gas grill, just turn it down.