# Grilling vs flat top



## allaboutfood (Oct 13, 2011)

Hi, I would like to get some opinions on whether you like grilling over an open flame or cooking on a flat top (this is for hamburgers specifically), thanks


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## cmontg34 (Oct 13, 2011)

Though I think a grilled burger is good every once in a while, I think burgers are always better on a flat top. They're much more flavorful and they don't get burned as easily.


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## Andy M. (Oct 13, 2011)

I prefer grilling, on gas or charcoal.  A burger cooked in a cast iron skillet (same as a flattop) is also good but tastes different.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Oct 13, 2011)

Grilling over charcoal beats flat top burgers every time for me.  That smokey flavor just can't be duplicated on a flat top, or in a good pan.  I can't think of a meat, except for maybe bulk sausage, that I prefer fried on steel.  Now don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a properly fried peice of meat.  That's how I normally cook the stuff.  But I prefer grilled meat, over charcoal of course.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## FrankZ (Oct 13, 2011)

I am partial to grilled over charcoal, but I will eat a burger cooked in other ways too.


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## pacanis (Oct 13, 2011)

I like them grilled with a crust, but burger gravy is good, and it's hard to make gravy from grilled burger drippings...  It all depends what I am making as to how I cook them.


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## TATTRAT (Oct 13, 2011)

I LOVE the grill, most any meat I can grill, I will grill.  .  .that being said, with a burger, flat top or cast iron, 100%. Once the fat starts to render out, it makes for the most flavorful sear, and the caramelization is unmatched. A nice old cast iron does the same, but with all the different layers/seasoning, adds something different and special.


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## allaboutfood (Oct 13, 2011)

thanks for all your input it is an ongoing debate between a friend and me. Would still like to hear from others.


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## simonbaker (Oct 13, 2011)

I like grilling better than charbroiled.  I enjoy the taste of charbroiled but I get heartburn from it & continue to taste the charbroiled taste for hours.


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## bikergal34 (Oct 13, 2011)

Grilling or Flat top?...I like the sear and crust you can achieve from direct heat of a flat top...but,I love the sound and smell of a charcoal grill...for flavor and texture...flat top done right..but the child in me says...charcoal!


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## panzarotti (Oct 15, 2011)

I think grilling is almost always superior to flat top. Not only is it tastier but it sears out all the fat. While making them taste great.


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## larry_stewart (Oct 15, 2011)

ive been a vegetarian for 25 years, and one of the few things i miss is a burger on the grill.


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## Timothy (Oct 16, 2011)

For me it's the grill. I don't like cooking meats when they are laying in fat unless I'm doing stir-fry at super-hot temps. It seems to make the meat too greasy for me.

Plus, the smoke that is created by the juices dripping into the fire adds so much to the flavor of the meat.


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## pacanis (Oct 16, 2011)

Timothy said:


> For me it's the grill. I don't like cooking meats when they are laying in fat unless I'm doing stir-fry at super-hot temps. It seems to make the meat too greasy for me.
> 
> Plus, the smoke that is created by the juices dripping into the fire adds so much to the flavor of the meat.


 
You say fat, I say the meat's own juices.
I prefer bacon _drippings_ over bacon grease, too


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## purple.alien.giraffe (Oct 16, 2011)

+1 for grill so long as it's done right (no hockey puck burgers for this girl), though I do like both and I love pan drippings for use in gravey. As mentioned before, it's difficult to collect drippings from a grill.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Oct 16, 2011)

Tip to all burger cookers, or even steak or shop cookers in pan;  Cook both sides with a lid on until just rare.  If browning ground beef, cook with lid on until grey.  Open lid and pour off juices.  Complete cooking with the lid off to brown the meat to your liking.  Place juices in the fridge.  When fat has solidified, lift of and scrape any jell back into the bowl.  Throw the fat away.  Now you have collected the juices that would otherwise escape into the air as steam.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Hammster (Oct 16, 2011)

I enjoy both, but prefer a charcoal grilled burger the best. As that juice (fat!!) hits the charcoal and comes back up as smoke, the flavor can't be matched.


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## no mayonnaise (Oct 18, 2011)

Grill all the way.


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## pacanis (Oct 18, 2011)

no mayonnaise said:


> Grill all the way.


 
Giorgio cracks me up 
Why do all the people who believe in ancient astronauts look like that


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## roadfix (Oct 18, 2011)

Any excuse to fire up the grill.


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## TATTRAT (Oct 18, 2011)

pacanis said:


> Giorgio cracks me up
> Why do all the people who believe in ancient astronauts look like that


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