Dave Chang, chef of New York's 2-Michelin-Star Momofuku restaurants, told his podcast listeners that its a mistake to grill a burger. In fact, grills are a "marketing lie" when it comes to cooking burgers.
"Grills suck for burgers," he said. We have assumed as a culture that in summer, we eat a burger and it's grilled.
"I actually think the grill is a horrible thing for the burger… The success rate of the griddle is better than the grill, and also there's no clean up, you have nothing to worry about.
"A juicy burger is going to turn into a guaranteed grease fire, why use [a charcoal grill]? This whole idea of imparting flavor from the grill, the only flavor that's being imparted is the carbonized crap that's on it. You would need to cook a burger over charcoal for 12 hours to get that smoky flavor.
"A backyard burger is an experience that you try to convince yourself is better than it actually is, It's the nostalgia, it's the smells, it's your friends. But if you actually take it out of the context, it's not that good."
