Buying and lighting calculator · Beef
How much ground beef do I buy and when do I light?
Ground beef for burgers is bought with 20 % fat: it is the blend that stays juicy on the grill. It comes in trays or by weight, usually in half-kilo packs, and it is best when the butcher grinds it fresh. In the closed kamado, on the grate over direct heat at 250 °C, a patty of around 145 g takes about 8 minutes, and by the time it comes off it has lost close to a third of its weight to melted fat and water. That is why we count 290 g raw per person, which is two small burgers or one big one. Shape the balls without overworking them, keep them in the fridge until the last moment and aim for 71 °C in the centre: colour is not a reliable sign.
How to ask for it
For 4 people: Ask for 1.25 kg of freshly ground beef with 20 % fat (the 80/20 burger blend).
Ground beef with 20 % fat loses about a third on the grill: 290 g raw leaves roughly 200 g cooked. 71 °C (160 °F) in the centre; colour is not a reliable sign.
How we calculate it
We start from a reasonable cooked portion (about 200 g of meat on the plate, 170 g of cleaned fish) and convert it to raw weight using each cut's bone and trim loss. "Hungry" adds 25 %. We round up to what is actually sold: quarter kilos, whole pieces, units.
To the cook time (per kilo or per piece, at each method's temperature) we add the kamado's lighting and stabilising (20-45 min depending on the method, as on the recipe pages), the rest, and a margin for long cooks, which vary from one piece to the next. Times are approximate: your kamado, the wind and the charcoal decide; on big cuts, trust the probe.
Frequently asked questions
How much ground beef per person for burgers?
About 290 g raw, which makes two burgers of around 145 g or one large one. Cooked, you are left with about 200 g, because with 20 % fat the meat loses close to 31 % on the grill. If each guest will only eat one small burger, you can halve it.
How long does a burger take in the kamado?
About 8 minutes over direct heat at 250 °C, flipping once, for a patty of around 145 g. The centre matters more than the clock: aim for 71 °C on the probe. A thicker patty or a lower temperature needs a little longer.
What fat percentage should ground beef for burgers have?
20 % fat (the 80/20 blend) is the usual choice: juicy without falling apart. More fat means more loss; USDA data give a 69 % yield with medium fat (12 to 22 %) against 63 % above 22 %, and below 12 % the burger comes out drier.
Other Beef cuts
Approximate figures. Sources and the portion rule are in "How we calculate it".