Michelin star chef says he'd never cook a burger on a BBQ - and shares best way

28 June 2023 , 18:04
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You should never cook a burger on a barbecue (stock photo) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
You should never cook a burger on a barbecue (stock photo) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

With the hot weather in many parts of the UK over the last couple of weeks, many of us will have taken the opportunity to set up a barbecue in our gardens and cooked up some delicious food to enjoy outdoors.

But despite burgers being one of the most common items to chuck on the BBQ, one Michelin-star chef has claimed you should actually never grill the meat patties, as they're very difficult to get just right.

David Chang, whose flagship restaurant Momofuku in New York has two Michelin stars, said that instead of grilling a burger you should use a griddle pan or frying pan instead, as you get a juicy burger without burning the outside.

Michelin star chef says he'd never cook a burger on a BBQ - and shares best way eiqehixkiutinvDavid Chang recommends using a griddle or frying pan instead (Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Speaking on his podcast, The David Chang Show, the 45-year-old chef said: "Grills suck for burgers. 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 ... I think this viewpoint could get me in trouble.

"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 it?

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"This whole idea of imparting flavour from the grill, the only flavour that's being imparted is the carbonised c**p that's on it. You would need to cook a burger over charcoal for 12 hours to get that smoky flavour. I think the grill and the burger is a marketing lie."

David went on to say that for many of us, having a burger from a barbecue is only good because of the "nostalgia" associated with outdoor cooking, as well as the fact that you often have your friends or family with you when you cook.

But you don't have to throw your grill out for good, as the chef said it's perfect for chicken, pork, and seafood, as well as some veggies that taste delicious when barbecued.

He added: "It's good for chicken, chicken thighs, spatchcock chicken, pork, lamb chops and seafood. There are some vegetables that are good grilled, squash and aubergine, but only if they're cut a specific way or they can still fall through the gaps. Corn is clearly the only champion. I can't think of anything else."

Meanwhile, in another podcast episode, David controversially said that one of the best ways to cook seafood is to use your microwave, where he said you can cook your food for 2:30 on around 50 percent power.

He explained: "I will legitimately tell you, I think you can get some of the best cooking of seafood in general in a microwave.

"People might laugh at this, I'm sure many professional chefs would say, 'why would you take beautiful, very, very expensive red shrimp, and microwave it?'. Everyone would say 'no, you're stupid', but it came out great and I was like wow, I can't believe it worked."

Zahna Eklund

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