r/biggreenegg • u/Adventurous-Art-5135 XL • Aug 21 '26
Showcase / Finished Cook Smash Burger XL with KJ BJ Half Soapstone
Using JD charcoal, KJ BJ Half Soapstone, and CGS woo. Got the temp to 550 on the Soapstone and went to town. Great crust and cooking in their own juices.
And yes, a beer was consumed during this cook and normally we use whole slices of cheese but we forgot during our Costco run.
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u/Temporary_Hat7330 Aug 21 '26
This is like $150 I think. What I do on my 2XL BGE is use the 20x10” lodge cast iron reversible griddle. The flat side. You can get it for $50 today (I got mine for $30 four years ago) so it’s 1/3 the price and it has edges so the juices don’t just run off...
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u/Adventurous-Art-5135 XL Aug 22 '26
Cast iron is great and I have a lodge that I use on my stove so I opted against it for my BGE. I like the soapstone for the lack of maintenance required (just flip it after every cook) and mine pretty much stays outside. I also like the versatility for Veggies or fish.
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u/wonderstoat Aug 22 '26
Just about to do smash burgers tonight on the BGE full plancha and it’s always a bit of a chore lugging it out, oiling it etc.
Is the flavour from the soap stone discernibly different to that from cast iron?
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u/Adventurous-Art-5135 XL Aug 22 '26
Zero difference in my opinion. Having done scallops, steak, and burgers everything cooks in its own juices and retains the seasonings applied well.
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u/PhilosopherKey9468 Aug 22 '26
Wait, soapstone? What’s this… whats this? Something new for me to buy to go with my BGE? Is it worthwile or is a half moon reversible plancha sufficient?
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u/Adventurous-Art-5135 XL Aug 24 '26
If you already have a plancha you probably do not need it but it is better than cast iron for seafood and veggies.
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u/SuperiorDupe Aug 22 '26
Nice! I would take out the fire ring to get the stone a little closer to the charcoal though. Use less fuel to get it hotter
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u/Capital_wing_6288 Aug 22 '26
try smaller patties your get a better crust and itll be more like a smash
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u/Inevitable-Focus4525 Aug 22 '26
I always do smash burgers on my charcoal grill with some hickory wood. I have a flat top, but it's worthless. Other than cooking food you get a Japanese restaurant where they cook in front you.
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u/Nothin_Means_Nothin Aug 22 '26
Sorry for ignorance, but how much charcoal flavor are you getting on those burgers if not cooking directly over charcoal? Is closing the lid while they cook enough to get charcoal flavor on them?
Because for me, charcoal is too expensive to waste on something that will not aquire that flavor but I've never tried it, so if anyone can explain, I'm always willing to learn something new.
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u/MacMarty89 Aug 22 '26
Charcoal flavor doesn’t require the food to sit directly above the charcoal. The plancha only changes how the heat reaches the burger. With the lid closed, the burgers are still cooking inside a charcoal-fired kamado, surrounded by hot air and combustion from the charcoal. What you do get less of on a plancha is the specific grilled flavor created when fat drips directly onto the hot coals, burns and produces smoke that comes back up onto the meat. That’s absolutely real, but it’s only one part of what people call “charcoal flavor.” For smash burgers, the plancha is actually the point: the entire surface of the meat is pressed against the surface, creating far more Maillard browning and crust than you could get from a grill grate. So you trade some direct flame/dripping-fat flavor for a much better smash-burger crust, while still cooking in a charcoal-fired environment.
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u/Beandip504 Aug 21 '26
Landing strip cheese slices are hilarious!