Burger tips

RichUT

RichUT

250+ Posts
The daughter is turning two next weekend, and we're having folks over at our place to celebrate. I'm going to take the easy route and cook up a bunch of burgers, but I thought I would use this occasion to work on making a better burger.

My normal prep is nothing special. I use 90/10 ground beef and put salt, pepper, and cavendar's on top. Cook to medium and slap some cheese on it.

They usually taste pretty good, but I know that this board will have some tips to help me take it to the next level.

To be clear, I am not looking for any novelty burgers. I just want tips on how to make a better cheeseburger.

Thanks.
 
Personally I think the biggest mistake people make is overcooking although I know that it's certainly personal preference.
I like mine "medium" and really closer to "medium rare" so as to maintain the juice. In that regard I'd start with the 80/20 mix and a really hot fire.
Of course to each his own....
 
I'll second the 80/20 suggestion. 90/10 makes it difficult to not overcook and keep the juiciness level where it needs to be. Beyond that, it sounds like you are good to go. What time should we be there for the festivities?
 
At the HEB Plus stores they carry a large variety of spices located by their Cooking Connection areas. Adams Reserve
Prime Rib and Steak sear and crust rub is very good. I added two tablespoons to a pound of burger meat the other evening and got rave reviews. I also added 1/2 package of Lipton onion soup mix, a little A-1 sauce. That is the usual additions, but I wanted to add a little something extra. Very tasty.
 
Mince some garlic and onion and mix in with the meat. Add a little teriaki and black pepper. Sometimes I add chopped jalapenoes.
 
My only weakness at burgers is I lean to overcooking them b/c of the cut of meat is not that great (and I don't want people to get sick). I make my steaks medium rare but I tend to overcook my burgers. I need to get better at cooking them just right.

To the original poster, check out Juicy Lucy's. I have been making those instead of the blue cheese burgers and my friends like them better.

link
 
I like mixing a good amount of garlic powder, onion powder, and soy sauce in the ground beef. And yeah, Juicy Lucy's (the cheese mixed into the ground beef) are awesome as well.

80/20 and a very hot fire. Flip 'em once and don't overcook.
 
Agree on using 80/20 and with making the fire as hot as possible. Make sure you use sea or kosher salt and not table salt.
 
a few thoughts.

1) it really is a crap shoot to eat ground meat that is not cooked through. I understand this is a point of contention, but the real issue is NOT the cut of the meat ground, but rather the fact that the meat has been ground. When meat is ground ALL of is it essentially exposed to the air. This allows for ANY of it to have been contaminated. WIth a steak, the inner part of the meat has never been exposed to the air, which is why it is safe to consume it not fully cooked. I have already stated on another thread that I get mine medium at Fudruckers, but I know I run the risk of illness every time. Some of us are daring.

2) DO NOT SALT THE MEAT BEFORE YOU COOK IT. Salting meat before you cook it will dry it out. Some of talked about using various salts instead of others, but my understanding is that all salts will dry out meat.

3) Count me as a leaner beef type guy. I actually like to cook my burgers relatively slowly as well. Of course, I should note I cook my steaks at hot and fast as I can. Just a couple of minutes a side at about 600 F. I like too cook my hamburgers about 250 to 300. I determine length by how thick they are.

4) I use homegrown grass fed beef. I know this isn't available to all, but man is it great.
 
When we are making burgers we grind equal amounts of chuck roast and sirloin. Mix in enough bacon fat to try to achieve the magic 80/20 ratio. It will depend on how lean the chuck roast is but 10-15% by weight will get you close.

We mix into the ground meat; kosher salt, fine ground red pepper, coarse ground black pepper, garlic powder. Sometimes some smokey fine ground paprika if the bacon wasn't very smokey. If the bacon is very strong leave out the garlic powder.

We roll the mixture out between sheets of wax paper and then cut into patties.

I think they are best cooked over a hot indirect heat source or on cast iron. As mentioned before, flip only once and never mash down on them.

For me after i flip them i place a few sliced japs and then put a slice of cheese on top and let it melt. Served with Heinz's cheap yellow mustard and onions they are as good as a burger can get to me.

Nobody seems to be able to eat just one.

We don't do ground meat much around here but this always seems to be a winner when we do.
 
good post, THEU.

*** also, i take this opportunity to tell you that your preferred HEB on 31st st. has prime grade filet pretty much all the time in the back, and it costs $1-2 more than the choice.

You're welcome.
 
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I have no idea, since you have never given me any of your homegrown stuff. do that, and I will make your desired comparison.
 
Brine the patties before you cook them.
biggrin.gif
 
again brining them BEFORE you cook will only make them more dry. If you start with very fatty meat, that may not be an issue. For those of us who prefer to eat leaner beef, it will have a disastrous effect.
 
thank you spy.... sorry, I just know many novices come here..... I didn't want any of them to think that brining your patties pre cooking was any type of good idea. I will say there is actually a real reason why salt is ON the table.
 
Sorry Theu - I was kidding of course. And yeah, novices come here, but if anyone thinks brining a patty before grilling is the thing to do, the shouldn't really be cooking near open flame!
 
I mix a little A1 into the ground beef. I generally hate the stuff and would have a cardiac if someone tried to put on my steak, but it gives a pretty good flavor to a burger.
 
Many years ago, some nice poster here suggested buying extra lean ground beef and adding a bit of tofu. The burgers are lean, moist, and yummy.
 
"the real issue is NOT the cut of the meat ground, but rather the fact that the meat has been ground. When meat is ground ALL of is it essentially exposed to the air."

I like to pick out 2-3 small roasts, any boneless cut will do, and have the "butcher" grind it for me (free). They will do this in any grocery with a meat cutter. At least you'll know it's not some ground beef that's been in the meat case too long.
 
You are correct in that the meat will be fresher, but it does NOT change the fact that all of the meat has now been exposed to the air, and thus has been exposed to contamination. There might be a bit less chance for contamination due to the length of time it has been ground, but only slightly. The fact that it is ground remains.
 
The reality is that it doesn't matter who grinds it or what cut of beef it is. Because the E. coli is on the surface of primal and subprimal cuts (and also in ground beef). no amount of testing within the beef industry can ensure that 100% of beef that makes it into the marketplace is E. coli-free. there are a lot of interventions in place, and a great deal of testing, and they've come a long way, but it's not 100%.

The only way to ensure that you or your family is not exposed to E. coli is to cook your burgers to 160 degrees internally and use a food thermometer to make sure. (you can't just go by color to tell if it's done or not) If you're feeding burgers to young children or older people (the people that are the most vulnerable to foodborne illness) this is especially important. And don't cross-contaminate other food by chopping it up using the same utensils and cutting boards that you've used for raw meats or poultry.
The Link
 
I usually use 80/20 and add a little garlic powder, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. I will then either add a small amount of BBQ sauce or form my paties and make a small indention in each on and a little balsamic vinegar, and then close the gap. Both ways are pretty good.
 
80/20

salt, pepper and worstershire to both sides of the patty once formed. Don't cook past medium rare and they will turn out great.

One secret I use when I am cooking for a LOT of people is that I give the burgers a good sear and move them to indirect heat to finish. The sear seals in the juices and the indirect finish takes the meat to that perfect pink that is cooked but not dry. Then I can stack about 10-15 off to the side and start pulling those off to get the line going as I finish off the rest.
 
One thing I've always done with my burgers is when you add your seasonings to the meat add some shallots. I'm not big on onions, but shallots add the flavor without that heavy onion flavor. I doubt the kids at the party will like it, but the adults should. I also top them with swiss cheese and bacon.
 
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