Cooking your best burger


 
As for spice supplier, I really like Penzeys, my Dad was one of their first fifty customers so, I'm a little nostalgic about that.
One thing I really want to try is a 90/10 mix of lean chuck and GOOD bacon! Maybe 85/15, don't know. I agree with the hand form, slight dimple method, its proven a solid finish for me.
Hey, it's a burger do what you find you like, and make them again and, again and, again....
I really enjoy a good burger!
 
I use a wooden patty former that my Dad made in the mid 60's. I like ground chuck mixed with ground sirloin. Some Lawrys seasoned salt cause it has no MSG,
Usually direct over the coals on the kettle, but I like them smoked with apple wood from the top rack of the WSM without the water pan. Takes longer, but I am
retired and not in a hurry. A little Uncle Dougies sauce once in a while if it will not have cheese. Lots of good ways out there to make burgers, fun to experiment
with them.
 
I usually go the normal route of SPOG sometimes with a little bacon mixed in. I also mix it up once in a while by putting the burger on top of white bread smothered in brown gravy for an open faced burger. Both ways taste great with some smoked cheddar. Gravy fries are also a good accompaniment.


Chris
 
Wayne, if you can convince your wife that you can't live without one, a meat/food grinder is great for making burgers. I like to cube the beef and hit it with a little salt, pepper, and oil (to bloom the pepper) the night before, and then grind the cubes and form the patties while the charcoal is lighting. Additionally, grinding it yourself is a good way to get other ingredients like extra fat, bacon, mushrooms, etc. mixed right into the meat without working it by hand.
 
If you grind your own, try adding a little pork meat (10%-15%) to the mix. I save trimmings from a full rack of spares, like the flap and the boneless tail end. There is also some tasty (and fatty) meat along the breast bone. The pork sweetens up the burger and there's nothing like pork fat for a little extra flavor.

Jeff
 
I'm starting to get the idea that I need to grind my own. Any recommendations on a grinder?

I've made a little progress and thing I've hit on what I'm looking for ...but I've got to experiment a little more. There's "Wicked Good Burgers" stock that's added to the meat. Its on the ketchup/bbq sauce aisle. In my testing, I accidentally added too much seasoning (the Weber Burger seasoning) and the burger was too salty, ...but other than that its flavor is what I've been looking for. I need to tweak that a bit, ...and not screw up the seasoning. Also, I use too many elipses.
 
I do things very simply: 80/20 ground beef, seasoned only with salt and pepper, cooked direct over the coals. I always toss a handful of oak twigs (there are plenty of them all over my yard) on the coals to add a bit of smoke flavor. And I typically only put lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, and a little onion on the burger when I eat it.
 
Honestly, the secret is good meat. I've tried a number of different recipes but one night I got lazy, went to the local butcher and bought some of their pre-made patties. S&P, 3-min per side over direct heat and it's the best burger I've ever had. They sell the ground chuck mix too and depending how rushed I am, I'll either make my own or buy the pre-made for $0.50 extra per pound. The ground chuck I get from the butcher is nothing like what I get from the grocery store and it makes all the difference.
 
I put a pack of dry onion soup mix in 2# of meat.
Maybe some other seasonings like more salt and pepper or garlic.
Yes i know its like meat loaf but i get more compliments with this.
People love grilled or smoked "meatloaf" burgers.!!
 
I've never had any other meat other than the 80/20 ground beef from the cooler section. I usually do olive oil then S&P, or I do the Weber Gourmet Burger seasoning. When y'all are talking about the ground chuck, is it boneless chuck roast that you're talking about? I think I saw it yesterday at the grocery store in the "butcher" case for $3.99/lb. If that's the right thing, I'll be picking some up soon to do a side by side comparison.
 
Advice from a "Old" 1970 Grilling Cookbook; and I quote: "Hamburger for the BBQ should contain some-but not too much-fat. Extra lean meat dries out quickly and must be basted. For this reason, ground chuck is preferable to ground round steak and is normally the correct choice for outdoor cooking.

Never make hamburgers smaller than 1/4 lb per person. They will dry out. The addition of one egg and 1/4 cup of bread crumbs per pound of hamburger helps hold the hamburgers together, although undoctored patties usually survive on the grill. Make your 1/4 lb patties about 1/2" thick. Normally 4 to 6 minutes on each side is sufficient cooking time and Hamburgers should always be basted. Use for favorite BBQ Sauce or a small amount of oil."(End of Quote).

One recipe that I really like from this BBQ Cookbook:

Pizza Burgers

2 lbs of Ground Chuck; 1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese;1/4 cup chopped onion;1/2 cup green pepper, minced;1 tsp. salt;1 tsp oregano;dash pepper;1 6oz can tomato paste;8 slices Mozzarella cheese; 8 tomato slices

Combine meat in a large bowl with Parmesan cheese, onion,green pepper, salt,pepper,oregano, and tomato paste. Shape into 8 patties. Broil over medium hot coals on one side. Turn over and top with tomato slices and cheese. Cook until cheese is melted. Serve on your favorate bun.
 
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BrianJ said:
When y'all are talking about the ground chuck, is it boneless chuck roast that you're talking about? I think I saw it yesterday at the grocery store in the "butcher" case for $3.99/lb. If that's the right thing, I'll be picking some up soon to do a side by side comparison.
Click to expand...

When chuck roasts go on sale (usually for about $2.50 to $3/lb), I buy several and grind 'em in a variety of ways for various purposes. Using the Kitchen-Aid grinder, I'll process some with just the large die for chili and double-grind (first large, then small die) for burgers, meatloaf and other stuff.

As far as making the burgers, I used to mix in a bit (2-3 teaspoons) of Montreal Steak seasoning before forming the patties and freezing, but I found that tended to discolor the meat. Nowadays, I just mix in 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt per pound of meat. Before cooking, I brush on some veg oil and add a little fresh ground pepper.
 
When i patty up burgers i use my 5 inch ring.. YES 5 inch.. after cooking it sticks out of the bun still...
Its called a MISS BEEFY 5 inch press.. from Aspen earth. I think Ebay has them.
You wont be sorry if you get one.
And buy a box of patty paper.
The ring makes a perfect burger that will impress. !!
 
Now, that's a valuable little piece of information, Dean! I want one.
The best one I ever made was, two one pound patties which encapsulated baked beans, sautéed onions and 1/2 pound of crispy bacon (crumbled) grilled direct, not insanely hot and turned withthe help of a second pair of hands and a pizza pan.
It fed the five of us with a lovely baguette and copious quantities of adult beverages! I made that maybe 30 years ago, and I still remember it!
 
It's good to know how your burguers are.

What I do?

- Ground beef, grinded by my butcher in the moment.
- I add a egg yolk, or two per kg. and a stream of black beer, remember to have a gulp for you, and a pinch of salt.
- Knead with your hands to get a uniform dough.
- *** Use a burguer press to have perfect circles --> This is new, I didn't have it before.
- Put the burguers in a tray covered with kitchen paper. Cover the burguers with more kitchen paper and put another tray over them with some weight.
- Let them rest in the fridge some hours or overnight.
- A pair of hours before cooking take out them to warm a little.

And that's all. Like the most of you say about yours: these are the best burguers in many kilometers around :cool:

Sometimes I mix beef with ground bacon or Iberian cured ham.
 
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Lately I've been getting a small brisket flat and grinding it myself to make burgers. My wife says they're incredible.
 
Wayne, I've been grinding my own with the KA grinding attachment for 3-4 years. Will NOT go back to preground meat from the grocery store! I use a sirloin, chuck, short rib mixture. About a pound of each per batch. Seasoned with either SPOG or Weber's burger seasoning.
And a free formed burger is a thing of beauty! I might use a measuring cup to get them equal, but I form them by hand for that, well, hand formed look! ;)
 
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