Cooking your best burger

[MikeLucky]

So, my wife likes her burger patties thin so that's how I do them. I don't add a bunch of stuff pre-cooked because at some point before you know it you have meat loafs on the grill. I love meatloaf, but not when I'm making burgers.

My grill salt is:

3 parts salt
2 parts black pepper
1 part onion powder
1 part garlic powder

Each pound of 80/20 is made into 8 balls. I've done the smash on the griddle, but found that it just works better for time and consistency to use a press and stack each patty with wax or parchment paper in between.

I do a full chimney of coals and fill both baskets. I put one basket offset to put a cast iron griddle or skillet over it, the other basket in the middle, leaving an indirect area on the opposite end from the griddle/skillet.

First step is to cut up a large, white sweet or vidalia onion and grill it all on the griddle/skillet with a little butter or oil until they are clear and pull them all to be available as toppings. This is an important step to me as it adds flavor to the surface and, of course, you have grilled onions.

Then I start the patties first to crust each side on the hot griddle/skillet and shake the grill salt on each side while cooking. Then move those patties to the grill directly over the coals in the middle to get that charcoal cooked flavor on them. Then move them to the indirect side to finish and add cheese to melt. If you are doing a lot of patties you just do them in groups and cycle them through each stage.

Special sauce:

1/2 Cup Duke's Mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons Ketchup
2 Tablespoons Relish of your choice (some like dill, some like sweet, I make my own with Clausen pickles)

Oh, and you can toast the buns on the sides of the grill too.

 

[Brad Olson]

Recently I stopped adding salt to my burgers until they're on the grill. I got this notion from Serious Eats, and I swear my burgers are better for it now. Basically, I grind my own ahead of time and season with nothing but black pepper in the grind. I add a bit of salt on each burger before and after the flip.

I cube my burger meat a day or 2 in advance and salt/season it then, giving the salt time to work into the meat. Then the patties are seasoned throughout, not just on the surface, and the salt can help retain moisture as well..

 

[J Grotz]

I cube my burger meat a day or 2 in advance and salt/season it then, giving the salt time to work into the meat. Then the patties are seasoned throughout, not just on the surface, and the salt can help retain moisture as well..

This sounds interesting. I'll try it after the current burger stash runs out. After the first grind, I've been hitting it with SPOG and tossing before a second finer grind. America's Test Kitchen and others are now preaching the "dry brine" of anywhere from 2 hours to several days, depending on the cut and type of meat.

 

[Brad Olson]

I'm a one-grind guy but I can see that working, too. The argument against the advance salting of ground beef has always been that doing so will toughen the meat, but since you're making a second pass through the grinder that should take care of any issues.

Another thing I like to do is add a splash of oil to the cubed beef as it marinates. Pepper comes alive in oil, and when that extra oil passes through the blade and the plate it coats the ground beef. At least, that's what I tell myself.

 

[Erik Tracy]

I've had the best results with a fresh 'that day' grind of 80/20 from my butcher.

Big boys want 8 oz patties sized just right so that after cooking they fit on a good chew bun.

I season with my own concoction of garlic/parsley salt, black pepper, Old Bay, and smoked paprika. I brush on some melted butter before they hit my grill (a 20 year old Vermont Castings that keeps chugging on) that I get f'in hot.

Fixin's as you want it - I go lettuce, crisp onion, tomato, roasted Hatch green chile, with a slice of American cheese.

 

[Kobe Hoppa]

I add egg, mustard, Worcester, grated onion, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Grill direct on my kettle about 6 minutes per side. Turn out fantastic! It's just crazy how much smoke they produce!

 

[Tony-Chicago]

I add egg, mustard, Worcester, grated onion, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Grill direct on my kettle about 6 minutes per side. Turn out fantastic! It's just crazy how much smoke they produce!

Dry mustard?
I grilled a few complicated recipes this week. However, for my dinner a hastily thrown half frozen beef blob. I was too busy to even defrost it or really even shape it. All I can say is that if it were in a competition, no matter how many entrants, be it 50 or 1,000, it would have finished dead last.
Still liked it.

 

[Jim McKelvey]

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. !!

THANK YOU for this... I have been looking for a simple 5" press. Ordered the other day and it is perfect.

 

[M Craw]

We're all world-class burger chefs, but my go-to system is...

Four steps really:

• Fresh ground beef (80/20 variety) - grind your own or find locally
• Make simple patties (don't bruise the meat) and refrigerate
• Get the grill hot
• Season patties generously with table salt and finely ground pepper

Grill to your desire and serve

 

[Brad Olson]

However, for my dinner a hastily thrown half frozen beef blob. I was too busy to even defrost it or really even shape it. All I can say is that if it were in a competition, no matter how many entrants, be it 50 or 1,000, it would have finished dead last.
Still liked it.

And that's all that matters!