Making burgers.. How??

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buckweet

Newbie
Original poster
Dec 29, 2009
6
10
Okay so I'm getting tired of being stumped..

We have a few bars around town that just have amazing burgers, along with places like Five guys and such.. I am to the point where I am just irritated that I can't make a burger like I get at these places.. I'm talking about just a simple plain burger such as meat, cheese and bacon on a normal bun.. These burgers are just so juicy and flavorful.

I've searched the internet and found some few tips but sometimes they are contradicted. Sometimes I've seen to use a binder such as eggs, egg whites, bread crumbs and other items. Other places say not to use these. I just don't know where to start honestly. I've also seem recommendations to use different types of meat. Ground round, ground beef, chuck, etc.. I want a juicy flavorful burger which you don't get from lean mean. However, as we know the more fat the more it shrinks.

Anyone have some good starter tips that I could use and modify to my liking?

Please help!
 
Are you planning to grind your own or buy the beef from the store.
 
No you can buy beef from the store as usual and just grind it up your self and then you can control the fat to beef ratio and then spice it the way that you want to.
 
Here is my advice.
Season your beef patty with salt and pepper.
Place it on a Hot grill or griddle.
Flip the burger when it starts to discolor around the edges.
Flip the burger only one time.
NEVER press on the burger with a spatula.
Do not overcook it.
 
I have always had good success with this simple plan.

Patty out your burgers so they are about 1/4 in bigger than your bun all around. This will leave you with a burger that is the size of your bun when it is done.

Preheat your grill, get her nice and hot like 450 or so. Put your burgers on and let them cook until the blood is running out the top and flip them over to a fresh spot on your grill. This will allow you to get another hot section of your grate to sear the other side. You will have some nice grill marks and the meat will be seared to hold in the juice. Once you have flipped them wait until the juice runs clear on that side and they are done.

They should be juicy and seared on both sides. Just be careful when you bite into them there will be alot of juice running out.

If you are doing this on a griddle the same applies just no grill marks.

Just my method. Hope this helps.

Works well for us.
 
just to add to this, when constructing the burger, take it easy on it, be gentle with it in the forming process, you dont want to compress the meat together real bad... they remain juicer than when the burger is packed.

another tip for something different is before gently flattening the ball of burger into the patty shape, open it up in the center and slip in a pat of butter and a tablespoon of your fav steak sauce or even bbq sauce. close back up and gently flatten and onto grill...
 
Another vote for the KISS method. Form the patty larger than the bun, salt and fresh cracked pepper, grill over high heat (I like a 90 degree turn halfway), flip once and cook to medium rare.

Also, as stated, never press or poke the meat during the cooking as all it does is dry out the burger.

If you use frozen patties (which I do on occasion), make sure they are good quality and take them straight from the freezer to the grill and follow the same cooking method as if fresh.
 
I like to use only gorund beef with a 80%-20% ratio. This will get rid of dryness. I also like to add Yoshida's and Worshester sauce and an egg. Another mix is just Worschester and onion soup mix. Do them in your smoker at 230 degrees and they will have amazing flavor. If you want the searing and grill marks then use your grill.
 
I concur with all the tips above & want to add, cook two or three at the same time. Have a friend or two over & use the methods just discussed on each burger. Mix one with egg & Worshester sauce while making your patty. Do another using the "Pat of butter and / or favorite BBQ sauce" in the middle. Make the last one regular. Season all three or two & figure which one you like the best & pay attention to "Not Flattening the Patty" while it cooks. Practice makes perfect but you will nail it in no time if not the next time. Good luck!!
 
i have been grinding my own now and have found that pan frying tastes better than doing them on the grill, i don't know why but they are good!!
 
A good 80-20 Angus chuck has always produced the best results for me. All of the tips above are spot-on, too. I always use Lea & Perrins Worcestershire in the mix along with some other seasonings -- maybe some garlic powder, cayenne, and Montreal steak seasoning. Then I put them on the grill or fry them and add salt and pepper while they're cooking. Definitely don't press or poke them!

Also, I use mesquite chunks instead of charcoal for fuel on the charcoal grill. Yummiest steaks and burgers!
 
That stuff is GREAT ~
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Ground Brisket mixed with 85/15 angus makes the best burger you will ever eat . I give you my word on that .
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I forget which show I was watching but one guy had a reasonable explanation for that. He said that on a grill the fat from your meat drips into the fire and burns up. On the stainless steel flat griddle the fat has nowhere to go except back into the burger. Made sense to me but I still grill mine lol.
 
Here is something to try if you have a grinder. I do this with deer meat (3 lbs deer, 2lbs burger, and 1 lbs bacon) that I mixed with cheap ground beef and it turns out real good. Take a pound of bacon and grind it in with 5 pounds of burger. Very good that way and makes a killer meatloaf too!

Mark
 
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