Juicy Hamburger Pattys

[Scott Eisenbraun]

I know it's just a common burger, seems so easy, but I struggle to make a good juicy burger that is cooked through. I use 80/20 hamburger, but by time the meat is to temp, it is also dried out.

I don't trust commercial hamburger to only cook to med rare, and most of my guests wouldn't eat reddish burgers anyway. If I ground my own meat, (which I could) I definitely would cook to no more than medium.

 

[bregent]

That's one of the reason's I like smash burgers - they cook so quick there's no time for it to loose its juiciness. But when I cook plump burgers from commercial ground beef on the grill, I add a panade made from milk and bread crumbs. The starch acts as a binder to lock in the juice.

 

[Scott Eisenbraun]

The thin patty makes sense. Do you season before or after grilling burger?

Guy, what's his name of the Food Network, would call the thicker patty "Meatloaf" if anything other than beef is in the patty.

 

[SonnyE]

The thin patty makes sense. Do you season before or after grilling burger?

Guy, what's his name of the Food Network, would call the thicker patty "Meatloaf" if anything other than beef is in the patty.

Guy Whatshisname... LOL!

Guy Fieri

I prefer to SPOG the burger before cooking, myself.
That way the seasonings cook into my burger.

I use a patty press I've set to a perfect 1/4 pound patty (Weighed).
After that, stacked with Patty Paper and frozen for later use.
Then the patties can be cooked anyway I want to.

Most of my grilling is what I call low and slow. That way the heat cooks it through by the time the outside is getting it's nice caramelized grill lines.

But cook some burg's, eventually you will get a method you love.
Just fire that barby up!

 

[bregent]

The thin patty makes sense. Do you season before or after grilling burger?

If I'm making patties then I add salt and pepper to the panade. If doing smash burgers, then I just roll unseasoned ground beef into meatballs and smash into smoking hot griddle, salt, wait about 1 minute, flip and cook till done.

 

[Scott Eisenbraun]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I notice that all the fast food places use a thin patty. (Not that they're tasty) Sometimes I like a thicker patty so the bun doesn't overwhelm the taste of meat. I will try both methods and master burgers yet!

 

[johnmeyer]

A thin patty is one solution, but if you grind it yourself, you can use a coarse grind which I have found cooks pretty fast and stays very juicy. The other advantage of grinding your own is you can experiment with not only different cuts of meat, but also different degrees of fat. I have never trusted the fat percentages shown on supermarket ground beef labels, and have had 80/20 GB that is so fatty that the fire department has to be called because of all the smoke (actually happened to me back in 1976), and other times when there was so little fat that the burgers had no juice at all when cut.

Also, experiment with the heat you use while cooking. I realize you are asking about burgers, but for thick steaks, the tried and true method is to sear on a 500+ degree skillet or on the searing section of your grill, and then move the steak to either the oven or to the indirect (no heat underneath) portion of your grill to let the interior come up to temp at a relatively low temperature.

 

[Scott Eisenbraun]

I do the same with a thick steaks. The Yoder I use can be set to 600 degrees with the temps actually reaching 700 above the fire pot, checked with a laser thermometer. My Grill Mates have warped down about 1/2 inch.

Another good idea to try. Probably at a lower temp.

 

[zwiller]

Do a search, there's a few good burger threads with lots of good info. There are some well known things that you need to know. IE never add salt to the ground beef before forming patty and more. IMO they key is a nice rest. I park burgers in my oven set at 170F for half or so or longer (a few beers LOL). Also, check out a sear burner. Total game changer.

With the Guy comment, you sound like a purist and from what i gather the purist's take is custom grind. IIRC 40/40/10 chuck/brisket/ox tail. Myself, I take the science approach and use 10% water and phosphate. That's probably what the chains are doing. End result is indeed much like a chain and the burger is very steak like. I call this tavern/pub style. You need to be using 8-10oz GB for them.

 

[Scott Eisenbraun]

Actually, I was poking fun at Guy. He's the purist. I was thinking about seasoning one side just before putting the patty on the grill. Flip and season the other. I also purchased a cast iron griddle made for the Yoder, to try a typical diner style burger. Got a good crust, but I dried out the patty again. Grilled at 375. Too hot, I suppose.

Custom grinding is not a problem, but what does your grind end up costing? And what the heck is phosphate? But I bet you're not happy until you achieve excellence either.

 

[Bearcarver]

Most of the time I'm grilling my Venison Burgers, which are 50% Venison, 25% Beef, and 25% Pork.
The only thing we add is about 5 TBS of Worcestershire per pound, when we make the patties.
No other seasonings, except condiments at the table
None of ours are ever dry. I think burgers get dry when the grill isn't hot enough, and it takes too long to get them to where you want the IT to be.

Bear

 

[Scott Eisenbraun]

Thanks Bear, The Worcestershire adds moisture I gather. I'd also have to make a Bloody Mary as long as the bottle is out. The not so simple perfect hamburger trials are about to begin.

 

[SonnyE]

Thanks Bear, The Worcestershire adds moisture I gather. I'd also have to make a Bloody Mary as long as the bottle is out. The not so simple perfect hamburger trials are about to begin.

Bloody Mary's are great. But ice cold beer is a safety item in case of burned fingers.
I like a small squirt of Tabasco added to my beer occasionally. :rolleyes:

 

[Scott Eisenbraun]

Bloody Mary's are great. But ice cold beer is a safety item in case of burned fingers.
I like a small squirt of Tabasco added to my beer occasionally. :rolleyes:

We'd get along fine.

 

[zwiller]

Actually, I was poking fun at Guy. He's the purist. I was thinking about seasoning one side just before putting the patty on the grill. Flip and season the other. I also purchased a cast iron griddle made for the Yoder, to try a typical diner style burger. Got a good crust, but I dried out the patty again. Grilled at 375. Too hot, I suppose.

Custom grinding is not a problem, but what does your grind end up costing? And what the heck is phosphate? But I bet you're not happy until you achieve excellence either.

Not found burger nirvana yet but getting there. Grinding your own is usually more expensive but people swear by it. Never did it myself. I tend to KISS. https://aht.seriouseats.com/2009/10...ger-blend-profiles-of-eight-cuts-of-beef.html Dare I say one key principle behind using blends is likely adding MORE fat that 80/20. I use ground chuck. I plan to fool with some brisket once I have some scrap to play with.

Phosphate is all natural but pretty technical stuff. I like to geek out now and then. https://meatsci.osu.edu/node/125
Phosphate can be found at alot of places including Amazon. It's quite wild to use for burgers as it pretty much incorporates so well you'd never know you added it. Use @ .25% meat weight.

A good burger is really the sum of all parts. IE tavern burger requires a good bun and fresh toppings. A good bun can be hard to find and $. Toast it. It holds up all the juices of the toppings. I usually get crafty and use good cheese too. I like pepper jack on mine. Also notice a good restaurant's lettuce is GREEN and not the pale white crap you're using... Red onions. Pickles are different too. Look for fast food pickles. INCREDIBLY GOOD. There's usually a house sauce and plenty online. I like 50/50 sour cream/mayo with a bit of horseradish. Season it a bit. Order of assembly matters too. I always did it backwards (everything on top - not so) https://www.tgifridays.com/burger-bar/

Did I mention I am a certified beer judge LOL.

 

[Bearcarver]

Did I mention I am a certified beer judge LOL.

Aren't We All?!?!

Bear

 

[kelbro]

I buy the cheapest 73% lean ground beef and flatten them out to about 3/4" x 8" diameter. SPOG or a little Tony Chacheries. Hot grill with a spray bottle of water handy to manage the flare-ups.

They will not be dry and the flavor is much better than the lean tavern burgers.

 

[SonnyE]

Aren't We All?!?!

Bear

LOL, Bear!
I'm more laid back. All I'm concerned with is the 4 main ingredients:
B
E
E
R

And that is not spelled A-L-E, and does not contain citrus or fruits.
(What are people trying to cover up by poking a lime wedge in a Corona? Or an Orange slice on a Blue Moon?)

And about all of the Micro Brews are rather micro in enjoyment?

As a simple man, I have simple tastes. I've decided 80/20 burger works for me. Give me a major American brewed Beer.
And don't feed me any Rutabagas or Lima beans. I'll eat about anything else, including my mistakes to hide the evidence.

But I still think an Ice Cold Beer is the best first aid for a burned finger. ;) Just hold the can with the burn, if the beer has evaporated somehow :rolleyes:, use the burned hand to fish a fresh one from the ice water in the cooler.
There now, doesn't that feel better?

 

[Scott Eisenbraun]

Hard to argue with that logic.

I do enjoy some of the wheat beers out there. I figure it's like trying new foods. Some of the things I didn't think I'd like, were delicious. Some needed to be spit out.

 

[Jeff Wright]

Grinding your own is usually more expensive but people swear by it.

Actually these days it isn't necessarily true, at least around here. I can get round steak at $2.99 lb on sale. Pretty lean, so I like to cut some pork into my ground. At best, ground round goes on sale for $3.99. 80/20 can be bought on sale for $2.99, but doing my own and I know what went into it. Hamburger has just plain gotten expensive.