Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburgers Sous Vide Style

[emuleman]

I decided to try making some burgers with my Sous Vide, and I was blown away with the results. I think the fact that I ground my own beef for the burgers also added to how wonderfully delicious and juicy these burgers were.

I started with a Beef Chuck Roast just over 3 pounds.

I then trimmed the beef to remove excess fat and silver skin.

Then using the KitchenAid Grinder attachment for our mixer, proceeded to grind it into ground beef.

Then I made some nice and big burger patties using a burger press, and into the sous vide bath at 135 degrees for 2 1/2 hours.

Finished them off in a hot cast iron pan for a minute on each side, and we were ready to eat!

They came out a perfect medium, nice and rosy pink in the inside. My wife and son were very happy at the results.

Of course as usual I had to make a video showing you the whole process. Very simple yet absolutely delicious. I highly recommend, and bet they will be the best burgers you ever had!

 

[zerowin]

I just got a sous cooker for x-mas, this might be my first cook with it, once I get a proper sealer. They look great!

 

[emuleman]

I just got a sous cooker for x-mas, this might be my first cook with it, once I get a proper sealer. They look great!

No need for a sealer for this recipe. I used Ziplock Freezer bags, and they work fine.

 

[troutman]

Beautiful !!! POINT

 

[SmokinAl]

Nice job on the burgers!
I have never thought to SV a burger, but I may have to give it a try!
Nicely done & congrats on making the carousel!
Al

 

[Bearcarver]

Looks Awesome, Erik!!!:)---Like.

I've thought about this, and had a plan, but never did it.

Thanks to you, I'll be moving that one back up.:)

Bear

 

[xray]

Burgers look awesome! I never got around to doing this yet.

I have burgers frozen and vacuum sealed in packs of two. I’ll have to drop a pack in the SV and try it.

 

[biaviian]

I never understood why people did burgers this way. What makes them better than those on a grill?

 

[emuleman]

I never understood why people did burgers this way. What makes them better than those on a grill?

When cooking burgers the traditional way on the grill, it sometimes is difficult to gauge doneness. Many times you are left with a burger that is still partially raw and under cooked, or over cooked, where it has lost all its flavor and juiciness.

Cooking it Sous Vide solves that problem, as you set the temperature of your water bath to the desired final temperature of your meat, making it nearly impossible to over-cook or under-cook your burgers. You also can have a dozen burgers cooking away at your next get together, and pull them out a few at a time and finish them in a frying pan, or on a grill. This way if some guests arrive an hour later you can still serve them a perfectly cooked burger an hour after everyone has already eaten, instead of offering a cold burger that has been sitting on a plate for over an hour, hard, dried out and cold. Sous Vide is perfect for having dinner parties as you can focus more time on conversations and less time stressing out over cooking food.

Don't take my word for it, try it yourself. It will change your way of thinking when hosting a dinner party or BBQ.

 

[dls1]

Nice job, emuleman. Good looking burgers.

Most of the burgers I've done over the past few years have been done SV. Like you, I grind my own meat, sometimes chuck only, but more often a mix of chuck, short rib, and brisket. We like our burgers on the medium rare side so I cook them at 130F for 1 hour, then sear. They always come out great.

You comment that a vacuum sealed bag is not needed but I would correct that to say it's not recommended. I tried it once and the nicely shaped ground patties took on a variety of new shapes. Zip Lock bags are fine.

Good work. Like!

 

[johnmeyer]

I decided to try making some burgers with my Sous Vide, and I was blown away with the results. I think the fact that I ground my own beef for the burgers also added to how wonderfully delicious and juicy these burgers were.

First of all, great looking burger!

Second, you might get further inspiration from the SV burger post I saw almost two years ago:

Sous vide smoked burgers

... Like you, I grind my own meat, sometimes chuck only, but more often a mix of chuck, short rib, and brisket. We like our burgers on the medium rare side so I cook them at 130F for 1 hour, then sear. They always come out great.

I was going to mention this as well. I've been grinding meat for my hamburgers for several years and am constantly trying to find a mix that will give me the "ultimate" taste. What I have found is that you most definitely need some fat mixed in. My only criticism of what you showed is that the burgers might be a little lean and dry, although if you like them that way, then by all means do it that way. Personally, I would have kept some of that fat in the mix.

FWIW, my current mix is: One pound flap meat; 2/3 pound boneless short ribs; 1/4 pound oxtail. The last one is the "secret ingredient" that provides not only the fat that is lacking in the other two, but also a very intriguing taste.

I never understood why people did burgers this way. What makes them better than those on a grill?

One word: rare.

As you know, in this day and age of eliminating all risks from life, we have a lot of government agencies warning against eating burgers that aren't cooked somewhere north of well-done. Don't get me wrong, there are certain elements in these warnings that one should heed, especially since "ground beef" that you buy in stores often has all sorts of trimmings and leaving and other stuff from the outside of the cow that can contain all sorts of contamination.

When you grind your own beef, you eliminate some, but not all, of these hazards. However, if you want a rare burger, you might still have a minuscule risk of ingesting pathogens. However, with sous vide, you can cook it really rare, and still be perfectly safe. Earlier today I linked to the following post that I made about how sous vide lets you cook at really low temperatures, yet still maintain 100% safety. While my post discusses chicken, the same exact thing applies to beef:

Sous Vide, Smokers, and Food Safety - We're Safer Than We Thought

The other great thing about sous vide is the absolutely uniform doneness you can achieve. Note in his excellent Qview how beautifully uniform the meat doneness is from top-to-bottom and side-to-side. This is more important in a steak, but it helps hamburgers as well.

 

[one eyed jack]

Great Googely Moogely. I have fond memories of the days when I could have eaten a burger of that size. (I'm old, metabolism has slowed considerably and I just can't eat like that anymore.)

That is a lovely burger. Pretty work, and thank's for the memories.

 

[Bearcarver]

Great Googely Moogely. I have fond memories of the days when I could have eaten a burger of that size. (I'm old, metabolism has slowed considerably and I just can't eat like that anymore.)

That is a lovely burger. Pretty work, and thank's for the memories.

So we can eat a lot cheaper than when it used to take a lot more to fill us up.:D

Bear

 

[Smoke23]

Fantastic looking burgers! I bet they tasted even better!!!

 

[dr k]

Nice! I'll be doing these.

 

[biaviian]

When cooking burgers the traditional way on the grill, it sometimes is difficult to gauge doneness. Many times you are left with a burger that is still partially raw and under cooked, or over cooked, where it has lost all its flavor and juiciness.

I don't have that issue. My grill is so dialed in and consistent that I can predict doneness every time, with beef anyway. I am always overcooking sausages but they are still great.

Don't take my word for it, try it yourself. It will change your way of thinking when hosting a dinner party or BBQ.

I will certainly be trying it. I have a list of things to try that I am on the fence about. One day I'll check a few off the list.

 

[biaviian]

One word: rare.

As you know, in this day and age of eliminating all risks from life, we have a lot of government agencies warning against eating burgers that aren't cooked somewhere north of well-done. Don't get me wrong, there are certain elements in these warnings that one should heed, especially since "ground beef" that you buy in stores often has all sorts of trimmings and leaving and other stuff from the outside of the cow that can contain all sorts of contamination.

I get all of my beef from a local butcher that uses local cows. They only use chuck for their ground beef, and it is ground several times a day. I doubt you can buy some that is over 30 minutes old. Due to this, I have never been concerned with the safety of their beef. I am very fortunate in that way.

They hang the beef for a week then it is butchered on Tuesday and they have a very limited case. On Wednesday they have a full case and most of it will sell-out Saturday afternoon. They are closed Sunday and Monday. My girls love going with me to see them cut the meat. They are cutting what seems like every minute of every day. If you get a steak you can be sure that it was cut that day if not in the last hour.

I will try it sometime. I'm just not sold on it producing a superior product or it making enough of an impact to justify the time it takes. I understand the convenience part, especially for those that don't have a big grill and/or live in an apartment.

 

[one eyed jack]

So we can eat a lot cheaper than when it used to take a lot more to fill us up.:D

Bear

Good point Bear. My problem is trying to convince myself that I don't need to eat like I used to and I've got the waistline to prove it. :(

 

[Braz]

Ongoing discussion in the Braz household:
"You are old so you have to watch what you eat."
"I am old so I deserve to eat whatever I want."