Sorry for raising a topic that's probably boring for you grilling experts.
I'm looking for guidance in grilling hamburgers.
I've found advice such as:
- don't choose low-fact hamburg
- leave hamburg loose; don't pack it
But, I'm unable to produce a burger anywhere near as good as I can get at an excellent burger joint.
Any suggestions? Pointers to write-up?
Thanks in advance.
Ralph
Most burger places cook burgers on a flattop griddle. That is how the crust on the patty is formed.
When I do burgers, its 80/20 ground brisket if I can get the butcher to grind some for me, or 80/20 ground chuck.
I do not season the meat, just the outside with dirty dalmatian (Kosher salt, fresh ground telicherry pepper, and garlic powder)
Prep the grill, my temp is hotter than 10 yards of hell. I cook burgers hot and fast, then rest. I dont go for fancy cross hatch marks. Just cook them, BUT once they go on the grate, DO NOT TOUCH THEM. Close the lid for a couple minutes, flip only once, repeat with the lid closing until your desired temp. Mine are always on the medium/medium well.
Burgers are a blank canvas. Stuff them with whatever, season them however you want. The options are endless. Practice, practice, practice. Just gives you a reason to fire the kettle.
Jimmy, thanks very much for the reply!
So, it sounds like your 'secrets' are to use 80/20 hamburg and grill very hot. I'll try that.
There are no secrets. Just when you grill hot, you have to remember not to burn. Build a 2 zone fire. Have a safe place for the burgers to retreat if the burgers start to get away from you. Keeping the lid closed will help in flame ups from the grease.
Thanks again, Jimmy!
I like to make mine really thin, that way you can cook them hot and fast and the inside will get done before the outside is a hockey puck.
I get burgers at Costco - organic IIRC - that seem to come out pretty good. I cook them on a heavy cast iron grate - probably gives similar advantage to using a griddle as the grate has nearly 50% surface area compared to about 10% or less for a normal wire grate. (I also do these using the same grate on a propane grill and they still come out great.) I don't actually do them on a screaming hot grill. Flare ups seem to be worse if too hot, particularly using propane.
One article I read recommended 1" thick. Are yours thinner than that?
HankB, I'll try Costco hamburg. Thanks for the tip.
the best burgers i've made:
- i used ground chuck (not marked 'lean' anywhere)
- came in a rectangular tray, about 1.5" thick
- i cut the giant rectangle in half to make two squares (.75lb)
- gently reshape the square of meat into a circular patty
- use fingers to slightly indent the middle to make it kinda bowl shaped
- season both sides heavily with stubbs burger seasoning (seriously, this stuff is amazing)
cook over medium heat
keep lid closed to keep away open flame and to let that white beefy fat smoke flavor your burgers
5 minutes per side made a perfect crust, indirect for another 5 minutes cooked them to medium
I make mine about 1/3 lbs each out of 80/20. Any leaner than that tends to lack flavor. I mix in a little seasoning (usually Lowery's, garlic powder, black pepper, and a little paprika), and cook them hot and fast. Ideally, I like my lid thermometer to be up in the 550F range. 2-3 minutes per side flipping once, then maybe a minute on the indirect side to melt the cheese. Thats about it.....i will never pay for a burger when I'm out. I've always been disappointed when I have because what I can do at home is usually better. Same with a steak.
Thanks, Troy.
You guys are giving me lots of great ideas to try.
Thanks, very much, Keith.
I hope I can get to the point of not wanting to eat out, either!
If I may extend the discussion a bit... Has anyone used a burger press to form their own burgers? If so, how well does that work?
What about grinding your own beef?
Quote from: HankB on October 28, 2013, 10:11:05 AM
What about grinding your own beef?
Childish, I know, but reading that made me laugh.... sorry to get sidetracked. :o
Quote from: HankB on October 28, 2013, 10:11:05 AM
If I may extend the discussion a bit... Has anyone used a burger press to form their own burgers? If so, how well does that work?
What about grinding your own beef?
I've used a burger press before, it's an OLD one was my mom's. It works alright, but I tend to prefer to hand form them.
I usually start with 80/20 fresh ground beef. I then take about 3 - 4 oz of apple wood smoked bacon per lb of beef and dice it as much as I can. I then mix them together really well but not forcefully, soft and gentle like. Some times I add seasoning, some times not. If I do, it'll be a mix of like Onion powder, garlic powder and a hint of ground cumin. Then I weigh out about 4 oz and gently form them with my hand. When it comes to the grill I get as screaming hot of a grill as I can and cook them hot and fast to a nice medium.
The bacon I find really adds a lot of flavor with out overpowering everything.
*edit*
I forgot to add that I'll usually sprinkle just a little salt and ground black pepper onto them a little bit before they go on the grill.
I dont have the space to grind my meat. "ba dum tiss"
Really though. I would like to but the butcher at most Tom thumbs or Randalls (same) will grind a brisket for you and divide it for free.
Sadly there are neither around me anymore.
Quote from: Thin Blue Smoke on October 28, 2013, 10:26:34 AM
Quote from: HankB on October 28, 2013, 10:11:05 AM
What about grinding your own beef?
Childish, I know, but reading that made me laugh.... sorry to get sidetracked. :o
::)
It gives me great pleasure to be able to bring joy into other's lives with so little effort on my part. ;)
Quote from: HankB on October 28, 2013, 10:11:05 AM
If I may extend the discussion a bit... Has anyone used a burger press to form their own burgers? If so, how well does that work?
What about grinding your own beef?
I use a burger press exclusively now. I enjoy having a nice uniform patty, about 1/4# which is about 1/2" thick. The one I have you can adjust it to any thickness. I usually put a piece of wax/parchment paper on the press, then the burger, then I cover the top with the wax/parchment paper also. Then I can easily stack the burgers on top of each other so they can rest in the fridge for a bit to get them to firm up.
I got mine from cabelas.
Johnpv, I have a silly question: the bacon that you add to the ground beef is not cooked, right?
Quote from: Johnpv on October 28, 2013, 11:02:39 AM
Quote from: HankB on October 28, 2013, 10:11:05 AM
If I may extend the discussion a bit... Has anyone used a burger press to form their own burgers? If so, how well does that work?
What about grinding your own beef?
I've used a burger press before, it's an OLD one was my mom's. It works alright, but I tend to prefer to hand form them.
I usually start with 80/20 fresh ground beef. I then take about 3 - 4 oz of apple wood smoked bacon per lb of beef and dice it as much as I can. I then mix them together really well but not forcefully, soft and gentle like. Some times I add seasoning, some times not. If I do, it'll be a mix of like Onion powder, garlic powder and a hint of ground cumin. Then I weigh out about 4 oz and gently form them with my hand. When it comes to the grill I get as screaming hot of a grill as I can and cook them hot and fast to a nice medium.
The bacon I find really adds a lot of flavor with out overpowering everything.
*edit*
I forgot to add that I'll usually sprinkle just a little salt and ground black pepper onto them a little bit before they go on the grill.
'
Quote from: SimSportPlyr on October 29, 2013, 08:22:00 AM
Johnpv, I have a silly question: the bacon that you add to the ground beef is not cooked, right?
That is correct.
So this past weekend me and a buddy were joking about the horrible brats we invented using the grinder that I had to have! So we get the wild hair to make our own burgers Sunday!
2 lbs top sirloin steak
1 lb bacon (the one that was on sale)
2 johnsonville chedder brats
1 of the small blocks of Colby jack cheese
A half bag of birds eye seasoning blend
Ground everything into a bowl, threw in about 2 tbs of "what's this here sauce" I can't spell Worcestershire lol! Made about 12 big patties. Indented them in the middle, and grilled four at a time on the weber gourmet cast iron crosshatch grill. Couple mins per side, and moved to the edges for About 20 mins! All in all my wife said we will never buy ground meat again! They were awesome! Maybe next time less bacon, cause they were awfully wet! The first flip, I lost a little!
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Quote from: Chad A on October 29, 2013, 04:29:50 PM
Quote from: HankB on October 28, 2013, 10:11:05 AM
If I may extend the discussion a bit... Has anyone used a burger press to form their own burgers? If so, how well does that work?
What about grinding your own beef?
I use a burger press, I like it a lot. I place a square piece of wax paper down, a small hand full of burger, another wax paper square, press the lid down, good to go, works nice and fast. Best thing about it is it's size adjustibility; pick how thick you want it and go to town making burgers.
Here's the one I use, http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/adjustable-nonstick-burger-press/?pkey=e|burger%2Bpress|4|best|0|1|24||2&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_- (http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/adjustable-nonstick-burger-press/?pkey=e%7Cburger%2Bpress%7C4%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C2&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH%7C%7CNoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-)
That is the same one that we have. It works very well.
Quote from: Thin Blue Smoke on October 28, 2013, 10:26:34 AM
Quote from: HankB on October 28, 2013, 10:11:05 AM
What about grinding your own beef?
Childish, I know, but reading that made me laugh.... sorry to get sidetracked. :o
Ha-ha.
Quote from: SimSportPlyr on October 27, 2013, 08:16:13 PM
One article I read recommended 1" thick. Are yours thinner than that?
Ya, I keep mine thinner than that...probably about 1/4". They don't make for a HUGE burger, but they aren't tiny either. They work well for making a double too :)
I used to make burger patties the size I'd like them after cooking and obviously, that never worked. They'd always shrink in diameter, but never in thickess. I've sure we've all experienced a burger like this at the neighborhood cookout. It's got an inedible char on it and takes a few bites of pure bun and toppings before you reach the meat in the middle (there's a joke in there somewhere).
Enough blabbering, I'll let the pics do the talking:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/WRX1986/null_zpsa707265b.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/WRX1986/null_zpsc9044f3e.jpg)
GC8, yum, that looks good!
May I ask what type of seasoning you show in the photo?
Try some of these bad boys http://bbqpitboys.com/burger-recipes
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For quickness I'll get some Costco burgers and season them with salt/pepper and old bay seasoning, old bay tastes that good I could eat it on its own
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(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/04/zahave8a.jpg)
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Thanks for the link.
There are some interesting and exotic burger recipes there!
Quote from: esq3585 on November 03, 2013, 09:48:51 AM
Try some of these bad boys http://bbqpitboys.com/burger-recipes
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I'd never heard of Old Bay before.
I'll give it a try, if I can find it in a local store.
Quote from: esq3585 on November 03, 2013, 09:50:58 AM
For quickness I'll get some Costco burgers and season them with salt/pepper and old bay seasoning, old bay tastes that good I could eat it on its own
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Thx for the Old Bay Seasoning photo!
Old Bay seasoning is amazing and is a staple for anyone living anywhere remotely close to the Chesapeake Bay area. I put that stuff on everything.
Quote from: SimSportPlyr on November 03, 2013, 08:09:24 PM
I'd never heard of Old Bay before.
I'll give it a try, if I can find it in a local store.
Quote from: esq3585 on November 03, 2013, 09:50:58 AM
For quickness I'll get some Costco burgers and season them with salt/pepper and old bay seasoning, old bay tastes that good I could eat it on its own
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I usually order it from Amazon as we have nowhere here locally to purchase it
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Thx.
I'll order it from amazon the next time I put together a $25/$35 order.
May I ask what you put it on besides grilled meat?
Quote from: Tim in PA on November 04, 2013, 04:57:16 AM
Old Bay seasoning is amazing and is a staple for anyone living anywhere remotely close to the Chesapeake Bay area. I put that stuff on everything.
Quote from: SimSportPlyr on November 04, 2013, 09:56:01 AM
May I ask what you put it on besides grilled meat?
Quote from: Tim in PA on November 04, 2013, 04:57:16 AM
Old Bay seasoning is amazing and is a staple for anyone living anywhere remotely close to the Chesapeake Bay area. I put that stuff on everything.
Any style of eggs, fries/potatoes, corn on the cob, on the butter side of grilled cheese, burgers, and of course, the whole point of the stuff is to use it on crabs. So many possibilities.
Thanks, Tim!
Great thread, guys. Keep up the good work!
Quote from: Tim in PA on November 04, 2013, 10:19:59 AM
Quote from: SimSportPlyr on November 04, 2013, 09:56:01 AM
May I ask what you put it on besides grilled meat?
Quote from: Tim in PA on November 04, 2013, 04:57:16 AM
Old Bay seasoning is amazing and is a staple for anyone living anywhere remotely close to the Chesapeake Bay area. I put that stuff on everything.
Any style of eggs, fries/potatoes, corn on the cob, on the butter side of grilled cheese, burgers, and of course, the whole point of the stuff is to use it on crabs. So many possibilities.
+1
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Quote from: SimSportPlyr on November 04, 2013, 10:43:12 AM
Thanks, Tim!
No problem.
Last night I breaded some pork chops and potato wedges with flour and added a bunch of old bay to that as well. ;)
Im a little late to this party but I have a good one. I use a food scale to make sure all pattys are same weight. 10-12oz. I hand form all pattys to a little over bun width to account for shrinkage. I use an "Americas Test Kitchen" recipe. If you have not heard of these folks they attack recipes with scientific methods to perfect results. This recipe is the first one I tried and I believe is the burger that sparked off my Weberitis. The key here for me is the food scale to make sure all are cooked at the same time and the "dimple." The burgers are going to puff up in the middle so compensate for that by pressing a dimple in the middle about a 1/4 of the way thru the center of the patty on one side. Start with that side up. Do not flip burgers until 6-8 minutes. DO NOT SEAR (squish) PATTY!!!! Burgers will pull away from grate when read to flip assuming that its clean and slightly oiled. Flip. 4-6 minutes. (i make big burgers compared to this recipe and my cook times have been adjusted to my needs and taste)
Many of you may be calling BS on almost 20 minutes of cook time for a burger. This recipe is for a well-done burger. I usually order a rare to medium rare when ordering at a restaurant, but when at home I do it like this and my homemade burgers are better. Many of you may think that this will be a hockey puck, but I assure you that this recipe is the BOMBDIGGIDY! The milk/bread mixture is the key to allowing longer cook times with retaining moisture.
http://www.jnoelle.com/recipes/Well-Done-Burgers.pdf (http://www.jnoelle.com/recipes/Well-Done-Burgers.pdf)
Quote from: SimSportPlyr on November 04, 2013, 09:56:01 AM
May I ask what you put it on besides grilled meat?
Quote from: Tim in PA on November 04, 2013, 04:57:16 AM
Old Bay seasoning is amazing and is a staple for anyone living anywhere remotely close to the Chesapeake Bay area. I put that stuff on everything.
A little off topic but he did ask....
I rub light olive oil on a salmon fillet and sprinkle old bay and rosemary flakes on it then wrap it in foil and place on a cast iron griddle on the grill for 20-25 min. The bottom is a tad crispy and the rest melts in your mouth. 250-275 degrees.
Quote from: SimSportPlyr on November 03, 2013, 08:22:33 AM
GC8, yum, that looks good!
May I ask what type of seasoning you show in the photo?
It's called Cavender's. My mom used to put it on all sorts of stuff when growing up...what really sticks out is pizza and raw tomatoes from the garden. I like to put it on almost everything; I really like it as a steak seasoning as well as mixing in with ground beef for burgers. I use the yellow version but they make a salt-free version that is blue. I've never had that so can't really speak to it.
Minigrillin, I hadn't seen that recipe, but I like Cooks Illustrated/ATK recipes, so thanks for the link!
your welcome. these burgers speak for themselves btw... no cheese or veggies needed. meat and bread. no mayo. no ketchup.
napkin, bread, bun. yum