Hamburger/beefburger ideas.

[peter]

Last week I had a 'Big Kahuna' burger from a local burger bar - a take out burger with beef, pulled pork, salad and a couple of big onion rings as dressing. The whole came to about $11 per burger - steep, but boy what aserious burger it was. It's kindled a desire in me to try to create the perfect burger and for this I have to rely on my memory of what have been the best exemplars in my life.

I remember having burgers that insted of being thin and homogenous, have been coarse grained with obvious 'ground beef' as opposed to 'minced meat' in them. They should (I guess) be chargrilled, be served in a toasted bap(?), and with a thin raw onion slice. Some good tomato relish and maybe english mustard would finish the job. My best burger memory - on the Gare du Nord railway station in Paris. Where else!

Any recipies/burger stories/tips or general advice/anecdotes would be greatly appreciated. In particular, if providing a recipie (or indeed if not) tips on the type [ie cut] of beef and the recommended 'fat content' for perfect results would be appreciated.

[Zarathustra]

Angus ground chuck at 80/20 meat-to-fat ratio. That's the single most important part. You can't do anything to make lean, poor quality beef into a great burger. I shop at a local butcher, so I get meat without hormones, anti-biotics, etc. And I know they care about their product, so it's always fresh and handled properly, and tastes awesome. But you can always grind your own beef for absolute quality control (something I'm considering ...).

Next, when forming your patties, don't compact it too much. This will help keep it from being "thin and homogenous" as you said. And I don't season it with anything but salt and (freshly ground) black pepper. I use quite a bit of salt, more than the pepper, but also a lot of pepper, too.

Then, don't overcook it, especially if you're grilling. If you're frying in a pan, it will be juicy even if you overdo it, but I still like to leave just a little bit of pink. Food safety experts might discourage such a practice, but I've never had a problem. (It would be even safer if you're grinding your own.) I prefer a grilled burger, that smoky taste, but I also like the slightly crunchy "crust" you can develop in a pan on high heat.

Whichever method you use, don't flip more than once; you'll lose more of the juiciness. When it's done (no more 10 minutes, often less), I transfer immediately to a toasted bun, prior to adding condiments so that the melted fat soaks into the bread instead of creating a slick combination with the condiments that can lead to everything sliding apart when you eat. After that, it's all up to personal taste. I love pickle, leaf lettuce, thin Vidalia onion slice, thick home-grown tomato slice, sometimes cheese, and quality pickle slices. Heinz ketchup (the jalopeno version is awesome!). A little mustard, plain yellow. I don't get too fancy, so that the flavors compete with the beef. I like the classic American burger.

[Vader]

kevinswatch.ihugny.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=17070

[DoctorGamgee]

So I have been on a meatless diet for the last two weeks. This post is one I can REALLY relate to, as I too am desiring the perfect burger.

So just before going on this thing, and being from Columbus, Ohio, I set out to make home made sliders (White Castle...the food you can't help but crave!) My mom worked at one during WWII, so perhaps that was the reason I love them. Drat...now I'm hungry for them.

So at home, I did them. They came out rather amazing. I used a mix of 2 parts Ground beef, 1 part Ground Chuck, and 1 part Ground Sirloin. The burgers were compressed (they have to be to steam over the onions) but they didn't lose flavor and still had some texture. I will have to try this mix on my next burger adventure.

I agree with what Zar said above...not too compressed. Set your electric skillet to 250, melt butter in the bottom and completely cover the surface with thinly sliced white onion. set the burgers on top, close the lid and let them steam through. About 5-7 minutes. Set a bottom roll on the top, scoop the spatula under the slider and flip it onto a plate. Place a dill Pickle on the top and cover.

Best slider ever!


But you were looking for a big burger. For that, I would grill it outside on the grill, have some mesquite chips smoking on one side of the grill to get the smoky flavor, and add (beyond the Salt/Pepper) a bit of smoked paprika, ground chipotle pepper, and garlic to the rub for them.

I would also have cebollitas (an onion with a dab of butter, wrapped in foil and let set on the grill during the heating process to grill them and left there until the burgers are ready) going for the topping.

I would also have two precooked pieces of bacon on the bottom of the bun, some grilled poblano peppers and cebollitas for the top, and perhaps some monterrey jack cheese.

That would make me happy.

Only one week to go......

[peter]

Thanks Guys for the posts/links. The key things would definitely seem to be a) the type of meat (angus chuck or ckuck/sirlion mix) and not compressing the meat beyond it's mortal life. Seasoning is bound to be a key element and I guess will be 'to taste' up to a piont. My location dictates that I cook these inside on a griddle pan (one of those heavy frying pans with bars across the base for a char grilled effect) or a normal frying pan. Like Z I always prefer my meat with at least a pink tinge (a steak - more than a tinge) and I'm guessing the frying pan will give that result with a crisp caramelised outer shell if I get the heat and timing correct (high and quick respectively). Neither of you chop onions into the mix as many 'professional' recipies suggest - but I prefer your way with the onion cooked sepparately (or at least not combined with meat in the pattie.

Thanks again Guys - I'll be having my first go over the weekend so we'll see how it develops. My worst nightmare is to finish up with a load of brown 'mince' in the pan so here's hoping that doesn't happen.......

[Zarathustra]

I know someone who used to chop up onions into his patties. I know he's a good cook, and I trust his opinion. I've never tried it that way, honestly. Extra work.

Sauteed onions actually sound better to me.

I don't often make french fries with burgers ... extra calories. I do love fries, but I'm not very good at making them (maybe because I don't have a deep fryer). I'm ashamed to admit I cook frozen oven fries more often than making them from scratch. However, if you time them to be almost ready by the time the burgers are ready, and then you cook them in the burger fat for a minute or two after you've pulled the burgers out of the pan, not only do they mimic a fried potato (instead of baked), but they also have a nice beefy flavor.

That's my redneck tip of the week for you.

[peter]

Should have posted here ages ago but butterfly-like [well, as butterfylike as an 18 stone guy can be] I got drawn off to 'other places'.

Did the beefburgers with high quality beef, no binding-agent [eg egg white], and no spicing other than plain salt and pepper. Got the outside seriousely well caramalised, but by this point alas had lost all trace of pinkness from inside [insufficient heat generation on a gas ring to achieve any better I think]. Didn't use a griddle pan in the end - rather, a heavy based frying pan as I thought I could get better heat from this, but this may have been a mistake. Served in a toasted bap with raw but finely chopped onions, english mustard and a slice of iceberg lettuce [one leaf!]. My wife substituted apple relish for the mustard and this was good. All in all an ok atempt.

[Menolly]

Got the outside seriousely well caramalised, but by this point alas had lost all trace of pinkness from inside [insufficient heat generation on a gas ring to achieve any better I think].

How thick were your patties, peter? I like my burger patties to be at least an inch to an inch and a half thick. I then use a Bobby Flay trick to attempt to prevent the burger from bowing out while cooking, i.e., I press a thumb sized indentation in to the top side of the patty which does not go on to the heat first before placing on the grill/griddle/pan. The thickness allows the patties to caramelize without discoloring the inside.

[peter]

Yes - mine were pretty thick Menolly. I think it was a combination of my pan not being heavy based enough [though no lightweight job either] to build up enough heat and the gas ring being not powerfull enough. I've got my eye on one of those big copper based frying pans with a half inch thick bottom. $50 to buy but hey, am I a cook or am I a cook! [Will try the 'indent trick' though - I'm all for a clever trick or two to win the day with!]