Burger Receipe.........please

[Pia]

OK, I know this is OT, but not many people visit the OT forum anymore so I thought I would start it here and then if it is moved, well OK (but I guess I could argue it is STJ related ie: cooking at the villa )

I would love to cook a fabulous burger - thanks to the "burger thread" going on (lol) but I just can't get it right - they always come out too dense and just not flavorful (would rather go to Skinny's instead) I have tried adding A1 or Worcestershire or Durkee's French Fried Onions, just S&P, or onion soup mix - help. So, tell me, what is your secret and receipe - maybe I'll cook the winning receipe and have the author over for dinner

Pia

[BillVT]

I am not a great cook but I've had some good advice. To keep the moisture content up in the burger, add some chopped onion and/or peppers, plus whatever flavorings you favor (A1, Trinidad Charlie's etc.), salt & pepper. Sear the burger over high heat on both sides, then leave it alone except for a single flip. See what happens.

[mbw1024]

what kind of meat are you using? if you want a good, juicy burger it's gotta be 80/20 if you ask me. otherwise you have a dry burger.
also I'm not a big fan of mixing anything in - the less you handle it the better (again just MHO). I some times crust with CBGR.
toppings are a whole other category.

[augie]

I don't know if this is a recipe, more like a technique I suppose, but here goes;

I used to look for that magic ingredient to put in burgers and tried the ones you listed, and more, but here's what I do now, and I, as well as my family members and some friends swear by them.

Get ground chuck that is a 80/20 mix (80% lean). You can't get a great, juicy burger with all lean meat - sorry!

I add just a *little* water and a dash of worcestershire sauce then hand mix the meat, but just enough to get everything blended. I hand form the patties with a little indentation from both sides in the middle of each patty.

I season mine with a light sprinkle of kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and granulated garlic - one side just before they go on (that side goes down) and the top side just after I put them on.

Put them on a medium hot grill, give the patty plenty of time to char on the outside and "release" from the grill, and only flip the patty once!

If you want cheese on yours put it on with just enough time for it to melt.

The heat of your grill, how far from the fuel the cooking is, how done you like it are all things you'll need to account for and experiment with to get to your liking.

What time should Leslie and I show up?

[LysaC]

80-20 is the key. gots ta have a lotta fat in it.
a boyfriend of mine sometimes threw in a little sour cream.

[kimberlysea]

First I would like to start out I am NOT related to Paula Dean, but my secret is a little tab of butter in the middle of the burger. It is soooo juicy. Just a small 1/4 inch is fine. Also, in the frozen section the Bubba burgers are always so good too.

[waterguy]

Has to be 80/20 I like to put a package of liptons beefy onion soup mix, Diced onions and a couple of splashes of worcestershire. Let stand at lest 1 hour make the patties and don't over cook.

[sailorgirl]

I will chime in and agree they key is the fat content in the meat! Sorry but it can be goog for you or just plan good, its hard to have both.

[Mango]

Here's how Bobby Flay does it: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009 ... #continued

[Patty]

Use the 80/20 ground beef. Grate in some onion, generous amount of hamburger seasoning and drizzle with olive oil. Form into patties with indentation in the middle and grill.

[LovetoTravel]

I do not cook. My husband is the cook in the family. He makes awesome burgers. He puts Light Soy Sauce and Montreal Steak Seasoning (in the spice section) on top of the burger before he cooks them. MMMM MMMM GOOD!!!
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[CariBert]

Here is the best burger ever recipe. I know from personal experience. Be glad to have you and Les over when we get there in June for one of these babies!


Serves 4


Adding a panade (a paste of bread and milk paste) to the ground beef creates burgers that are juicy and tender even when well-done. For a burger that cooks up flat, press the center of each patty down with your fingertips before grilling. Serve the burgers on your favorite buns or rolls. For cheeseburgers, follow the optional instructions below.




Ingredients
1 large slice high-quality white sandwich bread , crust removed and discarded, bread chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons whole milk
3/4 teaspoon table salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium clove garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
2 teaspoons steak sauce , such as A-1
1 1/2 pounds 80 percent lean ground chuck
Vegetable oil for cooking grate
6 ounces cheese , sliced, (optional)
4 hamburger buns or rolls

Instructions
1. Turn all burners to high, close lid, and heat until very hot, about 15 minutes. Use grill brush to scrape cooking grate clean. Lightly dip wad of paper towels in vegetable oil; holding wad with tongs, wipe cooking grate. Leave primary burner on high, turn other burner(s) to low.

2. Meanwhile, mash bread and milk in large bowl with fork until homogeneous (you should have about 1/4 cup). Stir in salt, pepper, garlic, and steak sauce.

3. Break up beef into small pieces over bread mixture. Using fork or hands, lightly mix together until mixture forms cohesive mass. Divide meat into 4 equal portions. Gently toss one portion of meat back and forth between hands to form loose ball. Gently flatten into 3/4-inch-thick patty that measures about 4 1/2 inches in diameter. Press center of patty down with fingertips until it is about 1/2 inch thick, creating a slight depression in each patty. Repeat with remaining portions of meat.

5. Lightly dip wad of paper towels in vegetable oil; holding wad with tongs, wipe cooking grate. Grill burgers on hot side of grill, covered, until well seared on first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, flip burgers and continue grilling, about 3 minutes for medium-well or 4 minutes for well-done. Distribute equal portions of cheese (if using) on burgers about 2 minutes before they reach desired doneness, covering burgers with disposable aluminum pan to melt cheese. While burgers grill, toast buns on cooler side of grill, rotating buns as necessary to toast evenly. Serve burgers on toasted buns.

Enjoy,

-Bert

[cjroyer]

I also use 80/20. I melt butter and fry onion in the skillet, then add the plain burgers on top of the onion, add salt and pepper and that's it. I don't like burgers out, only homemade burgers like this, the way my momma made them.

[tipsy]

you all just cost my hubby a hamburger dinner out at 5 Guys tonight !!

Don't have time to thaw the hamb meat to make my own soooooo.....


Unknown to him, be eating alot of hamburgers so can try out all these yummy receipes.

Never knew the 80/20 thing, thanks for that tip.

So Pia let us know who the winner is & make sure it's night during 4/17-24 when we're there so can help you eat them.

[pipanale]

Funny thing for me is that, since moving to NC, we've made very few burgers from ground beef. It comes in a tube for the most part and scares us.

So...we've moved to turkey and pork burgers!

I make both into patties but mix in breadcrumbs. It just seems to hold together better. Since both are somewhat flavor-neutral, I've started going wild with seasonings.

Turkey goes well with CBGR in the middle, but cumin and garlic salt works very well. VERY WELL

for pork, I've just gone forward and mixed in some good Memphis-style sauce into the meat mixture. the only issue is that these can burn on the grill as the sauce cooks off.

In either event, they come out very well.

If using beef, I agree: must be 80/20 and season less than more. Let the beef do the talking.