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How to make a better home cooked hamburger ?

My buddy UF used to be a meat cutter, he made some patties for the club cook out at the Street Machine Nats that were amazing. He fried some bacon and ground it in with some top sirloin. The smell of them cooking caused passersby to stop in their tracks. The flavor was out of this world…
 
Throw 'em on the grill, 5
mins a side, 1 minute before
removal, pour a little melted
butter over the top and let
the resulting flames burn
(char) the edges a little.
You'll want them slightly
pink in the center.
I use the same method
when grilling a ribeye.
it's the sear that brings
out the flavor.
I've purchased grinds of
burger from many different
suppliers, and the quality
just ain't what it used to be.
Walmart doesn't care what
your hamburger tastes like
when it's cooked. They use
red dye to enhance the
meats' appearance which
may sit on the shelf for up
to a week. Buy your burger
from your local butcher, as
he'll add as much fat as to
enhance the flavors as
needed. (if he's worth his
weight as a butcher).
I buy 5lbs at a time and
make my own patties,
freezing until needed.
isn't slightly pink in the center risky for ground beef? I've always heard it's fine for steaks, but for ground beef to cook it well to kill any nasties since it's ground meat.
 
My buddy UF used to be a meat cutter, he made some patties for the club cook out at the Street Machine Nats that were amazing. He fried some bacon and ground it in with some top sirloin. The smell of them cooking caused passersby to stop in their tracks. The flavor was out of this world…
If you like peppers cut some jalepenos up and throw in that mix also. Amazing.
 
isn't slightly pink in the center risky for ground beef? I've always heard it's fine for steaks, but for ground beef to cook it well to kill any nasties since it's ground meat.
Cooked to 145-165 deg in
the center. Even pork can
be cooked to this temp.
I've seen some order their
burgers rare and have not
reported any ill affects.
There again, it depends
on where you purchase
your hamburger.
I wouldn't order a medium
rare burger from Mickey-D's.
 
Through the years we had Americans working with us.
One family moved here with their two young daughters, about 7 and 9. One of the biggest things they noticed about beef was the difference between corn fed and barley fed. They loved our beef.
An aside, they had come from Florida and couldn’t believe that grade school kids were allowed to walk to school without an adult. Or people let their kids go to the park and play.
They wanted to stay, but Larry’s wife previously had some medical issues and couldn’t get insurance. So they moved back to Kansas I believe.
 
Something about grilling in sub freezing weather makes food taste good. When you get a hankering for something you just do it.
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Lightly toasted buns on the hotplate of the BBQ,

Mustard, burger patty, ketchup, cheese, tomato slice, pineapple ring (cored), avocado, lettuce leaf and the other half of the bun.

Take a big bite and watch the sliced avocado shoot out the side. :lol:

I also like sliced beetroot (beets) but not a fried egg like many Kiwi's do.

Can also add slices of cooked bacon on the burger for additional flavour and grease to run down your face while eating. :thumbsup:
 
I have tried but don't share the same appreciation for pineapple in burgers or pizza. I am just now developing appreciation for avocado but am not willing to put them on cooked food yet.
I took a few tips from members on this thread and have made several great meals with your help.
Thank you all for that.
 
Yes sir. "No fat, no flavor" is my motto. I have found Wagyu burgers at my local Wal Mart. THey are quite delicious!
There was an interesting YouTube video weighing in on the "Wagyu vs other beef" burger question. Here's my takeaway, but I can't afford Wagyu so YMMV. Search it up.

Wagyu beef has by far more marbling (fat) than other beef, it's actually meant to be for steak, not burgers. Maybe almost 1/3 to 1/2 is white. Now while that fat makes a better tasting burger, when cooked, the burger loses a third of its original size. All the fat ends up puddling in the bottom of your frying pan, only to be tossed out. Would you drizzle that on your burger, I wonder? Furthermore, the Wagyu beef had a mushy, soft consistency unlike hamburger meat, and didn't hold it's shape as a patty.

The reviewers said it tasted great, but not really as much as a burger but as chopped steak. And for the cost, having 1/3 of your burger shrink into a puddle of grease in the pan just wasn't worthwhile.

For the same reason, I'd imagine using the leanest ground beef, while healthier, might not have as good a taste. Find a happy medium. The reviewers in the video made their own ground beef mixing regular hamburger beef 50/50 with Wagyu beef and found it had great flavor, still tasted like a burger, stayed together better, and didn't lose a significant amount of portion size by melting into grease.
 
I have a counter top electric griddle. If I'm going to make burgers, I cook bacon or sausage on the griddle for breakfast. I leave the drippings on the griddle after breakfast. When it's burger time, just fire up the griddle and let that grease get hot. It even makes the crappy premade frozen box patties from the dollar store taste decent. It really works good if you use a nice 80/20 patty!
 
I have a counter top electric griddle. If I'm going to make burgers, I cook bacon or sausage on the griddle for breakfast. I leave the drippings on the griddle after breakfast. When it's burger time, just fire up the griddle and let that grease get hot. It even makes the crappy premade frozen box patties from the dollar store taste decent. It really works good if you use a nice 80/20 patty!
80/20 is my go to. Anything less is pink slime. Look that up if you don't know.
 
They grind most of of their own.
There's a website for that specifically.

I'm having burgers tonight. My wife mixes up ground beef - probably around 15-20% max fat content, some finely chopped onion, salt & black pepper, an egg and about 3-4 oz of butter (cold and chopped small). Put mix it up quickly by hand, then portion out, and make the patty shapes.
Put that in the fridge until ready to cook on the BQ plate.

The extra butter adds a different dimension to the taste and texture....makes them really nice. I also gently toast the bun halves on the same hotplate ready for assembly in the kitchen. Two of those with a few brewskis.......nice.

:xscuseless: ...later on .....it's still only lunch time here. :lol:
 
Toasted buns?
Absolutely! I was a Burger King employee in the 80s so I know the value of a lightly charred burger bun!
 
Toasted buns?
Absolutely! I was a Burger King employee in the 80s so I know the value of a lightly charred burger bun!
I like a Burger King burger once in a while but that fake smoke flavor just lingers afterwards and it's a while before I want one again!
 
I like to add a lil' bit of ground sausage to my BBQ burgers
Jimmy Dean in the gold package (like short fat hotdogs)
I do 2#s of 80/20 lean ground round or ground chuck,
from the butcher (even at Safeway here) never from the rack
& I mix in/add 1 package, I believe it's 1# of the ground sausage,
add about 1 tbsp of minced garlic, a lil' dash of lemon pepper
if you like it spicey, add a squirt of Tabasco
or use the hot sausage mix from Jimmy Dean, if you like
makes like 6 almost 1/2# burgers after cooked
Served over toasted loaded bagels

when I want to get real fancy I do like 'mini meatloaves' with some
1 egg & some toasted till dark sliced bagel
then 'diced really small' use about like a "1/4 cup"
(or crushed up saltine crackers, same amount for 3#s of ground meat)
added to the mix,
I add a lil' Extra Virgin Olive Oil, like 3 tbsp to the 3# mix, helps bind it a bit
& it's good for the Mediterranean diet, for those who care...
It helps makes the monster burgers 'like gourmet places',
it needs to be mixed & then let stand for a while
I do it like 2-3 or more hrs before cooking/BBQ-ing,
let it stand covered in the bowl, in the fridge,
then I grab a big handful (I have big hands) about a 6th of what's there
I make 6 burgers out of it (like 3/4"-1" thick before cooked),
then after cooked are like 'near 1/2 # burgers', a serious mouthfull

'optional' not necessary'
but I like doing it
I put it (handful of beef/burger mix) in a sprayed with Pam/butter flavored cooking spray
or a lil' extra Virgin Olive oil, in an old appr. 5"-6" round w/flat bottom
old Tupperware container I have from my dad's stash,
as a mold, I flatten it out inside to compress it some, then turn upside-down
& smack it on the cutting board, to get them out
re-oil the mold & repeat, so it looks neat/presentable...

I do a slice of red onion (I like red onions) on each like 1/8" slice full onion
thin sliced tomatoes, like 2 Bread & Butter pickles slices ea.
& shredded/sliced lettuce,
Iceberg lettuce works just fine, you can do Romane if you like it better
if you like cheese do a lil' pepperjack or sharp cheddar, goes well with the spices
it's really good with Asiago cheese if you can get sliced stuff
melted into it

Serve with spicey honey mustard & if you have put mayo on it (I don't use it)
I do Mirical-Whip Light or sweet salad dressing style Mayo
the sweetness of the ingredients & spicey flavor of the meat or mustard
works really well together, makes your mouth water, like a Mo-Fo
just don't over do it, with any of the mix...
don't over cook, keep an eye on it, 150* meat (pink is good, red not done),
cooking like at 375*, takes a bit they are thick

maybe salt &/or pepper to taste, I don't usually

makes for some mouth watering big ol' gourmet burgers
you'll thank me
 
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I like a Burger King burger once in a while but that fake smoke flavor just lingers afterwards and it's a while before I want one again!
That's a lot like the headache after eating KFC that I get from all the oil.

I can go years between visits to the Colonel. And I drive past one at least twice a day.....down the end of our road. :rolleyes:
 
I have a counter top electric griddle. If I'm going to make burgers, I cook bacon or sausage on the griddle for breakfast. I leave the drippings on the griddle after breakfast. When it's burger time, just fire up the griddle and let that grease get hot. It even makes the crappy premade frozen box patties from the dollar store taste decent. It really works good if you use a nice 80/20 patty!
The breakfast griddle drippings is why burgers I'd order at old school diners when I was still driving a truck were so good. The places where I stopped used 80/20 ground angus chuck, and it was unbeatable. The finishing touch was a buttered roll crisped on the griddle. Shortly before I retired, the joint on my western turn was purchased by a corporate conglomerate. They kept the restaurant menu intact, but tried to eliminate the crisped roll in a cost saving effort. If i got one of my regular servers, they would get the cook to do it the old way. The only aspect of my final driving days I really miss.
 
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Ground venison and ground beef makes a good burger. I can actually just use venison and gently turn them over. Adding a little beef adds enough fat to hold them together.
 
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