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Topic: How do you do burgers?

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Mary Chris
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Posted: June 01 2009 at 7:55am \| IP Logged

I want to include burgers on the weekly menu plan. Do you hand shape or buy the frozen patties? Most of the time I hand shape, but sometimes the patties fill the need.

I have two burger obsessed boys. Any good recipes?

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Carole N.
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Posted: June 01 2009 at 8:13am \| IP Logged

I do both as well. When I make them, I add Lipton Onion Soup with Worchestershire sauce. Then I put McCormick's Grillmates Montreal Steak on it. The dc love it!

If I feel adventuresome, I might add horseradish or Coleman's mustard.

If I purchase them (and they are not seasoned), I add the Worchestershire sauce on top of the burger. I bought some at Costco last week and they were really yummy this way.

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Martha in VA
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Posted: June 01 2009 at 8:18am \| IP Logged

Can we include "How do you cook/grill burgers" in the question as well? I can make an incredible steak but don't really have much experience grilling burgers.

Thanks for asking the question Mary Chris.

Martha in VA

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JennGM
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Posted: June 01 2009 at 8:20am \| IP Logged

After reading in some Meat Cookbooks that good hamburgers only need a little salt, and not all the extra ingredients mixed in, I keep our hamburgers very simple. I usually hand form and sprinkle Lawry's seasoned salt, maybe garlic and onion powder in addition.

I either broil the burgers inside, or grill outside.

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Matilda
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Posted: June 01 2009 at 8:58am \| IP Logged

JennGM wrote:

I either broil the burgers inside, or grill outside.

We don't eat red meat but we love Rachel Ray's Harvest Turkey Burgers. We are without an outside grill right now so I have been making them on the George Foreman. Jenn, how do you broil them inside?

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Carole N.
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Posted: June 01 2009 at 9:47am \| IP Logged

I forgot that one of the keys to grilling burgers is to add an egg (or two depending on how many burgers you are making). This helps them to hold together on the grill.

As for the grilling, I leave that up to the men in the family!

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LLMom
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Posted: June 01 2009 at 10:02am \| IP Logged

I make my patties ahead of time and freeze them raw and then I cook extra so that I have leftovers for my hamburger obsessed boy. I like to mix my beef with half of something else; usually venison since my family hunts but ground turkey when we run out of the venison. Just a little salt is all I use.

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Posted: June 01 2009 at 11:07am \| IP Logged

I add a little McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning and some A1 or Worcester sauce (or however you spell that!) I grill them over med-high heat.

My mom used to put a chunk of mozzarella in the middle of the patty occasionally for a big surprise for us. We loved that!

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Melissa
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Posted: June 01 2009 at 11:25am \| IP Logged

I season with salt and pepper, and use this Burger Press that my aunt gave me. I use 80/20 grassfed beef, because any leaner and the burgers will be dry and fall apart when you're cooking them. For me, the burger press is the key to making perfect, uniform burgers. When I hand press them, I always end up handling the meat too much, making patties too thick (you know how they shrink up and you end up with a fat puck that's too rare in the center?), and making them all different sizes so that they cook at different rates.

When you're grilling them, never press down on them with the spatula while cooking, as that presses too much moisture out. When the meat juices just start showing on the top of the burger, then it's time to flip it. It just takes some practice.

There's not much better than a good, grilled burger!

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Matilda
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Posted: June 01 2009 at 11:32am \| IP Logged

You can add moisture to a super lean burger (whether it is beef or turkey) by adding finely minced mushrooms to the mix. We have done that when making turkey burgers from mostly white meat and the children couldn't taste their presence.

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Martha in VA
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Posted: June 01 2009 at 11:41am \| IP Logged

Matilda wrote:

I wonder, though, if this would change the texture even if the flavor is unchanged? I have one who is very sensitive to unusual textures.

Martha

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Matilda
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Posted: June 01 2009 at 11:58am \| IP Logged

Mine are also very texture sensitive and if you mince them finely in a food processor, you really can't tell they are there at all.

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Cay Gibson
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Posted: June 01 2009 at 12:12pm \| IP Logged

Carole N. wrote:

I add Lipton Onion Soup with Worchestershire sauce.

This is what I do and I add an egg and a little breadcrumb to stretch it. Then I add Tony's seasoning for that Cajun zest.

I use my George Foreman grill in the house but hate the clean-up. Prefer my dh to grill them outside.

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CrunchyMom
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Posted: June 01 2009 at 12:51pm \| IP Logged

America's Test Kitchen recommends pushing a big thumb print down in the center to help it cook evenly and without being too fat in the center.

Also, if you want a cheeseburger, you can add grated cheese to the meat. I usually just add salt and pepper like Jen. I think that the quality of the meat makes a difference in how much seasoning is "necessary."

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JodieLyn
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Posted: June 01 2009 at 1:37pm \| IP Logged

My favorite has the egg added.. I add 1 egg per pound of hanburger, then dried onion, parsley, salt and pepper and enough bread crumbs to bring it to a good consistency for shaping. they stay moist and don't fall apart in pan or grill.

I also shape them and wrap and freeze raw.. then just take out a bit before we cook them. By wrapping them individually I can cook as many as we need on any given day.

we grill them until cooked.. they don't take long pretty much when they're brown you flip and brown the other side. Inside I like frying them in a pan.. taking them out sauteing some onion.. making a broth based gravy and adding the burgers back in and serving with mashed potatoes.. oh yum.

I also make meatballs with the same ingredients.. I like making them fairly generic for flavor.. I make the balls and then freeze them on a cookie sheet.. then dump the frozen raw meatballs into a ziplock bag.. I can cook as many or few as I like.. and I because I keep the flavor generic, I can use any sauce at all I like.. I can make meatball soup or terriyaki or sweet and sour or bbq meatballs or add them to speghetti sauce etc.(btw they're a great side with mac and cheese and broccoli for a fast meal)

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JennGM
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Posted: June 01 2009 at 2:03pm \| IP Logged

Matilda wrote:

JennGM wrote:

I either broil the burgers inside, or grill outside.

Jenn, how do you broil them inside?

Our oven has a broil setting. Does yours? I use a broiler pan (sometimes line it with aluminum foil for easy cleanup) and cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side for 1/4 pound burgers. In the last minute I can add cheese to my hubby's burgers.

My mother always did them this way, as she was told it was healthier than frying on the stove. She was before her time, I guess.

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Molly Smith
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Posted: June 01 2009 at 7:15pm \| IP Logged

CrunchyMom wrote:

America's Test Kitchen recommends pushing a big thumb print down in the center to help it cook evenly and without being too fat in the center.

Yep, it works. I use this hamburger press to make 1/4 pound burgers, but it will make up to 1/2 lb. That little indentation in the middle, plus the press itself, makes for perfectly shaped burgers.

I add the Montreal Steak Seasoning, too, along with Worchestershire (seems to be the norm) then I cook the 1/4 pounders on my gas grill, heated to about 350-375 degrees, 7 minutes on a side. Then I put on the cheese, turn off the gas and close the lid for up to a minute to melt the cheese.

One tip I've found is to never use thawed ground beef for my burgers--the meat is too difficult to shape. I prefer to form the burgers from fresh meat and freeze--usually separated with freezer paper and packed in a freezer ziploc bag.

For some reason I'm in the mood for a burger now

!

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MelissaClaire
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Posted: June 04 2009 at 5:34pm \| IP Logged

http://www.jennieo.com/recipes/recipe_detail.aspx?Id=1787

We had it for dinner tonight and it was FAN.TAS.TIC. My kids all gobbled it up--they ate them even better than they eat hamburgers. The 17 month old couldn't get enough of the red pepper mayo! I was worried they would be dry, but they were so moist. I was also worried the kids wouldn't want to eat them because of the spinach and green onions in them--but they totally flipped for them. I didn't have Dijon mustard for the mayo, so I just used a dash of regular mustard instead.

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Melissa
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