Best burger recipe?

(Ellen) #1

Any tips on making your own burgers? I’ve made a few using 80/20 mince and tried a few ways, and they all come out mediocre, is it just because I don’t have a BBQ and pan fry them, or am I messing up the recipe?

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #2

I grind my own. Use chuck roast and double grind them. Mix in salt, pepper and garlic powder. Grind the meat the day of cooking and don’t over cook. We like ours a little pink. If you overcook them then they get tough. We grill, pan fry and sometimes cook them in the oven.

We use a burger press (like a cookie form) to make them uniform and we weight the meat before shaping the meat.

Good luck.

(Karen) #3

Get some squeal in them. One strip bacon chopped and mixed in the mince. Grill.

K

(Charlotte) #4

What do you mean by mediocre? Dry? Flavorless? Some other issue?

(Randy) #5

High heat. Get a nice crust on the outside, still a bit of pink in the middle. Don’t over cook. Salt and pepper.

(Ellen) #6

Hmm, just a bit Meh really, nice enough but certainly not great juicy tasty burgers.

(Ellen) #7

Thanks All,

I’ll try the above (apart from grinding my own, wouldn’t even know where to buy a grinder), hopefully next lot will be delicious.

#8

I tried this recipe last weekend and we really liked it.

I adjusted the quantities a bit (and I didn’t use the ones italicized). Here’s what I did:

Ingredients
3 lb ground beef
4 strip bacon
1 tbsp sliced pickled jalapenos
3 tbsp mayo
1/2 plum tomato
1/4 onion
3 tbsp sriracha
3 egg
1 tbsp butter per patty
2 leaves lettuce
Spices
3 tsp salt
2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp basil

(Charlotte) #9

Not sure what you’re doing already, but things that can make burgers meh (in my experience):

*Meh-quality meat (grass fed is good, grass fed & grass finished is better, grass fed & finished & from a local farm is best of all)

*Overworking the meat (kneading and messing with it too much can make it tough and dry. Just gently form into patties the shape and size you prefer)

*Cooking beef while it’s super cold (it’s better if you allow it to come to room temperature before cooking, or at least sit out at room temp for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking)

*Cooking for too long and/or at too low a heat (If you don’t need to have your oven fan on so your smoke detector doesn’t go off, the pan probably isn’t hot enough. For a medium-thick burger cooked medium, I do medium-high heat for about 3 minutes per side, but specific times/heat will vary based on your range top. Using a meat thermometer can be helpful based on your desired level of doneness).

*Not seasoned well enough (you can mix salt & pepper or any other fixings into the meat itself, but, as I noted above, this can make the meat tougher or drier, and is, in my opinion, a method best reserved for meatloaf or meatballs. My best results come from patting a liberal coating of coarsely ground salt and cracked pepper onto either side of the raw patty before cooking).

Best of luck! You really can cook delicious burgers in a frying pan, I promise! If you continue to have trouble, though, you may want to consider broiling them–a broiler is basically an upside-down grill after all–you’ll just need to seriously watch them like a hawk if you do this, but you might find it makes tastier burgers.

(Ellen) #10

Thanks for that Charlotte :grin: I think maybe I’ve been over working the meat, I’ll give all this a go next time I make one.

(bulkbiker) #11

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Metaltex-Vegetable-Mincer-Attachments-Silver/dp/B06WWN6SQP/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1530889825&sr=8-8&keywords=meat+mincer

(Ellen) #12

Cheers Mark

(LeeAnn Brooks) #13

Add an egg to the ground beef.

(Christa Allgood) #14

We fry ours in a cast iron skillet and they turn out great!

#15

Id also suggest looking for a higher fat ratio. I get my butcher to do a coarse grind 30/70 ratio for making burgers. :grin:

(Ellen) #16

Yeah I need to buy a new one, spent 3 weeks up north looking after Mum after op came back & it was ruined :pensive:

(Ellen) #17

Don’t have a local butcher but have been thinking of going down the farm shop road.

#18

Take your ground beef, salt and pepper, onion powder, little bit of Worcestershire sauce, it up and form into patties. Get them cold 15 min or so in the freezer, stick in a HOT pan to sear them, WAIT until it’s ready before flipping. I can make just as good tasting (yes, different but still GOOD) in my pan that I can on the grill. The pan can make a huge difference, I only do burgers in my cast iron. I always screw it up when I use thinner pans.

(Doug) #19

This sounds great - I often go very close to this. I’ve added an egg or two, and sometimes a substantial amount of minced garlic. If one holds to one’s choice in spices, I think it’s hard to go wrong.

(Retta Stephenson) #20

Several years ago I saw a tv show where Chef Gordon Ramsey visited failing restaurants to help them revive. This is the burger recipe he gave them to improve their menu. It’s a hit in my house, and my all time favorite burger recipe.

Gordon Ramsey Burgers

2 lbs ground beef
3 egg yolks
Red onions, finely diced (or dried onion flakes)
Salt & pepper to taste
2 Tblspn Dijon mustard
2 Tblspn Worchestershire sauce
2 Tblspn No-sugar added Ketchup
2 tsp chia seeds (optional, but makes it moist)

Mix all ingredients except meat in large bowl.
Add meat and gently mix (don’t overwork)
Make thick patties and grill or pan fry.

Note: NEVER flatten burgers with spatula; will make them dry

Recipe very flexible; change as you like. I like to add some Liquid Smoke.