Do you really need a recipe for a hamburger? It's fine to grab some ground beef, add salt and pepper and toss it on a griddle or grill, but why not take a few simple steps to really expand the taste? We all know that all hamburgers are not created equally.
When you eat out and order a hamburger you expect something special. We are not talking fast food burgers here (sorry Burger King), we are talking sit-down adult restaurants. While some still use frozen patties, more and more bistros and bars are grinding their own meats and serving up truly amazing burgers that are far superior to anything you have had in the past.
It All Starts With The Beef
We are going to talk only about beef but it's easy to use chicken, turkey or pork as part of the meat mix. There are now plenty of plant based products that have great flavors as well, but this is all about the beef. Better beef, better hamburgers.
Walk into any supermarket and you will find quite a selection of ground beef. 70/30 blend, 80/20 blend-all nicely wrapped and ready for you to take home. Nothing wrong with this product except that you don't know which cuts of meat were used to make the blend. Quite often it is a mix of up to 6 cuts of beef, depending on what the butcher had left over after filling the meat display counter.
This is a good time to suggest grinding your own meat. I know-too much work and you can buy hamburger for a few bucks. Trust me, once you make your own blends you will never want a hamburger again without knowing what the mix is.
You probably have a stand mixer, most have attachments that are great for grinding meats. Select an assortment of chuck, sirloin, brisket and round steak and cut the meat into cubes, leaving all of the fat. You want to have a 25-30% fat content or the burgers will dry out. Put the meat into the refrigerator for an hour to cool properly. You are on your way to making perfect hamburgers.
Keep Everything Cold
Keep the mixer attachments and blades, as well as the bowl you are going to use to collect and mix the meat, in the refrigerator for a few hours, the colder the better. Don't leave them, or the meat, standing out at room temperature.
Use the grinder attachment (or a food processor. You can also go caveman and chop and mix the meat by hand.) to grind and mix the meat. Once everything has been ground up, mix up the meat in the bowl by hand.
Form each patty with about 1/4 pound of meat. Shape and form the patty into a round shape (you can use a mold) and press your thumb down into the middle of the patty. This will help with the cooking process. Place the patties on a plate or baking sheet and put into the refrigerator.
High Heat On The Griddle Or Grill
Set the heat on your griddle to 375 degrees. If you are using a grill make sure the surface is very hot, close the lid to let the heat build up. Place the patties on the surface and cook for 7-9 minutes, depending on how well done you want your hamburger. Top with cheese about 1 minute before taking the burger off of the griddle.
Of course, you can make a great burger without grinding your own meat. Most supermarkets will grind any mix of beef that you want and some are very good about labeling their packaged ground beef. You want to have a great burger, make sure you start with great beef. All hamburgers are not created equal and the difference will show in the taste.
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