How Do You Make the Best Hamburgers?

[Kitchen Diva]

Hi all...

Okay- I have a confession. I am terrible with ground beef. I can make an awesome steak, (which you think I wouldn't be able to, since I can't cook with it ground up) and I make a mean fish, turkey or chicken dish, and I'm a diva with sauces and salads and soups, but when it comes to meatloaf, hotdishes and burgers- I STINK!

Please help...what do you add to your ground beef before grilling to make a yummy, flavorful and juicy burger?

TIA!

 

[pamperedlinda]

I use fresh ground beef and season them with garlic salt and secret seasoning ( Blank ) this is the best seasoning - DH uses it on everything! Then DH grills them - yummo! (My uncle found this seasoning when he was working for a rancher and and had to travel out west to buy some cows)


edit: I don't know why it says BLANK for the hyperlink - that is supposed to be the link to the Baldridge Seasoning website

 

[PamperChefCarol]

So how much salt is in the BLANK???? I went to the site, but of course, it's a secret.

 

[crystalscookingnow]

I use salt, pepper, garlic, minced onion & worchestershire sauce.

Also, don't over-work the hamburger. Just a light mix is good.

I like my burgers thin & on the grill.

My mil makes hers about the size of your hand & in an oval shape. :yuck: She barely flattens the balls of hamburger & then cooks them in the 12" skillet with the lid. Makes me want to barf. Not that the 12" skillet is bad, but when they're basically meatballs & with the lid. :yuck: :yuck:

 

[pamperedlinda]

So how much salt is in the BLANK???? I went to the site, but of course, it's a secret.

It's the first one listed on the Ingredients information.......probably a lot! But it is so good! We use it on everything that goes on the grill.

 

[dianevill]

We now do our hamburgers on the grill "straight up". I used to use 1 lb ground beef, 1 egg slightly beatened, and a 1/2 package of Lipton Onion Soup Mix. Mix it up, form into patties and grill. With two kids who really dislike onion particles, I don't do that anymore.

Now I simply take ground beef (85% lean instead of 93% lean so that the burgers don't dry out), from into roughly 1/4 lb patties, flatten them to about 1/3 inch or so, and plop them on the grill. We add all our flavors afterwards (garlic slices, onions, ketchup, bbq sauce, you get the idea). That way the kids will eat them as well. If there's leftover burger meat, I chop it up (with the Mix 'N Chop, of course), add bbq sauce, and have sloppy joes ready to go.

 

[baychef]

I bet if you searched on the Food Network or Cook's Illustrated websites, they could tell you temperature suggestions.

I THINK (a dangerous phrase!!) that you need to cook them slowly on medium (gas) or medium coals. This way the inside has time to cook before the outside gets overcooked.

Depending on how you like your burgers would depend on how hot or how quickly you need to cook them. The faster you cook the outside, the more rare the inside. Don't press them on when on the grill either, that will take all of the juices out. Use a special BBQ thermometer to gaige what the inside temperature is.

My disclaimer is the phrase "I THINK"!!!!! I claim no liability for anything when I use this phrase!!

 

[sfdavis918]

I get in my car and drive to In N Out and get in line...oh wait, that's not what you meant!:angel:

I do what Diane used to do with the egg and Lipton Onion Soup Mix. Yummy!! We usually do them on the grill as well.

 

[pampermejolene]

I use MorningStar patties

But before I was a Veg my mom made them with lots of garlic and Worcestershire

 

[PamperedDor]

I just take chopmeat - less fat as possible - and that is it - grill away - let the toppings do the work - no need to season good meat - thats my way !

 

[elizabethfox]

I add garlic powder, onion powder, season salt, and worchestershire sauce.

 

[jrb0328]

I use ground turkey (better for you) and mix breadcrumbs in it, sometimes use the powdered ranch dressing mix (1 pouch for 1lb) and they are sooo yummy!

 

[janetupnorth]

Well, I've made burgers many ways...DH like just plain garlic seasoning salt with parsley on them.
I have used our Southwestern Seasoning mixed in with the meat,
Lipton onion soup,
Lowry's seasoning, (note each line is a DIFFERENT recipe, not all together!)
Onion salt/garlic salt/black pepper,
our Jamaican Jerk Seasoning,
etc.Hmm...I know I've done other things too...but those are some main variants.The best burger is one that is turned more often on the grill so the juices are heading back in...if you cook one side completely then flip, the juices run out to the grill. If you flip every few minutes it is more likely to stay juicier.

 

[chefpenny99]

If you're making the patties from scratch you don't want your meat to be too lean or it will fall apart. (The fat is need to keep them together.)

 

[StacieB]

I add onion soup mix sometimes, and a little ice water. Also garlic salt, prpper, worsteshire. A1 sometimes!!


Rachael Ray has tons of recipes!! Check out her TV show site!! http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/or try mag sitehttp://www.rachaelraymag.com/

 

[Kitchen Diva]

Thanks for all the wonderful ideas! And after how last nights burgers turned out, I NEED them! LOL Thank the Lord for CHEESE and ketchup!

 

[dannyzmom]

To moisten up burgers made with lean meat, add some grated apple. It won't change the flavor but it will make them moister (and healthier!)

 

[Kitchen Diva]

To moisten up burgers made with lean meat, add some grated apple. It won't change the flavor but it will make them moister (and healthier!)

Seriously?!?!?!?! Neat-o! I'll have to ban everyone from the kitchen while I do that- if anyone sees me adding apples to the burgers I have a feeling they'll have me committed!

 

[erinyourpclady]

I get in my car and drive to In N Out and get in line...oh wait, that's not what you meant!:angel: QUOTE]



Ohhhh....that is not nice!!! LOL!!! I have not had In N Out in years! That is one thing about being a So Cal transplant....that and mexican food.

 

[erinyourpclady]

Oh yeah...I take mine out of the freezer. Add some seasonings and DH grills them. But I don't really think my way is gonna help! LOL!!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

If you don't want your burger to be dry, you need to use a ground beef with a higher fat content (like 85% lean), don't compress the patties to tightly, and don't smash them with a spatula while you are cooking them - that will push all of the moisture out of the burger. I abhor fillers in my burgers (like soup mix, or oatmeal, or anything else) but I do love to make stuffed burgers. A favorite of mine is feta cheese, chopped black olives (kalamata if ya got 'em), minced red onion, and a little Greek Seasoning - and use part ground beef, and part ground lamb. YUMMY!
When I was a Personal Chef - Stuffed Burgers were a specialty of mine - I would get requests for stuffed burgers from all my clients, so I came up with all kinds of variations, depending on the clients preferences & food likes/dislikes. You can make them up ahead, and freeze them, and then take them out the night before you want to grill them (grilling is the only way I do burgers!) and let them thaw in the refrigerator until you are ready to throw them on the grill.

Another good one is shredded cheddar, crumbled bacon, and a little BBQ sauce to bind it all together. MMMMMM, I love me a good burger!

 

[jrstephens]

I use:

Ground Beef (lean)
A1
Dales
Salt and Pepper
One egg
Parsley

Mix together and cook on medium heat.

Paula Deen says the key is to only turn them once. It has taken me a while, but I have gotten it down to only flipping once.

 

[merego]

We use Bubba Burgers, they go from freezer to grill ( w/o no defrosting) and they are the best! I don't eat alot of meat, but these are the best burgers I have ever had!! I hate making my own hamburgers, but your recipes and tips sounds good, so I may have to try!!

 

[janetupnorth]

If you don't want your burger to be dry, you need to use a ground beef with a higher fat content (like 85% lean), don't compress the patties to tightly, and don't smash them with a spatula while you are cooking them - that will push all of the moisture out of the burger. I abhor fillers in my burgers (like soup mix, or oatmeal, or anything else) but I do love to make stuffed burgers. A favorite of mine is feta cheese, chopped black olives (kalamata if ya got 'em), minced red onion, and a little Greek Seasoning - and use part ground beef, and part ground lamb. YUMMY!
When I was a Personal Chef - Stuffed Burgers were a specialty of mine - I would get requests for stuffed burgers from all my clients, so I came up with all kinds of variations, depending on the clients preferences & food likes/dislikes. You can make them up ahead, and freeze them, and then take them out the night before you want to grill them (grilling is the only way I do burgers!) and let them thaw in the refrigerator until you are ready to throw them on the grill.

Another good one is shredded cheddar, crumbled bacon, and a little BBQ sauce to bind it all together. MMMMMM, I love me a good burger!

Yum Becky! Do you precook the bacon, crumble it and then put it in the mix?

 

[NooraK]

The juiciest burger I ever had was made by a good friend. I asked for his secret: a pad of butter in the middle of the patty! Not the healthiest option, but it sure was good...

And I want In-N-Out too :cry:

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Yum Becky! Do you precook the bacon, crumble it and then put it in the mix?

Yep, that's exactly what I do! I usually just use a couple slices - so I do them in the microwave. It doesn't take much filling to stuff a burger, but it adds so much to them!

 

[Kitchen Diva]

I bet if you searched on the Food Network or Cook's Illustrated websites, they could tell you temperature suggestions.

I THINK (a dangerous phrase!!) that you need to cook them slowly on medium (gas) or medium coals. This way the inside has time to cook before the outside gets overcooked.

Depending on how you like your burgers would depend on how hot or how quickly you need to cook them. The faster you cook the outside, the more rare the inside. Don't press them on when on the grill either, that will take all of the juices out. Use a special BBQ thermometer to gaige what the inside temperature is.

My disclaimer is the phrase "I THINK"!!!!! I claim no liability for anything when I use this phrase!!

ROTFLMBO!!!! (for those of you with texting impairments- that is "Rolling on the floor laughing my butt off!")

 

[Kitchen Diva]

If you don't want your burger to be dry, you need to use a ground beef with a higher fat content (like 85% lean), don't compress the patties to tightly, and don't smash them with a spatula while you are cooking them - that will push all of the moisture out of the burger. I abhor fillers in my burgers (like soup mix, or oatmeal, or anything else) but I do love to make stuffed burgers. A favorite of mine is feta cheese, chopped black olives (kalamata if ya got 'em), minced red onion, and a little Greek Seasoning - and use part ground beef, and part ground lamb. YUMMY!
When I was a Personal Chef - Stuffed Burgers were a specialty of mine - I would get requests for stuffed burgers from all my clients, so I came up with all kinds of variations, depending on the clients preferences & food likes/dislikes. You can make them up ahead, and freeze them, and then take them out the night before you want to grill them (grilling is the only way I do burgers!) and let them thaw in the refrigerator until you are ready to throw them on the grill.

Another good one is shredded cheddar, crumbled bacon, and a little BBQ sauce to bind it all together. MMMMMM, I love me a good burger!

I do use the 85% fat ground beef, but they are bland, and dry- I don't press them while on the grill, but I like your idea of stuffed burgers. I could spare the extra $3.19 to buy an additional pound of meat to make 1/3 pound burgers that are stuffed vs. 1/4 pound burgers that are dry and bland! Thanks for the advice!

 

[katiemoser]

Pretzels as secret ingredient!I was at a BBQ with my small group from church and the burgers were moist and fabulous. I asked my friend what was in them and she said pretzel crumbs!

I was very surprised, but it's like adding bread crumbs to meatloaf, I guess. You add about 1/4 of pretzel 'dust' per lb. of ground beef, along with seasonings (don't need salt if you use salted pretzels...)

(I crush the pretzels in my magic bullet, but a ziploc bag and child armed with a rolling pin works as well...

You also mentioned meat loaf. I use 1 lb. ground beef, 1 egg, 1/4 cup pretzel 'dust' and 1/4 ketchup. Then when meatloaf comes out, lay american cheese slices on top to melt. MMMMmm

Now, I have to make meat loaf soon!

 

[VeronicaW]

I mostly use this one: salt, pepper, w sauce. But on occasion I use our Garlic/Peppercorn Rub (yum).

We have saute'd onions, sliced onions or a grilled onion flower for our burgers.

Oh! Great Tips:
I mix it up Lean Ground Beef with our Mix 'N Chop!
I use 2 rounded scoops of our Large Scoop on to our Cutting Board and press with our Ice Cream Sandwich Maker.

They come out perfectly even!
We grill what we need and then I layer in between wax paper for the freezer.

 

[Kitchen Diva]

I will print this out and try some of these ideas! Thanks everyone... like I said, I can make chili, and meatballs, but meatloaf and burgers...not so much.

 

[MaryLou]

Here is the method that I have used for years; my family thinks that I make the best burgers.

Perfection Burgers (A Basic Burger Recipe)
4 servings

1/4 cup ice water

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck, ground round and ground sirloin combined

salt and pepper, to taste

4 hamburger buns, or soft Kaiser rolls, split



With your hands, blend the water into the ground meat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. Do not pack too tightly.

Grill or broil 4 inches from a high fire until browned and cooked to desired degree of doneness: approximately 3 to 5 minutes per side for rare, 5 to 8 minutes per side for medium and 10 minutes per side for well done.

For the last 2 minutes of grilling, place the buns, cut sides down, on the grill to toast the interior surfaces lightly. Serve the burgers on the toasted buns.

 

[Jamie's Money]

I use a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix and shredded cheese! The recipe is on the box and it makes the BEST hamburgers!! They're probably not good for you, but they sure do taste good.