JohnFrum1978

Recipes 

So, grilling season is in full swing.

I'm looking to perfect my hamburger technique. Specifically, mine always shrink up into nearly a ball as they cook. No matter how thin and hard I press them to get that nice little disk, they always recede back toward spherical.

Is there a trick?

passedpawn

Recipes 

3 things:
Don't buy lean burger.
Stick your thumb into the middle to make a depression.
Start with a REALLY hot grill. Throw them right over the heat and close the cover (if you're using coals)

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Beezy

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That's what I do the flavor is in the fat. Also the last time I didn't add anything to the meat and they were awesome. Just put it on fresh.

jafo28

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Also don't press down on it with the spatula, it squeezes all the flavorful juices out.

madbaldman

Recipes 

Start with a 80/20 (20% fat) ground chuck. Keep the meat cold at all times. Depress the center as others have said - no more burger balls. Form the patties while working the meat as little as possible. If you overwork it, it will develop a smooth, "meat loaf" consistency you don't want. Pat it only enough for it to hold together nicely but don't pack it. They will be a little fragile at first. Once on the grill, don't mess with them until the cooking process has firmed them up. Don't overcook them. Nothing worse than a dry nasty burger.

strat_thru_marshall

Recipes 

Grind your own from ribeye or chuck.

If you cant do that then do as others suggested and go 80/20. Don't mix anything in, just form your patties and season liberally on the outsides with kosher salt and black pepper. Grill on a super hot charcoal grill for best flavor, just till medium. Don't over cook them!!

Form the patties to look like red blood cells to avoid the burger ball:

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JohnFrum1978

Recipes 

Thanks for the advice on putting the dent in the middle. Gonna try it next time.

But cooking them medium is a great way to pick up a case of e coli. Steaks are different because the bacteria can't penetrate the surface into the flesh. You can cook them rare as you want as long as the outside gets sterilized. But the act of grinding the meat, as in a hamburger, mixes and homogenizes everything. Meanwhile, e coli is a little more heat resistant than most bacteria. It doesn't start to die until 160F. That being the case, you really should cook them through.

strat_thru_marshall

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This is why I always buy steaks or larger cuts of beef and grind my own burger meat. Well, this and because it tastes much better and you can grind it as course or as fine as you want (i like it course).

Buy your meat from a reputable butcher shop and you should be fine. If you're really worried, you can give your steak or chuck roast a quick sear on each side before you cut it up and send it through the grinder. Then, as long as your home grinder is clean and sanitized (it better be...you're a home brewer after all!), you can cook the burgers any way you want, medium-rare if you please.

My wife and I are burger enthusiasts and I can tell you, once you try it this way you'll have a hard time going back to pre packed ground beef. I just have the kitchenaid grinder attachment, works like a champ.

mr_goodwrench

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I have been considering getting the Kitchenaid grinder attachment for just this reason.

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SpanishCastleAle

Recipes 

The risk is greater but it's still a very small risk. If I'm making burgers I buy the ground chuck that day, maybe one day in advance and never freeze it.

The Burger Lab is a great site for all things burger and of course, this topic has been covered. Anymore I usually pan-sear mine in a cast iron skillet (personal preference) and it's WAY less likely to happen when pan-searing.

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Early brewers were primarily women, mostly because it was deemed a woman's job. Mesopotamian men, of some 3,800 years ago, were obviously complete assclowns and had yet to realize the pleasure of brewing beer.- Beer Advocate