Need hamburger help.

[JohnFrum1978]

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]

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)

 

[Beezy]

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]

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

 

[madbaldman]

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]

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:

 

[JohnFrum1978]

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]

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.

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]

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

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

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.

 

[dataz722]

Grind your own from ribeye or chuck.

Or brisket is even better.

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.

+100000

 

[runningweird]

dont over compress your patties, make the depression in the middle as stated above, most importantly do not salt your burgers until just before putting them on the grill. I use a spice mixture that is equal weights salt, garlic powder, and black pepper thrown in a vitamix and powdered. I apply liberally right before grilling- on the hottest part of the grill I can find. I also don't cook my burgers well done, at most they are medium well- usually medium. We use grass fed beef from a butcher I know so I don't really fear contamination.

 

[dallasdb]

Also, I take my ground beef and add some bread crumbs and mustard before forming.

Great flavor and the bread crumbs hold them together.

 

[cadarnell]

cool .. never knew about the blood cell shape thing .. I always just started bigger than I wanted to end up with .. this is a cool site

 

[Beezy]

I never heard about the dimple either and I thought I was a true red, white and blue blooded cheeseburg eatin expert mofo. Can't wait to make burgers again.

 

[madbaldman]

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.

Millions of people have been eating pink center burgers for decades without dropping like flies. Is E. Coli a possibility? Sure. But you're more likely to get E. Coli from a salad than a medium burger.

 

[runningweird]

Millions of people have been eating pink center burgers for decades without dropping like flies. Is E. Coli a possibility? Sure. But you're more likely to get E. Coli from a salad than a medium burger.

especially if you know the source and quality of your beef. I worked as a butcher for several years and have seen both ends of the spectrum: clean kills in a small farm processing room and messy sh#t on the walls, guts everywhere kills in large scale industrial operations. I would chose beef killed by a small processor any day.

E coli is something that exists naturally on many surfaces and in our gut- it is the presence of other organisms that keep it in check. the over use of antibiotics and sterilization techniques create an environment where its either evolve or die, so e coli evolves and avoids chemical eradication- and multiplies rapidly in the new competition free environment. and since kill floors in big companies are so dirty the jump from waste to meat is an easy one to make.

that being said, I would never buy burger from the store and cook it anything but well done but I trust my local guy- we buy half beeves every few months- and its always been great. Plus I've been in his shop- its clean.

to the debate forum.

 

[markg388]

the only thing I can think of that got missed is to weigh out your patties. I like 5oz patties, and anything bigger than like 6oz and you're going to get that too-thick/too much beef character regardless of how well its been formed, shaped or cooked. Good burgers are as much about overall balance as they are about beef technique.

And a perfect burger cooked medium is easily worth a case of e-coli in my book. Someone wanna do some research? Lotto winners vs ground beef derived e.coli since 1994? I bet there's been more lotto winners.

 

[shanecb]

I do just about everything mentioned in this thread and they always come out great. I usually go for rare to medium rare, though.

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

messy sh#t on the walls, guts everywhere kills in large scale industrial operations.

Now thats some imagery!!

I can't stress enough how big of a difference you will taste in meat from a locally owned, reputable butcher shop versus buying the pre-pack meat at the mega-mart.

Plus, the guys that work at those places are normally really cool, friendly, and knowledgable about what they're selling. Much different experience than the high-school kid stocking the meat cooler at the super-walmart.

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

Or brisket is even better.

That. Sounds. Awesome.

I can't wait for burger night now!

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

Or brisket is even better.

The Burger Lab also did an 'ideal mixture for grinding your own' and their mix was a 1:1:2 ratio of sirloin/brisket/oxtail. They also said, if you're not going to grind your own, use ground chuck.

I think the quality of supermarket ground beef/chuck can vary widely, just because it comes from a supermarket doesn't automatically make it bad/inferior. They are grinding beef just like anyone else. I've been to restaurants that grind their own and the stuff I get from Publix seems just as good (and is ground fresh everyday). Even the Publix fresh-made hot italian sausage is better than every local butcher shop's hot italian sausage I've tried. They're doing something right.

 

[remilard]

All the ground beef consumed in my house is ground fresh from whole muscles purchased from a good butcher. We eat it raw with confidence.

I like to salt the meat before grinding and grind twice on the large die (the second grind develops the myosin that binds that meat, makes it stick together without working it with your hands). Cooked medium rare.

I tend to think the fat percentage is far more important than what you actually use. Flavorful stuff like brisket or sirloin or round is great. The texture doesn't matter, everything comes out of the grinder tender.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

All the ground beef consumed in my house is ground fresh from whole muscles purchased from a good butcher. We eat it raw with confidence.

I like to salt the meat before grinding and grind twice on the large die (the second grind develops the myosin that binds that meat, makes it stick together without working it with your hands). Cooked medium rare.

I tend to think the fat percentage is far more important than what you actually use. Flavorful stuff like brisket or sirloin or round is great. The texture doesn't matter, everything comes out of the grinder tender.

Interesting about salting the meat pre-grind, per Burger Lab that's one of the big, big no-nos (as opposed to sausage where you need it for textural reasons). The pictures in that article would scare anybody from doing it. Look up 'Salting ground beef' on the Burger Lab if interested. But if you're doing it I'm guessing you don't get the same results they do, any idea why?

 

[MazdaMatt]

It sounds like my method is out in left field and yet all my guests are awed with the flavour of my burgers. My fiance won't even bother to buy a burger at a restaurant anymore. I've been to "premium burger restaurants" that use fancy cuts of meat and specialize in nothing but burgers and I like my own better.

I start with lean or extra lean ground beef
Add about 1 egg per pound
LIBERAL amounts of paprika and plenty of chili powder
Add cumin, garlic salt, garlic powder and minced garlic as well as an herb (oregano/thyme, etc)
sometimes tumeric or mustad powder.
Crazy special secret ingredient: a spoon full of chinese hoisin sauce per pound
Mix well and then add bread crumbs until it is no longer sloppy enough to stick to my hands.
I form it exactly as the red blood cell picture a page or two back never less than a half-pound at a time
I put it on a hot grill and turn it down to medium-high.
Flip it when it releases itself from the grill, pull it off when the fats stop bubbling out the top with just a bit still sitting there.

NEVER be a grill jockey. Put the meat down. Leave it alone till it releases itself, flip it one time and remove it from the grill when done.

This method is nothing like you've all subscribed to, but man it makes some juicy delicious burgers.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

RE: grill jockey. Burger Lab (I'm starting to sound like a broken record) did experiments on flipping only once (something I was always taught in restaurants) vs. flipping a bunch of times. Conclusion: flipping many times actually helps the patty cook more evenly and with absolutely NO loss of juice. Flipping once still works fine but it is a myth that you should only flip once.

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

It sounds like my method is out in left field and yet all my guests are awed with the flavour of my burgers. My fiance won't even bother to buy a burger at a restaurant anymore. I've been to "premium burger restaurants" that use fancy cuts of meat and specialize in nothing but burgers and I like my own better.

I start with lean or extra lean ground beef
Add about 1 egg per pound
LIBERAL amounts of paprika and plenty of chili powder
Add cumin, garlic salt, garlic powder and minced garlic as well as an herb (oregano/thyme, etc)
sometimes tumeric or mustad powder.
Crazy special secret ingredient: a spoon full of chinese hoisin sauce per pound
Mix well and then add bread crumbs until it is no longer sloppy enough to stick to my hands.
I form it exactly as the red blood cell picture a page or two back never less than a half-pound at a time
I put it on a hot grill and turn it down to medium-high.
Flip it when it releases itself from the grill, pull it off when the fats stop bubbling out the top with just a bit still sitting there.

NEVER be a grill jockey. Put the meat down. Leave it alone till it releases itself, flip it one time and remove it from the grill when done.

This method is nothing like you've all subscribed to, but man it makes some juicy delicious burgers.

That sounds good, but more like a grilled meatloaf than a burger!

 

[passedpawn]

RE: grill jockey. Burger Lab (I'm starting to sound like a broken record) did experiments on flipping only once (something I was always taught in restaurants) vs. flipping a bunch of times. Conclusion: flipping many times actually helps the patty cook more evenly and with absolutely NO loss of juice. Flipping once still works fine but it is a myth that you should only flip once.

You might be right, but I cook over coals and constantly opening my grill results in flareups.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

You might be right, but I cook over coals and constantly opening my grill results in flareups.

Ah, yes that would suck. When grilling steaks or burgers I never close the lid.

 

[remilard]

Interesting about salting the meat pre-grind, per Burger Lab that's one of the big, big no-nos (as opposed to sausage where you need it for textural reasons). The pictures in that article would scare anybody from doing it. Look up 'Salting ground beef' on the Burger Lab if interested. But if you're doing it I'm guessing you don't get the same results they do, any idea why?

Some differences:

1. I salt the whole muscle, not the cubed meat, and do so generally an hour or two before I grind (when I get home with the meat).
2. I grind twice.

My burgers certainly do not look like their salted one.

 

[ChshreCat]

My burgers always come off the grill just as flat as they are when the patties come out of the freezer. Dunno what your problem is.

 

[Beezy]

The freezer is the devil as far as meat goes.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

My burgers always come off the grill just as flat as they are when the patties come out of the freezer. Dunno what your problem is.

Shenanigans I say! Those always come out concave!

 

[ChshreCat]

Shenanigans I say! Those always come out concave!

When they do that, you just fill em up with ketchup and mustard.

 

[passedpawn]

When they do that, you just fill em up with ketchup and mustard.

Naw. Cheese. Extra sharp cheddar. Mmmmm.

 

[Bigscience]

My BIL owns a high end butcher shop and he just made some burgers that he ground bacon into. Cooks Illustrated also did burgers with the cheese ground into the patties too.

My secret ingredient has always been worstershire (sp?) mixed in. Unami baby!

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

My BIL owns a high end butcher shop and he just made some burgers that he ground bacon into.

Interesting, I'd guess that you need to cook it through to well since it's raw bacon inside the burger?

 

[Bigscience]

Interesting, I'd guess that you need to cook it through to well since it's raw bacon inside the burger?

It will also have raw beef and according to the USDA to prevent food born illness:

Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °F as measured with a food thermometer.

Personally, I'd eat raw, cured, smoked, quality local pork over medium well Safeway/QFC/Albertsons/Railey's ground beef.

Seriously doubt you're going to pick up trichinosis from quality buttered meat.

 

[thataintchicken]

Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °F as measured with a food thermometer.

The USDA dropped the temperature for pork to 145 this year. Feel free to cook that mixed bacon burger to a perfect medium rare and enjoy

 

[thataintchicken]

As far as burgers go, the last two restaurants I cooked at had completely different approaches to burgers.

One used hand formed patties, mixed with jalapeno and cheddar or bacon and bleu cheese. These were started on the hottest part of the grill, then moved to a finishing temperature area. Never had a problem with the shrinkage described in the thread.
This was a local joint, and had the best flavor and required more attention.

The second and most recent, used pre-formed patties on a Neico Broiler, with no shrinkage. These burgers were on auto-pilot. I spent more time assembling the buns and plating set-ups than cooking the burger.
It was a national chain, so --- that is the way it's designed to be.

At home, I grind the meat with the Evil Red Kitchenaid and hand form the patties ( ala kenji ) then cook on a cast iron grill pan. If I am indoors and use the stove, I do the dimple in the center. If I cook outside, on the weber grill or the SP-10, I use no dimple. Perfect burgers are achieved.

Seems that higher temps + no dimple = no loss in patty size.

your mileage may vary. patty net weight before cooking. etc.