What did I cook this weekend.....

[podz]

and I have some hand-pattied burgers to grill.

Is there a different way to make burgers to grill? I have seen those frozen patties in the store, but I always assumed that people use them for playing frisbee with their dogs.

 

[ChefRex]

I think it's about time for some grilled kangaroo steaks this upcoming weekend!

Need

 

[DrunkleJon]

Is there a different way to make burgers to grill? I have seen those frozen patties in the store, but I always assumed that people use them for playing frisbee with their dogs.

Those pucks are not terrible for bringing with you to the beach or somewhere that convenience is better than quality.

There are hand formed. And they have weird doohickeys to make patties for you. Google hamburger press and be shocked and amazed at what all is available.

 

[unionrdr]

I've got a few of those burger presses. I can make 1/2lb burgers in them. The good part is portioning for a bunch of family, groups, etc. Especially now that ground chuck, or beef in general has gone way up from the drought a couple years ago.

 

[passedpawn]

I don't have one of those burger presses. It's really not hard to hand press them, so why get something else dirty that you'll have to wash.

I press my thumb in the middle to thin out the middle of the burger before I put them on the grill. That way, after they thicken, they don't look pregnant. If I used a press, I'd still push the middle down after the burger was formed.

 

[mattmmille]

Is there a different way to make burgers to grill? I have seen those frozen patties in the store, but I always assumed that people use them for playing frisbee with their dogs.

I learned how to properly make a hamburger patty by hand decades ago, when I worked in restaurants. If done properly, they are round, even thickness(not too fat), and compact enough to not fall apart. If done properly, you don't need to indent the middle. I have a brother-inlaw that doesn't flatten them out enough and his turn out like meatballs when cooked. And they don't cook evenly.

There are lots of patty makers for the home, and I worked at a restaurant that had an electric one...caught the tips of my fingers in that floccer once. No way to release the pressure...so I just had to quickly pull them out. Bruised and battered, but lucky not to have lost any fingertips!

The pre-made frozen ones are convenient and are common at family events, when I'm not responsible for the meat. Good quality ones, like Bubba Burgers, aren't too bad. Not my first choice, but okay.

 

[Temptd2]

We generally make stuffed burgers so no burger presses for me. 1 pound homeground beef, make 4 thin patties, put whatever you want in the middle of two of the patties, cover with the other two, crimp the edges REALLY well, flatten out, grill. Yum.

 

[banesong]

We generally make stuffed burgers so no burger presses for me. 1 pound homeground beef, make 4 thin patties, put whatever you want in the middle of two of the patties, cover with the other two, crimp the edges REALLY well, flatten out, grill. Yum.

But... but.... how can you do that, without this magical tool?!?!?!

http://www.buystufz.com/

 

[unionrdr]

I line the burger presses with plastic wrap, so no mess. Helps use an even amount each time & about the same size.

 

[passedpawn]

I line the burger presses with plastic wrap, so no mess. Helps use an even amount each time & about the same size.

Ah, that's a good idea. I wonder if you could use parchment or wax paper. Might be easier to remove them if so.

 

[hunter_le five]

Mexican breakfast gyros

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1433454897.137479.jpg

 

[zippybasher]

I line the burger presses with plastic wrap, so no mess. Helps use an even amount each time & about the same size.

Wax paper and two plates.... Same ****.

Season meat, Roll meat into even sized balls, Form:

plate>wax paper>meatball>wax paper>plate. Squish to desired thickness. Best technique for having all uniform burgers.

Freeze them between wax paper for homemade Frisbees!

EDIT: Maybe I will add some spent grain next time and actually make a few Frisbees for Buster!

 

[unionrdr]

I like the way plastic wrap forms itself more easily to the mold. Deep enough to get about 1/2lb size. Plates worked, but these are more uniform to me. I do grab balls of meat as close to the same amount as I can. The presses just insure more uniformity & speed. Wax paper would work ok, but not form as readily to the inside of the press seems to me?...but whatever floats yer boat. Tossin' some more Hungarian & garlic sausage at the pit in a minute. The Hungarian was juicy & great flavor. Also made another version of my pasta salad with tomato basil vinaigrette with shredded motz in the fridge now.

 

[podz]

I like the way plastic wrap forms itself more easily to the mold.

I wouldn't feed moldy frisbees to any dog I loved, that's for sure!

I've never made patties with other than my hands, I don't press any magic dimples into the center of them, and mine don't turn out to be meatballs on the grill. Then again, I only buy ground beef that has less than 10% fat, so that might have something to do with it. Or not. Who knows!

 

[headbanger]

Wax paper and two plates.... Same ****.

Season meat, Roll meat into even sized balls, Form:

plate>wax paper>meatball>wax paper>plate. Squish to desired thickness. Best technique for having all uniform burgers.

I've used both, the press works much better if it's a good one.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

My burger technique would probably piss you all off. Ground chuck, salt, pepper and adobo go into a bowl. I work the meat just a little to make sure the fat is melted into the lean. Now that the meat is mixed with the seasonings I put a blob in the center of my palm about the size of a half-dollar and use my other hand to squash it into what looks like a meat pancake. The edges are a little bit thinner than the center. Now the real horror begins... I don't use a grill, I use a flat griddle on the stove with a dab of vegetable oil to keep it from sticking. The edges and outside of the burger (as well as the cheese) is quite well done, but the center is juicy and pink. A pickle, dab of mayo, dab of mustard, and squirt of ketchup on a potato bun and its complete.

Flame away.

 

[unionrdr]

I have a cast iron griddle that's a grill on one side, & a flat griddle on the other. Or the bbq pit, depending on the weather.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I have a cast iron griddle that's a grill on one side, & a flat griddle on the other. Or the bbq pit, depending on the weather.

I feel pretty sure that's the one I have... two loop handles...

 

[DrunkleJon]

My burger technique would probably piss you all off. Ground chuck, salt, pepper and adobo go into a bowl. I work the meat just a little to make sure the fat is melted into the lean. Now that the meat is mixed with the seasonings I put a blob in the center of my palm about the size of a half-dollar and use my other hand to squash it into what looks like a meat pancake. The edges are a little bit thinner than the center. Now the real horror begins... I don't use a grill, I use a flat griddle on the stove with a dab of vegetable oil to keep it from sticking. The edges and outside of the burger (as well as the cheese) is quite well done, but the center is juicy and pink. A pickle, dab of mayo, dab of mustard, and squirt of ketchup on a potato bun and its complete.

Flame away.

Nothing wrong with diner style burgers.

Though I am still a fat = flavor person with meats so 80/20 or fattier for me.

 

[bbohanon]

You people not taking photos to accompany your posts are NOT satisfying my need for food porn! Tighten up! Like this...kids first day of track out from school and both officially in middle school, so Dad makes biscuits, sausage and gravy. (Okay, didn't MAKE the sausage...I just cooked it.)

I would love this recipe..

 

[mattmmille]

I would love this recipe..

I made the biscuits from a recipe I got off pintrest that originally came from King Arthur Flour. I believe it was 2 c. Self-rising flour, 1/2 stick butter and 2/3 to 3/4 c. Milk or half'n'half...or buttermilk. Work the butter into the flour, add liquid and stir until it just comes together. Roll out on floured surface, 3/4" thick. Cut in rounds 2-3". Bake @ 425f until lightly browned, about 12 to 20 minutes,depending on size. Brush with melted butter.
The gravy is made after cooking sausage and using equal amounts of sausage grease and flour to form a roux over low heat in the same pan you cooked the sausage. Add fresh black pepper and salt o taste, then you use a wire whip to stir as you add milk or half'n'half...I eyeball it, but probably about 2 cups. Whisk to eliminate any lumps and raise the temp and bring to a boil. If it gets too thick, add more milk. Chop a piece of sausage well and add to the gravy.
I hope that helps!

 

[bbohanon]

I made the biscuits from a recipe I got off pintrest that originally came from King Arthur Flour. I believe it was 2 c. Self-rising flour, 1/2 stick butter and 2/3 to 3/4 c. Milk or half'n'half...or buttermilk. Work the butter into the flour, add liquid and stir until it just comes together. Roll out on floured surface, 3/4" thick. Cut in rounds 2-3". Bake @ 425f until lightly browned, about 12 to 20 minutes,depending on size. Brush with melted butter.
The gravy is made after cooking sausage and using equal amounts of sausage grease and flour to form a roux over low heat in the same pan you cooked the sausage. Add fresh black pepper and salt o taste, then you use a wire whip to stir as you add milk or half'n'half...I eyeball it, but probably about 2 cups. Whisk to eliminate any lumps and raise the temp and bring to a boil. If it gets too thick, add more milk. Chop a piece of sausage well and add to the gravy.
I hope that helps!

Yes it does..making these this weekend. Thank you!
:rockin:

 

[unionrdr]

My biscuit recipe is one my grandma helped my mother to devize. Mom was Slovak & dad was country, so she didn't know what biscuits AKA shortnin' bread was.
4C flour
1/2C butter or margarine
1tsp salt
2-3tsp baking powder
cut together with fork or pastry cutter.
Then add;
not quite 2C of buttermilk.Stir till a soft, sticky dough forms. The old timers always told me that the sloppier the dough is, the better the biscuits. Roll out 3/4 to 1" thick, & cut 2 1/2 to 3" diameter. Bake in 500F oven about 10-13 minutes.

 

[mattmmille]

My biscuit recipe is one my grandma helped my mother to devize. Mom was Slovak & dad was country, so she didn't know what biscuits AKA shortnin' bread was.
4C flour
1/2C butter or margarine
1tsp salt
2-3tsp baking powder
cut together with fork or pastry cutter.
Then add;
not quite 2C of buttermilk.Stir till a soft, sticky dough forms. The old timers always told me that the sloppier the dough is, the better the biscuits. Roll out 3/4 to 1" thick, & cut 2 1/2 to 3" diameter. Bake in 500F oven about 10-13 minutes.

Sounds very similar, except I used self rising flour and your recipe is about double the volume. I didn't add salt, but I use salted butter. And biscuit folk agree, you do NOT want to work the dough...just enough to hold it together! And the REAL old timers would tell you to use lard!

 

[BGBC]

Pickled watermelon rinds

Brined overnight:
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1433559736.380739.jpg

Pickled tonight:
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1433559777.365735.jpg

 

[podz]

Though I am still a fat = flavor person with meats so 80/20 or fattier for me.

There are tasty fats on a cow and there are non-tasty fats on a cow. The tasty fats are usually yellow and hard before they are cooked. The non-tasty fats are usually white and jiggly before they are cooked.

The problem with ground beef is that they don't use any of those parts of the cow that contain the tasty fats. They throw in all of the trash fat and charge you just the same price for the meat part as you would pay if you bought only the meat part, and then they charge you for the fat part on top of that. Therefore, it's best to avoid purchasing ground beef with added fat (anything more than 10%).

Now, if they were grinding the muscles that exist under the spine and ribcage then I'd buy fatty ground beef in a heartbeat. But then again, grinding those muscles would just be a crime to begin with.

 

[slym2none]

I wouldn't feed moldy frisbees to any dog I loved, that's for sure!

I've never made patties with other than my hands, I don't press any magic dimples into the center of them, and mine don't turn out to be meatballs on the grill. Then again, I only buy ground beef that has less than 10% fat, so that might have something to do with it. Or not. Who knows!

In my experience, the less fat hamburger meat has, the more likely it is to plump up in the center. I try to use 73/27 lean/fat for my burgers (although 80/20 is more available) and I don't dimple them either. They don't shrink and even if they get a bit over-cooked, they are still juicy.

 

[slym2none]

My burger technique would probably piss you all off. Ground chuck, salt, pepper and adobo go into a bowl. I work the meat just a little to make sure the fat is melted into the lean. Now that the meat is mixed with the seasonings I put a blob in the center of my palm about the size of a half-dollar and use my other hand to squash it into what looks like a meat pancake. The edges are a little bit thinner than the center. Now the real horror begins... I don't use a grill, I use a flat griddle on the stove with a dab of vegetable oil to keep it from sticking. The edges and outside of the burger (as well as the cheese) is quite well done, but the center is juicy and pink. A pickle, dab of mayo, dab of mustard, and squirt of ketchup on a potato bun and its complete.

Flame away.

Sounds good, actually! If I can't use my grill, I will definitely use a nice, heavy pan and fry up some patties. I like making my fried burgers extremely thin, as the crust it forms tastes really nice, and I'll stack 2 (sometimes 3 ) to a bun. I'd guesstimate that one patty = 1/8 of an ounce.

 

[podz]

Sounds good, actually! If I can't use my grill, I will definitely use a nice, heavy pan and fry up some patties. I like making my fried burgers extremely thin, as the crust it forms tastes really nice, and I'll stack 2 (sometimes 3 ) to a bun. I'd guesstimate that one patty = 1/8 of an ounce.

1/8 of an ounce is 4 grams. That's a piece the size of your thumbnail.

 

[mattmmille]

Sounds good, actually! If I can't use my grill, I will definitely use a nice, heavy pan and fry up some patties. I like making my fried burgers extremely thin, as the crust it forms tastes really nice, and I'll stack 2 (sometimes 3 ) to a bun. I'd guesstimate that one patty = 1/8 of an ounce.

You know what pisses me off? When people call anything small on a bun a "slider"! To me, a slider is a fairly small amount of burger that is placed on a griddle, on top of some thinly sliced onions and smashed (with a sliding motion...thus the name) as thinly as possible and cooked until the edges start to crisp. Then you flip it over and top with cheese, put a cover over it and let the cheese melt until some of it reaches the edges and gets crispy, too. Mustard, ketchup and pickle on a toasted bun. Boom! THAT's a slider! While I love a nice medium rare, moderately thick, grilled burger; sliders are awesome! With some really thin, crispy, french fries? Oh yeah!