Hamburger recipes

[GeoffH]

1 hour ago, Mike J said:

Come on guys, a burger is not a burger without dill pickle slices.  

Not really a fan of pickles but go for it if you like them :)

[GeoffH]

1 hour ago, Joey G said:

BAR-B-Q with charcoal or wood is my favorite....

The trick at both was... caramelized onions... take some onions, coat with a little sugar, and medium heat till lightly brown.  

I have to agree, a burger cooked over a grill with a wood (or charcoal) flame has a flavor that gas grills simply can't match.

I confess I haven't tried adding caramelized onions myself, normally I just fry them for on a hot plate for those that want onions on their burger but I'll give it a go next time 

[Onemore52]

Thanks to everyone for their recipes and the tips, much appreciated. 

Of course which recipe to try first, I can only hope that the ground round will do justice.

Cheers

[Gator]

I usually go with ground sirloin and add some bacon fat or butter along with Lowry’s season salt (I’ve seen it for sale in Rustans before) and fresh ground pepper. No need for binders as long you don’t over mix the meat. Before grilling use your thumb to make a depression in the middle of the patty and push about a third to half way down; helps prevent them from swelling up in the middle and also helps them cook more evenly. Sometimes I’ll also mix in some chopped onions that I’ve steeped in boiling hot water first for about 5 -10 minutes.  It helps to soften the onions and takes sharp “bite” out of them that can over power the meaty flavor of the beef. 
 

 

[GeoffH]

5 hours ago, Gator said:

No need for binders as long you don’t over mix the meat. Before grilling use your thumb to make a depression in the middle of the patty and push about a third to half way down; helps prevent them from swelling up in the middle and also helps them cook more evenly.

 

Good tip about making a depression in the middle of the patty, I'll try that next time also thanks.

Binders are a matter of preference, I've noticed that American burgers tend to be... softer?  Less of a single object?  (compared to Aussie burgers).

The way people tend to make them in Australia you can pick them up between two fingers near one edge, hang them from your fingers and they'll stay together (that'd be hard to do without a binder I suspect).

[BrettGC]

Mine is the same as Geoff's but I add a packet of some sort of spicy seasoning, the locally bought cajun is good.  Rather than crumbs after shaping them I just cover them in flour, same effect.  I make a couple of KG's of them before celebrations here and they go down well with the family/locals.   They're also fascinated with "toad-in-the-hole"; bread with the centre ripped out and an egg plonked in the middle on the barbeque hot plate. 

[GeoffH]

1 hour ago, BrettGC said:

They're also fascinated with "toad-in-the-hole"; bread with the centre ripped out and an egg plonked in the middle on the barbeque hot plate. 

Love me some "toad in the hole" :)

[Tommy T.]

On 4/15/2023 at 3:52 PM, GeoffH said:

add lettuce, tomato, fried egg, sliced cheese to taste (all optional) and ketchup or tomato sauce (really NOT optional). 

Geoff..... you forgot the bacon, mustard and mayo!

And toasting the buns makes them less likely to get soggy. Also, the so-called "professionals" suggest to put all the sauces, lettuce and tomatoes beneath the burger and just the cheese and bacon on top.... Same thing, to make them less soggy. Lettuce on the bottom to catch the juices.

I season right before placing on the bbq with just worcestershire and coarse ground pepper. Also, I learned the hard way, that the higher fat beef - 20% or even a bit higher has more flavour and also stays together better with less crumbling. I prefer lean ground beef or ground round normally, but the burgers I have made with those tend to crumble more. Also, I make the fire fairly hot to sear the outside and seal in the juices. Let stand after cooking for a few minutes to set and absorb any juices that have leaked out anyway.... I place the cheese on top right at the end of cooking so it stays a bit more solid instead of running down the edges and getting lost. It will still melt after removing from the grill anyway, just not be as runny.

Edited April 17, 2023 by Tommy T.

[Tommy T.]

23 hours ago, Gator said:

Before grilling use your thumb to make a depression in the middle of the patty and push about a third to half way down; helps prevent them from swelling up in the middle and also helps them cook more evenly.

That definitely works and is a great idea!

[GeoffH]

43 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

Geoff..... you forgot the bacon, mustard and mayo!

Errk!  How could I forget bacon!

I prefer ketchup to mustard or mayo though sorry :)


I do toast (or grill) the buns, I agree without that they go all soggy.

 

Haven't tried the 'extras on the bottom trick' but will give it a go, thanks for the tip :)

Edited April 17, 2023 by GeoffH