Want to make your hamburgers better?

[Flash]

To me there are three ways to make hamburgers better. In reverse order of importance:

1. Use really good buns. Those cheap store brand or Wonder Bread buns are not that good. Use potato or some of the more gourmet buns.

2. You can do OK with a cast iron or properly seasoned carbon steel frying pan but if you have a griddle (like a Blackstone) the difference will be noticeable.

3. Grind your own hamburger. This is the biggest difference. The meat will taste much better than store bought ground meat. You can get a suitable electric meat grinder on Amazon for as low as $50-60. Cheaper if you want to do hand grinding, which I don't recommend.

I use a grind of of about 60-70% chuck roast and 30-40% short ribs and the quality is far superior to store bought ground beef. Sometimes I will use rib eye steak instead of short ribs. All short rib ground is fantastic but expensive.

 

[rightwinger]

I use a grind of of about 60-70% chuck roast and 30-40% short ribs and the quality is far superior to store bought ground beef. Sometimes I will use rib eye steak instead of short ribs. All short rib ground is fantastic but expensive.

Throw in some Road Kill
Nobody will notice

 

[shockedcanadian]

Don't be afraid of a little bit of fat it allows you to cook it together without any egg or otherwise. Make the ball tight, compress it to the size you want, let it expand on heat and with your spatula. You can still drain fat off of it when done so lean beef isnt always needed. I sometimes use sn egg but ususlly slice up smsll onions and add garlic in the bowl. I prefer high quality bread or even just a pita wrap over a bun but it is a preference..

 

[DGS49]

Lee Iacocca tells the story of Henry Ford II, who simply LOVED the burgers that they prepared for him at the Ford Executive dining room. He loved burgers and would order burgers wherever he went around the world, and he always said that no matter how much people tried to give him their best, they could not compete with the Ford dining room.

Being a successful boot-lapper, Iacocca cornered the head chef one day and asked him if there was a secret to preparing a burger for The Deuce. "Watch," said the chef. He went over to the fridge and pulled out a Filet Mignon and inserted it into the meat grinder. That's how he made those great burgers.

Oh.

 

[toobfreak]

1. Use really good buns. Those cheap store brand or Wonder Bread buns are not that good. Use potato or some of the more gourmet buns.

To get good buns, you usually have to go to a local bakery. Supermarkets carry shit compared to the quality buns used by restaurants.

2. You can do OK with a cast iron or properly seasoned carbon steel frying pan but if you have a griddle (like a Blackstone) the difference will be noticeable.

If you have a good iron or steel pan, it can grill just as well as a griddle if used right. You have to get a good sear without overcooking the middle.

3. Grind your own hamburger.

Well, of course, using quality meats ground fresh will always taste better than store bought patties!

 

[Muhammed]

To me there are three ways to make hamburgers better. In reverse order of importance:

1. Use really good buns. Those cheap store brand or Wonder Bread buns are not that good. Use potato or some of the more gourmet buns.

I use home made brioche rolls. And I always butter and toast them.

 

[1srelluc]

For the win!

Sizzle Burgers {A trip down memory lane with our mamas

Sizzle burgers are fried ground beef patties seasoned with salt & pepper, in a pan with Worcestershire sauce and butter. Place them on a bun and enjoy!

www.themountainkitchen.com

 

[leftwinger]

Throw in some Road Kill
Nobody will notice

you even TROLL an innocent cooking suggestion thread.

 

[GMCGeneral]

To get good buns, you usually have to go to a local bakery. Supermarkets carry shit compared to the quality buns used by restaurants.

That depends on the market. Besides Tops, Wegmans, and the so-called "budget" markets (Aldi's, Save-A-Lot), we have a fairly large LOCAL supermarket called "Market In the Square" that bakes its own bread/'buns.

If you have a good iron or steel pan, it can grill just as well as a griddle if used right. You have to get a good sear without overcooking the middle.

One other option, and it's one I use is a George Foreman grill. This has the advantage of being a "clamshell" design and can cook the patties evenly. I typically like mine medium well to well done.

Well, of course, using quality meats ground fresh will always taste better than store bought patties!

Some of us don't have the time, nor ability to do that.

All that being said, allow me to add something here-What are you putting ON the burger? For me, REAL cheese slices (Sargento or even store brand sliced real cheese does it), and good condiments.

 

[GMCGeneral]

you even TROLL an innocent cooking suggestion thread.

That's all he's good at. I really hate arguing with this moron who's so sure of himself and the party for which he has pledged unyielding fealty to.

 

[mudwhistle]

Lee Iacocca tells the story of Henry Ford II, who simply LOVED the burgers that they prepared for him at the Ford Executive dining room. He loved burgers and would order burgers wherever he went around the world, and he always said that no matter how much people tried to give him their best, they could not compete with the Ford dining room.

Being a successful boot-lapper, Iacocca cornered the head chef one day and asked him if there was a secret to preparing a burger for The Deuce. "Watch," said the chef. He went over to the fridge and pulled out a Filet Mignon and inserted it into the meat grinder. That's how he made those great burgers.

Oh.

Sam's Club hotdogs must have crack in them....because even if I buy some of their own dogs....they never taste the same as the ones served at the store.

 

[mudwhistle]

Something I found out.....if you wrap your meat in aluminum foil it lasts longer than if you just put in the freezer.

I found a 5 pack of New York Strip steaks in the bottom of my freezer and thawed them out. The expiration date on them was Nov 2021. I've been eating them for two days. They taste great.

 

[hjmick]

Sam's Club hotdogs must have crack in them....because even if I buy some of their own dogs....they never taste the same as the ones served at the store.

Same goes for Costco's Kirkland brand dogs...

 

[leftwinger]

Same goes for Costco's Kirkland brand dogs...

They taste like chemicals when from the snack bar. I’ve never bought any to be cooked at home?

 

[Flash]

All that being said, allow me to add something here-What are you putting ON the burger? For me, REAL cheese slices (Sargento or even store brand sliced real cheese does it), and good condiments.

I have tried many cheeses on burgers. However, to me nothing beats that often maligned good ole American cheese. It is not a gourmet cheese by any stretch of the imagination but it works on cheeseburgers.

 

[Flash]

If you have a good iron or steel pan, it can grill just as well as a griddle if used right. You have to get a good sear without overcooking the middle.

For some reason the burgers taste better when I cook them on the Blackstone than when I cook them on the stove in a cast iron pan or whatever. I don't know if it is the seasoning or what but there is more that diner burger taste to ones cooked on a griddle.

 

[toobfreak]

For some reason the burgers taste better when I cook them on the Blackstone than when I cook them on the stove in a cast iron pan or whatever. I don't know if it is the seasoning or what but there is more that diner burger taste to ones cooked on a griddle.

May be the shape or the temperature. I have an antique cast iron griddle whose shape curves away so that juices naturally drain towards the edge whereas a pan is flat. A griddle also tends to be thicker so it holds it temperature more even. I have a very special carbon steel skillet I will be ordering soon that I intend to put up against my griddle and will test for this, as at around $300.00 (it is literally custom hand-made to order at a forge), I intend to hold it in high expectation.

 

[Flash]

Some of us don't have the time, nor ability to do that.

Grinding your own meat is not very time consuming nor does it take any skill.

You can buy a standalone unit for about $50 that will work fine for kitchen use. You buy a chuck roast and cut it up into chucks and feed it into the hopper. A few seconds later you have great hamburger that taste a lot better than any store bought hamburger.

The only additional time is in cleaning the parts of the grinder after use. That will take a few minutes but not anything of significance. These grinders are very easy to take apart for cleaning. No big deal at all.

 

[Flash]

He went over to the fridge and pulled out a Filet Mignon and inserted it into the meat grinder. That's how he made those great burgers.

Oh.

I have made burgers out of freshly ground beef tenderloin. They were OK but were too lean. They were not very juicy. A burger needs more fat. I suspect that chef mixed in a little additional fat for Mr. Iaccocca.

A good mix is beef tenderloin and a fatty brisket point.

 

[toobfreak]

Grinding your own meat is not very time consuming nor does it take any skill.
You can buy a standalone unit for about $50 that will work fine for kitchen use. You buy a chuck roast and cut it up into chucks and feed it into the hopper. A few seconds later you have great hamburger that taste a lot better than any store bought hamburger.
The only additional time is in cleaning the parts of the grinder after use. That will take a few minutes but not anything of significance. These grinders are very easy to take apart for cleaning. No big deal at all.

True. For most people, buying a chuck roast and other cuts isn't much harder than buying a package of prefab patties, and you can be sure they are putting the lowest cuts of meat they can get away with in the store-made patties. after that, all that's required is to give the meat grinder a simple wash.

It's a small investment and it takes up a little storage space, but the returns in making your own patties and sausages, etc., soon pay for itself.


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