What Is The Key To Making Good Hamburger Patties?
Posted: Monday, February 09, 2009
by Thom Richards
http://barbecuegrillsplus.blogspot.com/
In a nutshell, if there is a recipe in making good hamburger patties, it is selection of the right type of meat, forming the patty itself, and then cooking it right.
When buying hamburger, most folks buy prepackaged ground beef and have no idea what is really in that package. Did the ground beef come from one cow, or many cows?
Have you bought prepackaged hamburger and received kind of a funny smell from it? Or, have you noticed it while you were cooking it? Like it's not really fresh smelling?
This may lead you to selecting your own meat and either having the butcher grind it for you, or you can grind it yourself. Grinding it yourself is not a real hassle. You can use a food processor in the pulsating mode, purchase a hand meat grinder, or a mechanical one.
What are the cuts of meat that you can use for hamburger patties?
- Beef Sirloin
- Ground Chuck
- Brisket
- Chicken
- Lamb
- Turkey
- Buffalo
Mix beef with turkey, but your patties will be a bit softer and harder to cook. But, you can add bread crumbs to make them firmer, especially if barbecuing.
You can also add all kinds of spices, dry rubs, eggs, peppers, onions, garlic, and cheeses to patties. However, you should get a real feel for the natural flavor of the meat first, and then experiment.
The last time I formed up hamburger patties, I used brisket. It was a little fatty, so I trimmed some of it off. Cut the meat into small chunks, about one inch square.
Place it all in a plastic container and put it in the freezer for about one half hour. It will grind up a lot easier.
I coarsely ground the brisket, and formed it into about the size of a tennis ball. Put a little olive oil on your hands before you do this.
Gently flatten each ball to about a half inch thick. You want your patty to be loosely packed. Work around the edges a bit to get it symmetrical.
Put a thumbprint in the middle of each patty. This keeps the patty from rising in the middle. Don't go berserk, a tiny indent with your thumb will suffice.
You can do something when you know what kind of beef you have, that you can't do when you buy a package of pre-ground hamburger. And, that is: you can cook it rare, medium rare, or how ever you want it.
When the barbecue or skillet is hot, cook the patties four to five minutes on each side. Try up to seven minutes for medium done hamburger.
- Buy brisket, beef sirloin, ground chuck, turkey, chicken breasts, lamb, buffalo
- Grind it up using food processor, meat grinder ( Courser the better)
- Roll the brisket into the size of tennis balls (put a little olive oil on your hands)
- Gently flatten each ball to about a half inch
- Poke a small indent in the center
- Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper
- Grill on the BBQ, or cook on stovetop until it reaches your preference
- Five minute to seven minutes on each side depending on doneness preferences
- Chicken, turkey and lamb (Make sure you use a meat thermometer to check for doneness)
For example, you can add onions directly to the patties, but I prefer either uncooked onion rings on my burgers, or cooked separately and caramelized. I also like to add a slice of cheese to the top of the hamburger in the final stages of cooking to make it real good.
Thom Richards absolutely loves to barbecue for family and friends. Please join me at: Barbecue Tips From Deep In The Heart Of Oregon for all kind of information, recipes, tips to make your barbecuing the best. A super source for BBQ supplies is at: Lil Mo's Barbecue Shoppe. This article is free for republishing, but the resource links must be retained.
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Top-level comments on this article: (7 total)hi thom,i have been making hamburgers for years, but the ones you described sound fabulous, and fresh. i like the thumb tip. thanks for sharing with us, so we can all try a great burger,my best regards,sue thom
Hi Sue!You will really like brisket....my favorite. You'll think it's expensive at first, but you get very little skrinkage like you do in prepackaged hamburger. It has a very distinct taste. Best to you!Thom
Thom,As always, you have me ready to eat. Smile. Thanks for sharing this informative write!
Hi Ronyae! As always you leave the very best of comments! I'm an just an old dude trying to pass on a few things. Best to you, as you are one of the best!Thom
Okay Thom, now that you have made me extremely hungry!!!!! I never really thought about the hamburger from a package at the store.....several cows? Oh my God, I had never thought about that....next time I go to the store butcher, I am going to have him grind me up a round steak , or a few of them, and then I will know what I have....also the prep instructions you give are great.....thanks for the good tips, and what to look for, there is more to a art of what you do in BBQ'ing than meets the eye.....Thanks for sharing my friend......Your friend in pen.....Gary
Hi Gary!Most good butchers will grind up whatever meat you pick out for free. The diabolical will charge you, and others won't do it.I have a first class electric meat grinder because I do a lot of grinding. I can also make sausage with my grinder.....I know what goes into the sausage that way. There is nothing like BBQ'ing your own sausage, and for that matter, you're own hamburger.A hand cranked grinder is about $15 and worth investing in.Just season your patties with Kosher salt and a good ground peppercorn. It will do amazing things to the taste. Regular salt dries out meat. Use the same formula for steaks....you will never go back!You can use the lid off of an one gallon jar of mayo to form patties, also. Spray a little non-stick into the lid and fill it with ground meat. Level it off and plop it onto a plate. Really hi-tech! Makes the perfect size patty.Thom
Yes this article is very helpful, thank you for your clear and detailed way of preparing a good hamburger. I agree with you that the real score in coming up with a very good hamburger is on the selection of meat, freshness, and proper handling. Cooking to taste is also important but this aspect varies depending on preference.
I hope more articles on food preparation such as this gets published. Thank you and more power.
Gilbert A. Romero
Plant Manager - Southern Processing Corporation
Lucena City, Philippines
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