You cannot have a perfect burger without
taking into consideration the ground beef! The fat content and coarseness of
the grind are key. You want a course grind if you are grilling. Finely ground will
tend to be mushy and not hold together as well. Also do not ‘work’ the meat too
much in your hand as you form your patty’s, this is like ‘working’ clay and
softens it and you do not want that! If you are going to work some spices into
the meat first do it in a cold bowl with a cold fork. Cool your hands with cold
water and make the patty’s quickly.
When choosing your ground beef, there are
some important things to keep in mind. First of all, the fat percentage depends
on if you are pan frying or grilling your burgers.
If you plan to pan fry, I suggest using
leaner ground beef as the burger will cook in the fat that it contains and
escapes the beef patty and will keep the burger moist.
When pan frying, to achieve a fire grilled
taste, a cast iron skillet is a good choice. Like when grilling start off with
a very hot pan to sear each side, then turn it down to finish cooking it. Since
cast iron holds heat for a long time, I suggest even turning the stove burner
OFF after searing each side to finish cooking them. Using a bacon press that is
heated in the pan prior to cooking helps cook both sides at the same time,
however you will still want to flip the burgers.
If you are grilling, use a 85% lea help
your burger retain moisture better and the fat will drip into your grill fire
and cause flareups and you want to reduce that as much as possible. Keep a spray bottle of water handy to reduce
the flareup from burning your burgers and you.
A trick to keeping leaner meats on the
grill from drying out and falling apart is to make your beef patty’s ahead of
time and partially freeze them. Also be sure your grill grates are clean and
treated with a non stick spray.
When
grilling be sure to start with a very hot grill, 450 – 500 degrees is good. When
you have everything ready gently place the patties on the grill. When raw meat
hits the hot grate it will stick which is fine! Do not try to turn it too early
the burger will fall apart. You can check if its released yet with the corner
of your spatula, if its still stuck, let it cook a bit longer. If it seems to
be burning, spritz the flame with water to slow it down a bit. The secret is to flip the burger the second it
releases. It should take only a minute or so for each side to release. Once
each side is seared turn the heat down to 350 and continue to grill 2-3 minutes
per side.
Remove the hamburger patty let them sit for a minute or
two before serving.
Now comes the personalization! Burgers can be topped with
whatever you desire!
What are some of your favorite burger toppings?
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