#LaborDay #grilling #beef #hamburger
No matter which type of meat you start with, or how you dress it up, at the heart of every hamburger lies the beef patty. The best burgers have a fully caramelized crust over the entire patty surface area but are juicy moist and gently cooked inside.
Your grilling ability can make or break your burger, so here are a few of my favorite tips for perfect patties every time, as follows:
Choosing Ground Meat
When choosing the blend for your burgers, balance of fat is the Key. Too lean and your burger will be dry and bland; while the more fat it contains, the more the patty will shrink when cooking. A patty containing 30% fat can shrink by as much as 25%, leaving you with a small dinner. I prefer an 80/20 blend of ground beef for burgers, because this ratio stays moist and juicy without losing too much volume. Try Kobe-Style Wagyu Ground Beef, Angus Ground Beef, or Ground Bison, for a perfect burger.
Forming Burgers
Overworking your ground beef will put you on the fast track to dry, dense burgers. When forming patties, wet or oil your hands slightly to keep the meat from sticking to your fingers. Handle the meat as little as possible. Separate the beef into portion sizes, then gently but quickly form into patty shapes about ½ – ¾ inch uniform thickness, and about ½ in larger than the diameter of your bun to allow for some shrinkage. Intense, direct heat cooking like grilling or broiling will cause patties to seize up and bulge in the center. To prevent this, gently make dimple, about 1½ ins in diameter, in the middle of each patty before cooking.
Seasoning Burgers
I believe the quality and flavor of the meat should be the Star so I like to keep the seasoning simple. A generous sprinkling of coarse kosher salt and a few turns of cracked black pepper are all you need. Always season after the patties are formed, right before cooking to prevent the salt from drying the meat out.
Searing Burgers
There are many ways to cook a burger, but no matter which method you choose, there are a few rules to ensure the best results. The 1st rule is: do not touch it! Once you have gently placed your patty on the cooking surface leave it alone so the meat has time to develop the crust. If you try to turn it too early the burger will stick or fall apart. The secret is to flip the burger the second it releases from the surface. Next, turn the patty only once and never press on the patty with the spatula. Pressing will force juices out, resulting in a dry burger. Finally, do not poke or cut into the patty to check for doneness. Piercing the crust before the meat has rested will result in all of the delicious juices running out. And there will be residual cooking even after you have removed it from the heat.
Resting Burgers
As with all meats, when using direct heat cooking methods, your hamburger patties will need to rest after cooking for the juices to redistribute evenly. Gently remove them from the heat source and allow them to rest for a few mins on a clean cutting board or platter.
My trick, melt real Roquefort cheese on Top!
Eat healthy, Be healthy, Live lively
