[relient nelson]

I'm grilling burgers tonight for the first time in quite a while and it got me thinking about the bajillion different ways I've heard of to prepare burgers.

So, what's your recipe for the best burger cookout? Give all the details.

Type of meat: If beaf, 80/20 90/10, etc?

Preparation: Marinate, seasoning, egg, onion, bacon, cheese, whatever is going in your burger before it hits the grill.

How you cook it: Gas, charcoal, George Foreman, frying pan.... I dunno... sidewalk and magnifying glass.. you get the idea.

What's on it: Type of bun, cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, coleslaw, etc.

What's next to it: What else do you serve with the burger to make it a meal including the drink if you like.

Tonight, I'm gonna grill up some 80/20 beef with an egg cooked in, which I've never done before. I'm curious how it's going to turn out. I'm also going to grill some bbq chicken and corn in husk. Yum!

[Art]

I always use the leanest beef I can find.

I love garlic.

Sometimes a couple of splashes of Worcestershire sauce.

I am an ad-libber when it comes to burgers, really. It depends on my mood.

[roscoestring]

I prefer mine before the meat has been ground and with a T shaped bone in it. Grilled until well done (salt only) on an open fire (no gas) and served with toasted (both sides) garlic bread and Mt. Dew over crushed ice. Condiment - ketchup. I then stick the fork in it and pick it up and bite it. Never cut with a knife. Sometimes if I'm feeling a little adventurous I'll add some onions on the grill.

Can't do it tonight though. It is raining cats and dogs out there. The electricity has flashed off and on about 3 times while I've been trying to type this. Auuugghhhhhh.

[Cam42]

I've posted my favourite burgers quite a few times.
Abbreviated version:Mix equal parts of cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese. put aside
Mix about one tablespoon of taco seasoning per pound of ground beef.
Make several thin burger patties, twice the amount of burgers that you want. Place a tablespoon or so of the cheese mixture on half of these patties. Put the remaining patties on top of the cream cheese covered patties. Pinch the burgers together, and grill.

These are quite possible the best burgers to ever exist.

[Rainer.]

One of my better burger ideas:

Patty is 2/3 to 3/4 parts leanest beef you can find, plus 1/3 to 1/4 part fresh chorizo. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, cumin. (Warning, even with the lean beef, this is a pretty darn drippy burger)

Grill until well done (you will have no issues with it staying moist), serve on a split kaiser roll with veggies of choice (romaine, tomato, thinly sliced red onion, and definitely a grilled slice of green bell pepper), a slice of cheese of choice (I'd suggest pepper jack for this one), and a bit of mayo. TASTY.

Otherwise, I love a traditional bacon cheeseburger with cheddar and a fried egg. I season the patty with a generous dose of Worcestershire, and cook to just medium (overcooked 100% beef patty is no bueno, I tend to err on the pink side).

[tenwatt]

I chop up fresh basil and parsley, kalamata olives, and onions and mix that, an egg, and some garlic in with some 90/10. Mmmmmmmm!

[redbaron]

if you're adding eggs, add some parm & breadcrumbs, it'll help retain the moisture and give you a nice flavor & texture profile.

jon: well done? really?

secret for those making burgers: never ever use meat that's less than 20% fat! If you do, it won't have the moisture and binders to really hold itself together and you end up with crumbly/mealy.

as far as I'm concerned there are only two ways to do burgers:

1) Cast iron pan
2) charcoal


Also, clever thread, but you won't trixy out my secret recipe

[Art]

If your secret recipe involves burgers that crumble if they are less than 20% fat, I don't want it.

[redbaron]

it doesn't, but I won't make 'em with super lean beef either (my culinary hero Alton agrees )

honestly, rule about cooking meats: Fat is where the flavor lives

That's why it's so important to break down the connective tissues and collagen in tough cuts with long low, slow cooking methods- because it breaks down into deliciousness.

I had a friend completely trim (pre-cooking) all of the fat off a filet once. Let's just say that it wasn't pretty (since the fat helps add flavor & moisture during cooking).

Fat in and of itself isn't a bad thing, especially in moderation.

[scared2mosh]

patties:

Lean(ish) beef
Garlic salt
pepper
onion flakes

Then I throw em in a pan and coat em with black pepper. Once it's almost done I throw on 1 or two types of cheese and set the buns on top and put on a lid (to steam the buns/ melt the cheese).

Serve one a good sandwhich bun with bacon, a fried egg, and just a bit of miracle whip or mayo.SOOOOOOO GOOOD

[Rainer.]

Originally Posted by redbaron

jon: well done? really?

I know, it sounds overdone, but with a 30% chorizo burger, you're gonna want the extra fat cooked out a little longer, trust me on that one. It turns out quite a bit too greasy otherwise if you're using a good fatty chorizo.

Medium is a better standard for all-beef patties.

[beanbag]

i grill them on a grill.

for 1 lb of lean beef (no, it doesn't crumble--the egg holds it together), puree one egg and one yellow onion in the blender, and mash that (using your hands) into the meat with some salt. make slightly-larger-than-palm-sized patties, and they're ready to go.

granted, neither do i own a grill nor cook meat anymore, but that's how we've always done them at my parents' and everyone swears that my dad makes the best grilled food in the universe. i agree with that sentiment 1000%.

[redbaron]

jon, I'll take your word for it, pending you make me some sometime

I agree, medium is a good general rule for beef (or other red meats IMO). Even though I'll eat a good steak anywhere from black & blue to med. rare, eating ground meat that lightly cooked is not my idea of a good time.

[Rainer.]

Originally Posted by redbaron

jon, I'll take your word for it, pending you make me some sometime

I agree, medium is a good general rule for beef (or other red meats IMO). Even though I'll eat a good steak anywhere from black & blue to med. rare, eating ground meat that lightly cooked is not my idea of a good time.

There's a soft spot in my heart for a well done steak tartare, though...

[relient nelson]

Originally Posted by redbaron

secret for those making burgers: never ever use meat that's less than 20% fat! If you do, it won't have the moisture and binders to really hold itself together and you end up with crumbly/mealy.

You need to find a good balance here though. The more fat in the meat, the more the burger is going to shrink. 70/30 burgers will shrink up like mini burgers if you're cooking them well done. However, the more fat in the meat the better the flavor and (assuming you don't cook all the fat out) the juicier the burger.

I prefer 80/20 meat and leave mine just a bit pink in the middle. Very juicy and they don't shrink up too much.

Tonight was a success.

Burgers seasoned with just a bit of Lawry's seasoning salt, black pepper, and garlic powder on medium heat with a flaming hot grate brushed lightly with olive oil before putting the burgers on. This gives the burgers those grill marks that people seem to love and keeps the meat from sticking. When the burgers were done I put a slice of chipotle cheddar cheese on each patty and let it melt for a minute. I also buttered the sesame seed buns and put them on the heating grate above the flame for about five minutes to heat them up and add some awesome.

Then burger onto the bun with the cheese side facing down. Added lettuce, onions, mayo, ketchup and spicy brown mustard. It was very good.

On the side was some bbq chicken with a sauce I mixed up today, a simple salad, and some peaches and cream sweet corn that I cooked in the husk on the grill. It's been a long while since I've been able to grill and it was very therapeutic. Hoping to start grilling frequently through the rest of the summer.