If you're a regular on this site, you know this stuff. But many people are just joining the meaty adventure that is A Hamburger Today. So here I present some burger-grilling tips. Past the jump, tips for making great burgers over the long weekend. You are grilling burgers aren't you? ;)
The Meat
It's the most important part of the burger. Sure, some of your guests may top theirs with all manner of nonsense that may overpower the flavor of the beef, but you want to start with a good base. Chuck that's freshly ground from a butcher you trust (or that's ground at home) is a good place to start. If you're feeling up to it, you can experiment with mixtures that use different cuts, but you can't go wrong with chuck—it has the requisite fat content for a juicy burger. Go no leaner than 80 percent.
Mixing the Beef
Mix the meat as little as possible, whether you prefer the simple addition of salt and pepper or more exotic mix-ins. Overmixing leads to toughness. Toughness leads to anger. Anger leads to burgers you'll hate. Just form some loose patties quickly and without much fuss. They may not be perfectly round or what not, but they'll taste better. And who cares what it looks like once it's on a bun?
Get Depressed
Until a few years ago, I had a problem. No matter how even the thickness of my patties, the center of the burger would swell up on cooking. But I learned a trick from coworkers at my previous employer—make a depression in the center of your patties. With thicker edges and a thinner middle, the swelling will eventually even things out.
Flip Once, No Pressing!
That spatula in your hand? It's used for flipping the burgers and used for flipping them once. You know what it's not used for? Pressing down on the patties while they grill. Don't do that! It releases all the precious moisture into the flame.
Flame Retardant
Flare-ups are a part of grilling. For most, simply close the lid of the grill; the reduction in oxygen should be all that's needed to quell the flames.
Yes! Just in time for Memorial Day. I am so ready to be the grillmaster this weekend. I have a strict no-squishing rule for burgers, and if anyone disputes it, I'm pointing them to this column for proof that it makes a bad burger.
Have to add a "RIGHT ON" to creating a depression in the middle of the patty. No matter how thick you want it the depression ensures a relatively uniform thickness for the burger.
Also have to agree that without a doubt, the burger is superior if you grind your own or have a butcher do it for you fresh. They don't compress the meat as is done when packaged commercially. Really makes a difference.
@butterface: Yeah. I'm not opposed to squishing on a griddle (well, "smashing" is what I like on a griddle) but on a grill -- NO SQUISHING. Somehow people got the idea that squishing is good. It is not.
I am opposed to the thinking behind this article. The object of a good "grilled" (I prefer, charcoal-broiled — on the BARBECUE — not grill) hamburger is to make it taste as much as possible like a charbroiled steak, not just another hamburger. I've found that frozen beef patties work best, and should be cooked while still frozen. This way, the outside has adequate time to get good and charred before the inside overcooks. The idea is to have the outside dark brown with coal-black stripes while the interior remains strawberry ice cream pink. And squish I do, because the fat squeezes out and hits the coals, making the flames leap high and sear the burger. I don't try to PREVENT "flare-ups," I ENCOURAGE them! Flare-up-free charbroiling is for wimps! That's also why I turn the patty and turn it again, and again, to provide plenty of fat for the fire and to burn all the excess fat off the hamburger. By following my advice, you will produce a hamburger like the Fireplace on Route 17 in Paramus, New Jersey, which sells the best hamburgers in the world. Another good contender was the old York Steak Houses which I don't think are still around. (They had lousy steak but great hamburgers. If they had changed their name to York Hamburgers, they might have survived.)
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If you're a regular on this site, you know this stuff. But many people are just joining the meaty adventure that is A Hamburger Today. So here I present some burger-grilling tips. Past the jump, tips for making great burgers over the long weekend. You are grilling burgers aren't you? ;)
5 Comments:
Yes! Just in time for Memorial Day. I am so ready to be the grillmaster this weekend. I have a strict no-squishing rule for burgers, and if anyone disputes it, I'm pointing them to this column for proof that it makes a bad burger.
butterface at 9:18PM on 05/23/08
Have to add a "RIGHT ON" to creating a depression in the middle of the patty. No matter how thick you want it the depression ensures a relatively uniform thickness for the burger.
Also have to agree that without a doubt, the burger is superior if you grind your own or have a butcher do it for you fresh. They don't compress the meat as is done when packaged commercially. Really makes a difference.
GianniB at 8:37AM on 05/24/08
@butterface: Yeah. I'm not opposed to squishing on a griddle (well, "smashing" is what I like on a griddle) but on a grill -- NO SQUISHING. Somehow people got the idea that squishing is good. It is not.
Adam Kuban at 9:51PM on 05/24/08
I am opposed to the thinking behind this article. The object of a good "grilled" (I prefer, charcoal-broiled — on the BARBECUE — not grill) hamburger is to make it taste as much as possible like a charbroiled steak, not just another hamburger. I've found that frozen beef patties work best, and should be cooked while still frozen. This way, the outside has adequate time to get good and charred before the inside overcooks. The idea is to have the outside dark brown with coal-black stripes while the interior remains strawberry ice cream pink. And squish I do, because the fat squeezes out and hits the coals, making the flames leap high and sear the burger. I don't try to PREVENT "flare-ups," I ENCOURAGE them! Flare-up-free charbroiling is for wimps! That's also why I turn the patty and turn it again, and again, to provide plenty of fat for the fire and to burn all the excess fat off the hamburger. By following my advice, you will produce a hamburger like the Fireplace on Route 17 in Paramus, New Jersey, which sells the best hamburgers in the world. Another good contender was the old York Steak Houses which I don't think are still around. (They had lousy steak but great hamburgers. If they had changed their name to York Hamburgers, they might have survived.)
JerseyWarren at 11:42AM on 06/02/08
@JerseyWarren: Frozen beef patties?!?!
Adam Kuban at 12:08PM on 06/02/08