Need Burger Tips

[Anonymous]

My burgers are always kind of dry and flavorless. What do you do to make a tasty burger? Do you grill or cook on the stovetop? What kinds of seasonings do you use?

Suggestions for beef OR turkey burgers welcome!

[Anonymous]

We just season with salt and pepper and cook in a cast iron pot. They're delicious.

Is your meat too lean? For a delicious beef burger, you need meat with some fat in it. We use 88% lean for burgers.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps you're already doing this, but focus on the quality of the meat. Where it comes from matters.

[Anonymous]

OP here...I've bought meat from Giant and Whole Foods. I think they taste equally bland. I use 85/15 ground beef. I like burgers when I eat out, in restaurants, but find that simple salt/pepper don't enhance flavor.

More suggestions?

[Anonymous]

Throw some bacon on top. It's the food that makes other food taste good.

[Anonymous]

have you read the ground beef stories posted before?

because of all the food safety hazards i would cook it well done. of course that makes it cardboardy and dry. but i wouldn't hazard a risk with bad bacteria.

so first i would try to find more reliably clean sources of ground beef.

second i would probably make the patties with a pat of butter in the middle, or add an egg, or just douse the thing in a tasty sauce.

[Anonymous]

We use the 85% beef, season generously with salt, pepper, olive oil and minced onions. Grill or pan fry - both work ok. We cook to medium.

[Anonymous]

i used to cook to medium until i read these recent nytimes articles. ground beef is much more prone to getting tainted than other cuts.

[Anonymous]

Add Lipton onion soup mix.

[Anonymous]

I'm really trying to figure out what makes a good burger and here are my conclusions so far:

1. You need really fresh meat - meat you cant buy in a grocery store. That's why 5 Guys burgers are so good - freshness.

2. High fat content. There no substitute for fat - it's the thing that gives burgers flavor. Go for a minimum 20% fat content.

3. Be careful shaping the patties to not squish up the meat too much - pack it together gently, otherwise you'll end up with a dense, tough burger.

4. Grill or fry, make sure you sear the outside quickly to seal in juices. Cook to medium doneness at most.

5. Go easy on seasoning - a little salt is okay, but everything else just hides the meat flavor - let people pick which condiments they want.

[Anonymous]

The Ultimate Hamburger

Serves 4

For this recipe, you want ground beef that is 85 percent to 90 percent lean. With the added bacon fat, 80 percent lean beef will make slightly greasy burgers. Crumble the cooked bacon slices over a salad, or use the slices as a burger topping.
8 strips bacon
1 - 2 slices white sandwich bread , crusts removed and discarded, remaining bread cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (see headnote)
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 large cloves garlic , very finely minced

1. Fry bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to plate lined with paper towels. Spoon 3 tablespoons bacon fat into heatproof bowl and place in refrigerator while preparing other ingredients.

2. Place bread in small bowl, add milk, and let mixture sit until saturated, about 5 minutes. Using fork, mash bread and milk until it forms smooth paste. Break up beef into small pieces in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then add garlic, bread paste, and reserved bacon fat. Using fork or hands, lightly knead together so that ingredients are well incorporated and mixture forms cohesive mass. Divide meat into 4 equal portions. Using hands, toss each portion of meat back and forth to form loose ball, then gently flatten each ball into 3/4-inch-thick patty.

3. Oil cooking grate and grill burgers over very hot fire, without pressing down on them, until well seared on both sides, 7 to 10 minutes. Serve, topped with bacon, if desired.

[Anonymous]

Add 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder and S&P to taste to 2 pounds ground beef for your burgers. Yum!!

[Anonymous]

We add Montreal Steak seasoning, seasoned bread crumbs and an egg. They are always juicy.

[Anonymous]

OP back. Thanks for these great suggestions! I can't wait to try them all.

[Anonymous]

That recipe is from Cook's Country or Cook's Illustrated...used it several times and it is delicious. My husband is the hamburger expert in our family and he only buys ground chuck for burgers. Not ground beef--the package will say "chuck" specifically. Apparently, ground beef can be from any part of the cow, but ground chuck is from a specific cut. It's also not ground as fine as ground beef so it's more tender in burgers. Harris Teeter sells it in big 2 lb plastic-wrapped tubes. Best burgers I've ever had.