Hamburger recipe/tips, please

Don't turn to the Dark Side!  Use tofu!

 


Vicky

After all that recipe searching, and asking for help here.. I bought Costco premade burgers.  Stupid dislocated finger was not going to co-operate with even holding a bowl, never mind mixing stuff.  I picked their most expensive option, 100% beef, 80% lean.

No idea how they tasted, but holy cow they fell apart easily.  Couldn't put them on the grill directly, they just fell through.  So, partly cooked on tinfoil, then on the grill for the last bit.  Threw some cherry wood chips on the grill, dunno if it made any difference.  The corn didn't taste any different from usual.

And those burgers were the size of hockey pucks!  They shrunk down a bit, but still.. WAY too big for the buns.

And now they want a turkey for Christmas.. please, no..

Thanks for all the help! 

I recently read a hamburger 'tip' awhile back (not that it helps you now) - I think it might have been from some celebrity chef here...  He said to try and buy a coarser grind of beef if you can (from a butcher's) and that it's best not to buy the leaner beef cos the burgers will be less juicy if you do.  Then he said to let the ground beef sit, uncovered, in the fridge awhile just to let it dry a bit (helps it hold together better I think was the reason) - then when you go to form the patties, don't faff about long doing it - just form them rough & ready.  All of which is supposed to help the patties hold together, and the fat in the mince will still make them juicy, etc.

Wow! That sucks they fell apart like that!! I feel 80% can be too fatty for my tastes even after a lot cooks out (although it really depends on who does the meat grinding, we got an 80% one time and it was perfect, 80% another and it was way too greasy), I usually prefer the 85%.

I hadn't heard that tip about drying them out in the fridge a bit.

I know you couldn't do it, but I usually form my own patties. I have a hamburger press that I use to get good-sized burgers. I find that if I don't press the meat firmly enough it doesn't hold together as well, maybe yours weren't pressed firmly? I know it's hard to know for sure with a store-bought patty.

For the shrinking, if you don't want that, I read a tip about making a dent in the burger with your thumb. I forgot to try it after reading that, so I'm not quite sure how it works.

I have a FABULOUS turkey recipe if you want it! This turkey was not dry at all and we had loads of drippings for a turkey gravy.