99 replies to this topic

[TylerK]

How badly will freezing the burgers post grinding/forming degrade the flavour and texture of the final product? I'm hosting a BBQ at my parents' place out of town next weekend, and I don't really want to lug my meat grinder along with me.

Assuming that I go ahead and freeze the raw burgers are there any tips when it comes to grinding and seasoning that would help minimize the damage?

Also, I'm considering making soft pretzel buns for the burgers. Good or bad idea?

Thanks,

Tyler

[Chris Hennes]

I haven't had any problems freezing them, actually: cook directly from frozen, and I think they turn out very well.

[Heartsurgeon]

I bought some new york strip steaks that turned out to be tougher than I cared for...ground the rest up as burger meat, added butter to the grinder, to up the fat content of the burger...
yeowza! that made some tasty burgers.

tried the same trick (butter in the grind) with some lean cuts of lamb...really good lamb burgers.

just another trick to keep in mind when trying to create a fabulous burger. butter makes it better!

Edited by Heartsurgeon, 26 July 2012 - 10:42 AM.

[rotuts]

yes it does. next time 'age' in the original package those steaks for 4 - 7 days and so that experiment again!

10 times better. Yum!

[TylerK]

I haven't had any problems freezing them, actually: cook directly from frozen, and I think they turn out very well.

Thanks for your reply. This is what I was hoping to hear. Ambitious plans (for me) for the BBQ this year and I was hoping I could do things far enough in advance so as not to get rushed and panicked at the end.

[rane008]

The Last Burger:

Equal parts skirt steak and short rib. The skirt is ground once through a medium plate, short rib once through the fine plate. Into the KitchenAid with the paddle and a good amount of pressed garlic, salt, pepper, and smoked salt. Beat to form natural bind, as for sausage.

Served on ciabatta with chipotle catsup, stone ground mustard, sharp cheddar, house-cured bacon, heirloom tomato, onion confit. Next time I make it, I'll upload a pic.

[Chris Hennes]

Interesting, why did you choose to bind it? Most of us are actually trying very carefully NOT to arrive at a sausage-like texture with our burgers.

[TylerK]

Anyone know the optimum size (raw weight) of a burger such that it can get a good char on the outside while staying super juicy on the inside?

[Chris Hennes]

It's going to depend on thickness (not weight directly), whether the patty is frozen or thawed, and how you are cooking it (grill, griddle, sous vide, etc.).

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Tyler, in my experience it's not so much a weight/size issue as it is a shape issue. Rounder patties (obviously, not spherical, but patties that are fatter towards the center) will be easier to grill in the manner you're describing. I've found that if I've got a burger mix that's sufficiently bound without being sausage-y, I can put them on the grill/griddle as balls and then simply press them a bit to flatten them out somewhat. If I'm good about not flipping them more than once, I'll get a perfectly charred exterior and a med-rare, juicy center, which is how I prefer my burgers.

[Crouton]

One often overlooked step that can make or break a burger is to sear the patty WITHOUT adding any oil or fat to the cooking surface. Add your patty directly to the dry hot pan. You will get much better crust formation as the fat from the beef renders.

[rane008]

Honestly, I like doing the bind on the burger for several reasons:

It makes working with the burger easier
It evenly distributes the seasoning
It spreads some of the fat from the short rib around the grounds for better self-basting
And I just like the texture more.

Not working the beef, well you can do it that way, but if you are grilling, it's very difficult to prevent the burger from breaking up. I'm curious as to why everyone here is so into it.

[Chris Hennes]

Not working the beef, well you can do it that way, but if you are grilling, it's very difficult to prevent the burger from breaking up. I'm curious as to why everyone here is so into it.

For myself, texture. I find the texture of an over-bound burger quite unpleasant.

[judiu]

I bought some new york strip steaks that turned out to be tougher than I cared for...ground the rest up as burger meat, added butter to the grinder, to up the fat content of the burger...
yeowza! that made some tasty burgers.

tried the same trick (butter in the grind) with some lean cuts of lamb...really good lamb burgers.

just another trick to keep in mind when trying to create a fabulous burger. butter makes it better!

Heartsurgeon, I do beleive you're just tryin' to drum up new business!

[lame username]

J. Kenji López-Alt's tutorial on The World's Best Burger for a Single Man (or Woman) at seriouseats.com is very helpful. http://aht.seriousea...n-or-woman.html I made these burgers and also his homemade McD's french fries for my husband's 40 th birthday. Fabulous (i had rendered beef fat to fry the potatoes). http://www.inventing...-and-fresh.html

[TylerK]

Thanks to everyone who helped me out with advice. I made the burgers last night and fried one up for a test. Best burger I've ever had. Coarsest grind my Cuisinart mixer could produce using chuck and flank steak, with bone marrow for some extra fat. 0.75% salt, 0.25% pepper. They barely held together while cooking, but the coarse grind gave them a nice bite, and the meat developed a really nice crust.

I just wish the sausages I made had turned out as well.

[rotuts]

TK: if you grind your own, try aging the meat for a few days in the refrig first. I do this with sirloin tips (flap) and then grind and they are stunning.

very good idea on the marrow. Ill add that to my ToDo list!

[Paul Bacino]

TK: if you grind your own, try aging the meat for a few days in the refrig first. I do this with sirloin tips (flap) and then grind and they are stunning.

very good idea on the marrow. Ill add that to my ToDo list!

Rotuts.. I stumbled up your idea.. by accident one day , when I had left a package of beef in the refrigerator.. the beef was brown and funky smelling.. rapid aging I recalled!! Definitely not bad.. good idea here!!

Cheers Paully

[TylerK]

TK: if you grind your own, try aging the meat for a few days in the refrig first. I do this with sirloin tips (flap) and then grind and they are stunning.

very good idea on the marrow. Ill add that to my ToDo list!

Interesting idea. Could this cause any bacterial problems for anyone used to eating their burgers medium, or is this just analogous to eating a piece of aged meat?

[rotuts]

well I do it all the time. the meat I use I do not touch, leave in the package and its 'fresh' that day in the store. some wrap the meat in cheese cloth and put it on a stainless steel rack in a cold area of the refrig. you would have to look in the sections on aging meat which there are good ones here.

Id never do this with discounted meat etc. wash your hands etc etc

[rotuts]

Id also just grind what you plan to use right then

[rotuts]

this had gotten me thinking about 'age' and 'tender' i recall a ref from nathan that i took a snap of: 1 jan 2011:

holding meat at 40c - 50c (45C best) for up to 4 hours is within food safety guidelines and has a significant tenderizing effect

i wonder if this would be appropriate to try for your 'days grilling' just before the grind and grill (in a SV pouch)

then again: is 'tender' = 'flavor' ??

[TylerK]

I was starting to get worried that I won't have enough burgers for my bbq this weekend, especially if my fear about the sausages not turning out comes true, so I made some more hamburger patties. Half of them got stuffed with St. Agur blue, and the other half with a 5yr cheddar. With the really beefy flavour of these burgers, the ones stuffed with the blue cheese are especially tasty.

[antdad]

I know little about burger making but I've seen and read more than once that an excellent way of forming burger meat is when grinding your own to lay the meat strands on cling film, salt and wrap tightly to form a cylinder. Chill to firm up and then slice, hope this is helpful.

About 10.00 mins in.

*http://vimeo.com/28030554

Edited by antdad, 03 August 2012 - 09:19 AM.

[Heartsurgeon]

"bone marrow"

i nominate you for the 2012 Nobel Prize in Hamburger. Really an outstanding idea,

[TylerK]

"bone marrow"

i nominate you for the 2012 Nobel Prize in Hamburger. Really an outstanding idea,

lol...well it was certainly tasty and made for a nice juicy burger. Gummed up my grinder when I didn't freeze them first though. The marrow came out looking more like Dairy Queen soft serve and I had to mix it into the meat a little more than I would have liked.

[rotuts]

you have done it for me: 'aged' sirloin tips ( 1 week ) and bone marrow. Cuisinart pulsed!

[Charcuterer]

I made burgers last night and they were possibly the best I've ever eaten. I used a ratio of 3 Chuck eye to 1 Hanger steak. Ground it with a coarse die then small die while almost frozen. Handled the beef very gently forming patties of 6oz each and salted and peppered just before putting them on the grill. I had a VERY hot fire on one side of my kettle grill and after a good sear moved them off heat to finish coming to mid-rare.

Those were truly elevated burgers my wife said they were the best I had ever made!

Thanks Paul Rapheal for the proportions. I need to try heartsurgeon's blend so I can compare.

[Lopaka]

I just came here after a long absence. Does anybody use allspice in their burgers?

[Baron d'Apcher]

They barely held together while cooking, but the coarse grind gave them a nice bite, and the meat developed a really nice crust.

Consider grinding and forming the patties the night before. Mixing the meat well and allowing it to rest overnight allows the proteins to do their thing and stick together better. In the case of hamburgers, freshest is not necessarily the best.