Unholy Cow! Burger blunder?

[Gular]

Finally! We get to grill tonight, yesterday we were rained out. My beef is, all my Pop wants to do is overpower the hamburgers with onion soup mix . Now admittedly these can be ok tasting on occasion. Alas, is not the base foundation of a good burger the taste of the beef? I am no burger purest by any stretch of the imagination, but I do enjoy beef based on the merit of it's own flavor. No preformed patties get cooked around my house.....we go to the drivethrough for those. Who disagrees? Do additives to the meat itself make the burger, or is it the quality of the beef and the condiments that do it for you?

[tommy]

if egullet has taught me one thing it has taught me to never, ever buy ground beef. especially for burgers. yes, the meat should speak for itself (with a little help from s/p). grind yourself some chuck and sirlion, and save the soup mix for the chips and dip.

Edited May 28, 2003 by tommy (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Tommy, I really think sirloin should NEVER come anywhere near a burger. Ground chuck bought in the supermarket is fine, provided it is fresh. Its all about the chuck man.

Keep the onion soup mix outta the burger. For meatloaf, its fine. I dont like to add anything except for MAYBE some seasoned salt and a shot of worcestershire sauce.

[tommy]

Tommy, I really think sirloin should NEVER come anywhere near a burger. Ground chuck bought in the supermarket is fine, provided it is fresh. Its all about the chuck man.

i have no problem if you want 100% chuck. but please don't buy it preground. it's not as safe, and, it certainly isn't as fresh. you can't convince me otherwise, because i know what's right.

i would, however, urge anyone who's chopping their own meat to experiment with different mixes of different cuts.

Edited May 28, 2003 by tommy (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Tommy, I really think sirloin should NEVER come anywhere near a burger. Ground chuck bought in the supermarket is fine, provided it is fresh. Its all about the chuck man.

i have no problem if you want 100% chuck. but please don't buy it preground. it's not as safe, and, it certainly isn't as fresh. you can't convince me otherwise, because i know what's right.

This is why it pays to make nice to your local supermarket's meat guy. So he can tell you what's good and what isn't.

If you are going to bother to ground your own then have an independent butcher give you his TRIMMINGS. Theres no point in grounding your own chuck and sirloin from supermarket stuff if you can verify from your meat man that the stuff has been already grounded fresh.

[tommy]

This is why it pays to make nice to your local supermarket's meat guy. So he can tell you what's good and what isn't.

but i *always* know what's good: a piece of chuck that i bring home. i don't care if you're sleeping with your butcher, that meat still comes from 100 animals, and it was ground a while ago. at the very least, it wasn't ground in your kitchen right before you throw the patty on the grill. so c'mon, don't bother. resistance is futile.

i'm sensing a picture post coming on from awbrig.

Edited May 28, 2003 by tommy (log)

[tommy]

and just to *really* piss off jason, i'll add that a food processor creates chopped meat with a much better texture for burgers than those industrial grinders that mush the meat into those little styrofoam packs.

[Gular]

I must get a new processor with a large array of blades then...half of my machines blades got lost in a move I have to say that the butcher who I get ground meat from is very good....a professional who takes special orders at no extra charge......gotta love a military commisary.

[Jason Perlow]

and just to *really* piss off jason, i'll add that a food processor creates chopped meat with a much better texture for burgers than those industrial grinders that mush the meat into those little styrofoam packs.

Come over to the house and prove it... I have a Kitchenaid mixer, you bring the attachements. I'll buy the meat.

[tommy]

and just to *really* piss off jason, i'll add that a food processor creates chopped meat with a much better texture for burgers than those industrial grinders that mush the meat into those little styrofoam packs.

Come over to the house and prove it... I have a Kitchenaid mixer, you bring the attachements. I'll buy the meat.

gee, do you think i'd trust you to buy the meat?

don't make me drag fat guy into this. he's the bastard who convinced me that he was right, and he's really good at convincing, so it'll take a helluva lot of unconvincing to change my mind. ya know?

and just for clarity, i'm not suggesting using the meat grinder attachment on the kitchenaid. i'm suggesting using a food processor with a plain ole blade.

Edited May 28, 2003 by tommy (log)

[snowangel]

Low tech me (no food processor, no attachments for the Kitchenaide) just uses a chef's knife or cleaver. Works just fine. Go to the buther, ask for the meat (often they have chuck and sirloin "scraps" that they will sell for pennies on the dollar). Chop, chop, chop, form patties and that's that.

[Gular]

Which food processor blade is the plain ol blade...I can try guessing but can ya just spell it out. I'm an amatuer at best about countertop appliances aside from the nuker

[tommy]

Which food processor blade is the plain ol blade...I can try guessing but can ya just spell it out. I'm an amatuer at best about countertop appliances aside from the nuker

for me, it's the one that came in the thing. looks kinda like an "s", but sharp.

if you're going to try this, i'd recommend:

- putting the meat in the freezer for a while to chill it and make it a bit firm

- chop (with a knife) it up into cubes (remove stringy fat)

- put batches into the food processor, and pulse (for 1 second each pulse) about 10 times.

- check the consistency after the 5th pulse to make sure you're not making it too mushy

- mold into patties and sprinkle with kosher salt/fresh ground pepper

- grill on the highest heat you can to get a nice char (if that's what you like)

- move to lower heat to finish

no onion mix. raw onion.

let us know if you try this!

Edited May 28, 2003 by tommy (log)

[Jason Perlow]

don't make me drag fat guy into this.  he's the bastard who convinced me that he was right, and he's really good at convincing, so it'll take a helluva lot of unconvincing to change my mind.  ya know?

The @#$%ing guy shops at Costco, for christ sakes. You're gonna believe him?

[tommy]

don't make me drag fat guy into this.  he's the bastard who convinced me that he was right, and he's really good at convincing, so it'll take a helluva lot of unconvincing to change my mind.  ya know?

The @#$%ing guy shops at Costco, for christ sakes. You're gonna believe him?

you can't put a man down for knowing a deal on bulk when he sees it.

and on the other end of the spectrum, i was at BJ's yesterday, and the guy in front of me had a box of those premade burgers. is it wrong to feel bad for someone when they are buying something like that?

Edited May 28, 2003 by tommy (log)

[Fat Guy]

is it wrong to feel bad for someone when they are buying something like that

It's okay to pity the less fortunate, so long as you don't feel superior.

[Jason Perlow]

I actually like certain brands of premade frozen burgers. Nathans are good, as are the ones from Boars Head. Perfectly acceptable if you are doing a large barbeque with family, or if you want the occassional burger for lunch and don't want to make a major production out of it.

Damn you Tommy, now I am craving burgers at 1am.

[tommy]

ok then. jason, just, um, turn out the lights in here when you leave.

pssst. fat guy, surely i can feel superior to an egulleter who buys boxes of burgers, no? please?

Damn you Tommy, now I am craving burgers at 1am.

i'll be right over.

Edited May 28, 2003 by tommy (log)

[WHT]

I actually like certain brands of premade frozen burgers. Nathans are good, as are the ones from Boars Head. Perfectly acceptable if you are doing a large barbeque with family, or if you want the occassional burger for lunch and don't want to make a major production out of it.

Damn you Tommy, now I am craving burgers at 1am.

Shop-rite used to do nice burger patties in store. Both in .25 and .125 pound sizes. Great for the Hibachi. F R E S H not frozen.

[slkinsey]

i have no problem if you want 100% chuck.  but please don't buy it preground.  it's not as safe, and, it certainly isn't as fresh.  you can't convince me otherwise, because i know what's right.

i would, however, urge anyone who's chopping their own meat to experiment with different mixes of different cuts.

I like to grind my own chuck (very coarse grind) at home and add around 5-10% ground pancetta. I have also been known to mix in a some beef fat trimmings I have stashed in the freezer for just such an occasion.

[tommy]

additional discussion on grinding/chopping meat for hamburgers can be found here.