To the cooks, best and Juiciest burger recipes

[krosfyah]

I love to cook, but the burger has always eluded me, I've never been satisfied with how mine turn out, so I'm appealing for help and a good place to share techniques!

[dorrmann]

I did mine the other day just throwing things together, and they turned out to be the best I had ever made.

I used 73% lean (more fat=more juice) ground beef, bread crumbs, one egg, and some seasoning from McCormick's. They were the juiciest I've ever grilled!

[Thatman]

I used 73% lean (more fat=more juice) ground beef, bread crumbs, one egg, and some seasoning from McCormick's. They were the juiciest I've ever grilled!

That's actually more or less how I make meatballs, but I add cheese as well...usually romano or parmesan (or both.) I tried it with burgers the other night and they came out fantastic! (If I do say so myself.)

[JonWes]

I usually just throw in different spices every time I make burgers. Usually it involves adding in some A1 or simi sauce, some diced onion, dry mustard, salt and pepper. But, I actually tried this pre-made packet of stuff that Kraft is making now and it was really good. Sort of surprisingly good. They sell it by the shredded cheeses:



It has bread crumbs, onions and roasted garlic, feta, mozzarella, Parmesan and provolone cheese in it.

[dorrmann]

I usually just throw in different spices every time I make burgers. Usually it involves adding in some A1 or simi sauce, some diced onion, dry mustard, salt and pepper. But, I actually tried this pre-made packet of stuff that Kraft is making now and it was really good. Sort of surprisingly good. They sell it by the shredded cheeses:

http://static.caloriecount.about.com...ese-171101.jpg

It has bread crumbs, onions and roasted garlic, feta, mozzarella, Parmesan and provolone cheese in it.

Cheater!

[MOTU_Maniac]

I grill burgers and other items every week during the summer as we like to entertain friends and have them over to swim in our pool. So, I like to mix things up.

Option #1:
Mix together:
~1 pound 73% Lean Ground Beef
~1 egg
~1/4 cup +/- dry oatmeal or crushed crackers
~Worcestershire sauce (to taste)

Option #2:
Mix together:
~1 pound 73% Lean Ground Beef
~1 egg
~1/4 cup +/- dry oatmeal or crushed crackers
~1 Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning Packet

Option #3:
Mix together:
~1 pound 73% Lean Ground Beef
~1 egg
~1/4 cup +/- dry oatmeal or crushed crackers
~McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak seasoning (to taste)


*I use Worcestershire sauce (instead of BBQ sauce) to coat the burgers as they grill (and they stay really tender)
**I suggest keeping the grill turned to medium/ medium-hi heat so burgers don't dry out or burn
***I sometimes substitute turkey meat for ground beef and love it

[bskcase]

I'm not that precise with the recipes, but this is what I do with my burgers

I get lean ground beef.

I use 1 to 2 eggs, depending on how much ground beef I'm going to use.

I mix in Mrs. Dash and fresh minced onions with salt and pepper.

a few dabs of Teriake or Worcestershire sauce depending on what flavor you like.

and my secret ingredient crushed dry corn flakes.

Everybody at my house loves my burgers, but I confess that my mother used to make them way better.

[He-Dad]

Put an ice cube in the middle of the burgers, then throw em on the grill....they'll stay juicy especially for extra lean meat (trick i learned from the owner of the bar i work at).

I always use fatty ground beef myself and never have that problem. I add minced onions, Lawry's All Purpose Seasoning Salt, and I've become a HUGE fan of McCormick's Chicago Style Seasoning.

[mkpat]

I use 80/20 beef and sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Charcoal grill for me. Only turn the burgers once and enjoy!

Also, there is this alternative that is just as good: Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce, Lawry's seasoned salt, finely chopped onions and fresh ground pepper. Still turn only once, though.

[Judith]

Some good ideas here!

I'm not a burger person but there is a burger lover in the house.

I usually just make patties with ground chuck (I like my burgers bloody). Patty (don't over work the beef), salt & pepper it, and a few shots of Worcestershire per patty. Let it soak up the juice while I start of the charcoal grill. It really makes a difference. Then don't grill the heck out of the burger.

No eggs, no bread crumb, just beef really. I mean that's all the restaurants I have worked for have done.

[krosfyah]

Some good ideas here!

I'm not a burger person but there is a burger lover in the house.

I usually just make patties with ground chuck (I like my burgers bloody). Patty (don't over work the beef), salt & pepper it, and a few shots of Worcestershire per patty. Let it soak up the juice while I start of the charcoal grill. It really makes a difference. Then don't grill the heck out of the burger.

No eggs, no bread crumb, just beef really. I mean that's all the restaurants I have worked for have done.

thats what I want, no fillers just beef and seasoning! (mind you the tips given here have been great! )

so Judith your post makes me ask, do others have a favourite type of ground beef? you say chuck, are there ather's that prefer different cuts to be ground? I like a burger to taste kind of 'steaky'

[Judith]

If you like steaky burgers you can usually find either ground round, ground chuck, or ground sirloin.

Ground round is about 10-15% fat, the cheaper of the ground muscle meat, but also the toughest. Ground sirloin is about 8-10% fat, is very tender, and the most expensive of the three. I go in the middle because it may be a little more expensive than ground round, but at around 15-20% it makes a great burger.

[a-star]

Buy yourself some steaks with a nice amount of marbling. When you cook burgers on the grill or on the barbecue most of the fat will drip away so don't worry about having steaks that are too fatty. What you don't want are large chunks of gristle. Now chop them up fairly fine but leave them a little chunky so the meat still has a sort of a, uh, meaty texture.

I like to use panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) in my burgers. Mince a couple green onions (and some parsley if you want) and mix it together with the panko along with some salt and pepper and whatever other spices you like (Montreal steak spice, mrs. Dash, whatever). The idea is to create a kind of herbed breadcrumb mix. I like to throw in some minced garlic but it's up to you.

Now take a block of frozen unsalted butter and cut it into chunks about a half centimeter square. Toss the meat with some worchestershire sauce and then mix in the breadcrumb mix and an egg or two. I do everything by eye so you'll have to judge the amounts by personal taste. I'm not a huge meat guy so I can get by with more breadcrumb. Now shape the patties to the desired size. Press the cubes of butter into the center and cover them over. You want about six or so per patty. Small ones are better so they dont leave any sort of void. You can create an herbed butter and freeze it beforehand.

Cook however you like and enjoy. Like I said before, you'll find the perfect mix of meat, panko, salt, herb, butter, ect. with practice. I like a lot of butter myself. I've never tried this burger done rare, but I suppose it would work for the most part. Don't use margarine (ever).

[rhea]

I usually use a cheaper meat (more fat = more flavour to me.) I then like to chop bacon (adds a bit of moisture and smokey flavour) and add it to my ground beef and then a pack of onion soup mix (this provides the onion flavour plus any salt needed.) The final step is while grilling, I tend to pepper it generously (a trick passed on to me through my maternal grandfather who used to be a short order cook in the late 1930's.) Sometimes, I will put a couple cubes of pepperjack in the center of the meat, but generally I leave it out if I'm going with traditional Carolina condiments (mustard, onions, coleslaw and chili.)

[Judith]

We have a winner! Nummy!

[He-Dad]

I always buy ground chuck...I find it's the most versitile and makes great burgers/meatballs/meatloaf/ect.....