thisguy05 said:

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S&P is sufficient, but I'm also pro-MSG in burgers

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I'm all for adding MSG to the burger process. Do you adjust your salt ratio when using?

If you want a burger that tastes great (and is a little different), I love the following:

1/3 lb ground pork
2/3 lb ground grass fed beef
1 tbsp red curry paste
Lawrys
Lemon pepper
Cumin
Couple tbsp of Dales Marinade

The H-E-B 80/20 prime brisket sliders smash to a perfect size for a Martin's potato bun. I season with a little Meatchurch's Holy Cow and throw on my Blackstone at 450-500 degrees. Flip and top with Boar's Head American cheese sliced thin from the deli. The patties are small so a double comes out to about 1/3 lb burger. I always keep it simple with a little purple onion and a tomato sliced thin from the garden, sometimes throw on some diced serranos.

I usually buy HEB's pre made patties, because for some reason I'm the only person on earth that can't form a patty that doesn't break up on the grates and fall apart- and I refuse to put eggs or any other binders in.

What am I doing wrong? Overworking or under working the meat?

I don't make these very often (because I'm trying to become less fat and they're a bunch of work), but they're worth the effort.
Start with a mix of about 75% beef chuck and 25% beef short rib meat. Grind it yourself through a 3/16" die. Form into patties preferably 1" thick, and season liberally with kosher salt. Smoke with mesquite smoke (around 250-300) until they reach an internal temp of 110. Remove from the heat, and get a cast iron skillet smoking hot. If it's not smoking, it not hot enough. Sear the burgers until your desired level of doneness is reached. As soon as you take them off, dust them with very finely ground black pepper.

Charcoal or wood if on the grill otherwise cast iron on the stove

Best burger I've ever made:

2 pounds of 80/20 ground chuck
1/2 cup of grated, seeds-in jalapenos
1/2 cup grated firm cheese. I used aged swiss.
About 2 tsp Tonys

Quickly mix by hand and form into 4 patties. Don't hard pack them.

Place into a 240F smoker. Put a probe into one. Pull from the smoker after approx 90 minutes, when the meat temp's 152 degrees. They'll coast up to about 155. Serve on Milk bread buns with a slice of that swiss, some sauteed onions and mushrooms, and 3 strips of bacon.

FtBendTxAg said:

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I usually buy HEB's pre made patties, because for some reason I'm the only person on earth that can't form a patty that doesn't break up on the grates and fall apart- and I refuse to put eggs or any other binders in.

What am I doing wrong? Overworking or under working the meat?

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For me, the key to them not falling apart is to allow the burgers to rest in the fridge for an hour or 2 after forming them and prior to grilling. Having them chilled also allows me to get a good "crust" on the outside without overcooking the inside.

Also, definitely do not overwork the meat - overworking completely changes the texture to something more like meatloaf.

Curious if anyone has ever heard that you should treat a hamburger like you treat a steak?

By this, I gather they are referring to seasoning, right down to forming your patties, then only seasoning on the outside of the patty.

This seems counter-intuitive to me as one would think the goal would be to season throughout? No?

But then again, the goal would also be to taste the flavor of the meat too and seasoning only on the outside might let that meat flavor shine through more.

I've not tried this, but I'm curious if anyone else has. It's probably not applicable to smash burgers, so I guess this is really only RE larger formed patties.

My success rate with burgers isn't good either, so I'm following this thread intently.

Clean grill. Hot grill. A bit of oil or Pam, then try to flip only once. Shouldn't have a problem.

schmendeler said:

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according to "science" seasoning the meat before forming patties leads to a tougher burger. the salt denatures some of the proteins and you get a texture more similar to patty sausage, rather then the loose, tender texture you typically look for in a burger.

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Yes that was another thing I'd heard.

The Dirty Sock said:

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I wouldn't eat that either. Ground chuck, salt and pepper. Smash on the black stone. That's it.

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Just wanted to jump in and say this is the only way I've done burgers for a few years now, and I don't see that changing until I die. Carry on.

Quit harshing my vibe, they're damn tasty and look like hamburgers to everyone I've ever served them to

EFE said:

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1lb beef
1lb Chorizo de San Manuel
1lb Owens hot country sausage

1/2 patties, smashed or cooked over indirect heat.

YWIA

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Do you serve the sausage pink in the middle? Do your guests think you're too cheap to serve beef?

https://www.fiestaspices.com/product/hamburger-deluxe/

This stuff is amazing and the family is always happy with the outcome. I let it marinade, roll into 2 balls, then smash it on the griddle. Let it form a crust then flip. Add the chees and make a double burger with cheese. Toast the buns and you don't need anything else unless you really want it.

My burgers are 2/3 80/20 chuck, 1/3 ground sirloin, a bit of mustard and all the fat I render off the bacon for the toppings tray. Lightly mixed, pressed into 6oz patties, seasoned with S&P, and then Worcestershire sauce when they hit the BGE. Flip and shut the fire down for a bit more smoke.

Less is more.....

if you have a blackstone or other griddle, 80/20, salt and pepper, that is it. Smash it down.

if you don't have a griddle, form the patty using 80/20, salt and pepper, that is it.

Get some softened butter or butter spread, butter the inside of the buns, and put those on the griddle to lightly toast up the inside of the bun, or in the skillet after your patty is done cooking. That is it.

if you are doing cheeseburgers, put the cheese on top to melt after you flip the patty the first time, plain simple Kraft american cheese slices.

I roll with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions and mustard, not a big fan of mayo, will eat it but not my preference.

Simple, simple, simple. With a cold Big Red and either shoe string french fries or very thin onion rings! Damn I'm hungry now!


Edit to add: If you are forming patties, THIN!

Using 80/20 beef I did this recipe only thing I did extra was once the patties were made up, I used Bolner's Fiesta Texas Style Steak Seasoning and season the patties on both sides before grilling. I also take whole peeled sweet onions seasoned with butter and Bolner's wrap in foil and on the the grill. Also whole jalapeño's put those on the grill. The grilled onions & jalapeños served on the side to add if someone what's some.

I use my Weber to grill everything using oak lump charcoal and add some soaked oak wood chunks for little smoke. Cook the burgers to medium.

https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/steakhouse-burgers.html

Onion soup? May as well put this in there too!

Cromagnum said:

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Onion soup? May as well put this in there too!

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This is offensive sir!

My Dad Earl said:

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So I'm coming to Texags for help. She tells me she won't eat another hamburger that I make as long as I do what I currently do and I need to do better. I have always mixed in onion soup mix with the ground beef and topped off the patties with worstechire and then throw them on the grill. It's what my dad did and so I carried it on.

I guess I need to make changes. So how do you season your hamburgers?

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Oh my god. I thought this was a myth. Wow. You're lucky you're still married.

My Dad Earl said:

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So I'm coming to Texags for help. She tells me she won't eat another hamburger that I make as long as I do what I currently do and I need to do better. I have always mixed in onion soup mix with the ground beef and topped off the patties with worstechire and then throw them on the grill. It's what my dad did and so I carried it on.

I guess I need to make changes. So how do you season your hamburgers?

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