If you cook the bacon first you'll render the fat in the pan instead of in the burgers. We add bacon to our grind with venison and it makes great burgers. Just be sure to dice it fine and mix well.

Just put the bacon in the freezer for like an hour and drop it in the food processor and it'll make quick work of that bacon, then just mix it in, problem solved.

The correct answer was go back to the store. Mixing in already ground meat ruins the texture of burgers and turns them into tough meatloaf. Ground beef for burgers should be handled as gently as possible while shaping into patties

I'd use the meat for tacos before trying to salvage it for burgers.

dgb99 said:

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A question on this...do you mix salt, pepper, and/or other spices in the actual patties as opposed to just seasoning the outside of the patties before grilling?

I make a pretty decent burger but generally mix in garlic salt, pepper, and whatever else I feel like that day while forming the patties. I have tried the 'minimal' handling method without seasoning mixed in and didn't prefer it although maybe I just need to adjust how I'm seasoning the outside.

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Season, mix, then form the patties is the way, unless you want mcdonalds' type of burgers anyway.

Remember that FIDO thinks anything different than what he does is automatically wrong and will let everybody know so. You don't want to work the meat until it's either paste or in a near solid form again, but don't take the "minimal handling" to the other extreme either - work it enough that it adheres to itself good when you make your ball, then smash it on the gril while it's cooking. Not hard, doesn't require some super secret club member ship, etc.

For the OP - dice and parcook bacon, reserve the fat. Mix it all in with the meat and you'll have solid burgers. Not as good as a good 30% fat ground beef burger, but still a burger that will be very enjoyable. Or find somethign else to do with that ground beef and go get you some higher fat grind to make your burgers with. Your call.

FIDO*98* said:

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Your obsession with me has become borderline sociopathic.

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In his defense you do come off as a pompous ass all over this board. There's a way to share your expertise without coming off like a dick, if that matters to you.

Know Your Enemy said:

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FIDO*98* said:

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Your obsession with me has become borderline sociopathic.

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In his defense you do come off as a pompous ass all over this board. There's a way to share your expertise without coming off like a dick, if that matters to you.

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Been his shtick for years. He has solid advice and obviously has a lot of knowledge, but he's a known quantity at this point. The best part is that schmellba can be similar at times on the OB, so it makes me laugh to see the slap fight.

In my defense, I developed this reputation responding to advice that is literally indistinguishable from a person that is trolling a food board. I always think it's just banter back in good fun

FIDO*98* said:

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Your obsession with me your culinary skills has become borderline sociopathic.

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FIFY