Share your grilled hamburger secrets...

[Jims5543]

Has anyone here tried a Bubba Burger?

http://www.bubba-burger.com/


When I have friends over and grill these they go nuts over them. The cannot believe they are frozen burgers.

You throw them on the grill frozen wait until you see the juices flowing on the top, flip then pull them off when cooked to desired level, medium, medium rare etc..

I have never gone wrong with these burgers and have made some of my friends Bubba fans too.

KT and Joe, many many years ago. Well first, my mom was a horrible cook. She tried so hard to learn but never got a knack for it. My dad came from an old world Italian home and sorely missed his moms cooking.

Mom made him "suprise" hamburgers once. They were two patties with Pork-n-beans in the middle. Cooked in the oven.

Well they were a suprise alright. Dad took a bite and got a mouth full of 350 degree beans!! Burned the whole inside of his mouth. Mom has not lived that one down to this day 35 years later. Its still a joke when the family gets together to grill. If mom had anything to do with the preperation someone will hesitate and ask if these are suprise hamburgers. Poor mom..

[austin552]

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
User Rating:




1 1/2 pounds ground beef, 80 percent lean
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup cold water
1 onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick
4 eggs
4 hamburger buns
4 slices American cheese

In a large bowl, season the ground beef with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup cold water and mix by hand until meat has absorbed all the water (the water keeps the burgers moist and juicy). Shape into 4 patties. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Spray the skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Add the burgers and cook to desired temperature, about 8 to 10 minutes per side for medium-well. Remove the burgers from the pan and set aside. Add the onions slices to the same skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, being careful to keep them in whole slices. It should take about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Crack the eggs into the same skillet and cook until the yolk is not runny. Carefully remove from the pan. Lay the bottom of 4 hamburger buns on a flat surface. Top each bun with a burger. Top the burgers with 1 egg, onion slice, 1 slice of cheese and then the top bun. Lightly press the sandwiches together with your hand. Place the sandwiches into the pan and cook for 1 minute on each side to griddle the buns. Serve with French fries and pickles.

[TheMentat]

toss in a fistful of crumbled blue cheese...

[Z-man]

Add a good meat rub into or atop the burger. I prefer the Hungarian Steak rub available at some grocery stores. Add a little Paprika for some more taste.

But the recent secret I learned from my bro-in-law: Grill with a slice of lemon or lime atop the burger. Adds a nice touch of zest to the burger.

-Z.

[dtw]

Instead of water, toss in a half cup of good cheap merlot or zinfandel. Yummy!

[RallyJon]

I'll add to what others have said: DON'T USE LEAN MEAT! 80% lean should be a maximum. I can get 73% at the local supermarket and I've had 60-70% ground for me by the butcher.

Flavorful cuts like chuck are best. Sometime in history a deceptive butcher started to market "ground sirloin" as some sort of premium ground beef. Sirloin is one of the most bland cuts in the cow.

[jjone20]

Use ground bison (buffalo). Along with some of the other tips, Worcestershire, flip once, etc., it's great.

[azasadny]

My wife buys fresh buffalo meat every Friday in the summer and we cook it on the grill with onions, Montreal steak seasoning, garlic powder and Swiss cheese. Great stuff!

[craigster59]

One of the ways that I cook burgers is use good ground beef (not lean as stated above) throw in a packet of Liptons 'Beef Onion' soup mix, form thin patties, put ice cubes in a ziplock baggie, pound with a tenderizing hammer and place a small amount of ice chips in between the patties and seal the edges. Press into a firm patty and grill away. Comes out moist and tasty. Rally Jon is right about ground sirloin. The "new" push is towards Black Angus beef, which is no different than any other beef, just an advertising/commercial push by the "Black Angus Beef Growers Assoc."

[snowman]

I agree that a hamburger should contain a fair amount of fat. But fat is not all the same. Some kinds of fat, the tough and rough kind on the outside of cuts is NOT desirable. Only the fat marbling found inside the cut itself is highly desirable. That’s why I like the choice of tri tip. A well marbled tri tip has just the right amount of fat, good tasting fat along with good flavorful meat. Ground chuck is a compromise. It has the fat, but not the best fat, it does have the flavor in the meat.

My opinion, all the extras, the onions, the steak sauce, the garlic are all necessary for only the lesser cuts, the finest, flavorful meat does not need the help.
I like a mininum of 14 day, dry aged beef, corn fed, USDA prime, low yield.

What’s the optimum size for your burger? I tend to like it two ways, one thin, like about 1/4 pound, the other thick, about 2/3 pound. The thin ones are good for lunch, the thick ones for dinner.

[trekkor]

Lately I heard the phrase " if you're looking you're not cooking" every where I go.

I disagree with this.
the flavor is in the grill marks, rotate many times.
I cook on open flame mesquite or oak.

A buddy and I built a HUGE mobile trailer mounted BBQ that we use for get-togethers, anniversaries, grad parties, etc.
It's eight feet long and you can fit 100 burgers or 50 steaks on this thing.

We cooked 16 whole tri-tips once and only use a third of the grill!

the grill is made from 160' of 3/8" rod stock.


KT

[dd74]

Bloody....

[austin552]

Ever try grilled burgers made with ground turkey?
DON'T!!

[snowman]

An extension of this topic. Whats the best hamburger joint you have ever visited? I vote for Don and Bobs in Rochester, NY.

[Z-man]

Further extension - best Texas Wiener place: Hot Grill in Clifton, NJ. I'll have one "all the way" but no onions.

-Z-man.

[Eric Coffey]

BBQ sauce of choice and a Jack Daniels-marinated pineapple ring.

[red-beard]

What is a "Texas Weiner"?

Is this a NY/NJ joke like "French Fries"?

[red-beard]

#1 - for Hot Dogs - Only buy 1/4 lb, all beef, Kosher. I don't know what the Rabbi's do to them, but they are the best.

#2. -Burgers

Meat needs to be Room Temperature. I do use frozen Patties (1/3 lb Premium from Costco), but I defrost them first. Then, I sprinkle just a little meat tenderizer on them (both sides). I use a dry rub of my own creation: Equal parts black pepper, coriander, cumin and onion powder. Grill time will very depending on your grill. I generally only flip once, mostly because I'm lazy. Real American Cheese (if it says processed cheese food, it is not real cheese) is then melted on top. Buns are toasted on the grill. For me I like a good bar-b-q sauce, like Sweet Baby Ray's, on my burger. Use good buns!!!

Man, I'm making myself hungry for one at 6:00 AM!

[TerryBPP]

How much time in between flips w/ what size patty?

I have been trying to perfect the "one" method and the patty always comes out a little to rare or burns on ones side. I think it might have to do with having a cheap grill that has uneven burn....atleast thats my excuse.

[Moses]

Originally posted by TerryBPP
How much time in between flips w/ what size patty?

The size of the patty doesn't matter too much. The timing of the flip is just a guess and it's not really critical. AFTER the flip matters. When you see little pools of juice forming on top of the burger, it's done!