You'll Never Buy Ground Beef Again Once You Learn This Hack

[Don Ro]

Anyone? Vash?...this sounds like it's up your alley.
I'm going to try this - I love a good tasting burger...lettuce, onions, pickles, catsup, mustard, and even mayo.
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https://www.popsugar.com/food/America-Test-Kitchen-Burger-Recipe-41861366

All you need is a food processor. Cubes of meat and butter are frozen before being pulsed in a processor until "rice-like." It amazed me how easy and mess-free this method really is. Since the meat is frozen, it doesn't turn gummy and stick to the sides of the processor. I hesitated seasoning the burgers with so much salt, but ATK's measurements are foolproof.
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Edit: More........

Why this recipe works: Patties made of preground chuck are easy, but we were after a charred crust, rich beefy taste, and juicy interior that are hard to get from supermarket ground beef. This is because the way ground beef is handled during processing draws out sticky proteins that create a dense texture in the burger. To avoid this, we ground our own meat and switched from chuck to sirloin steak tips, which contain less connective tissue and just the right amount of fat. We froze the meat to make grinding easier and added butter for flavor and richness. We also froze the patties after forming them to ensure that by the time they’d thawed at their centers, they had developed a perfect outer crust. We cooked the burgers over a superhot fire for great char and flavor.

This recipe requires freezing the meat twice, for a total of 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, before grilling. When stirring the salt and pepper into the ground meat and shaping the patties, take care not to overwork the meat or the burgers will become dense. Sirloin steak tips are also sold as flap meat. Serve the burgers with your favorite toppings or one of our grilled-vegetable toppings. If making a grilled-vegetable topping, start preparing the topping while the patties are in the freezer and grill the vegetables before you grill the burgers. Finish the topping while the burgers rest. You can also toast the buns on the grill while the burgers rest.

[gtc]

BIG BUTCHER doesn't want you to have this secret recipe!

Nice clickbait thread title

[drkshdw]

This is one of those times that ATK gets it wrong (or what they're using as an excuse is wrong). You can get a perfectly good crust and sear while still being juicy using supermarket meat. It's all in the technique. Five Guys, Culver's, Smashburger, etc all do it. It's called using a hot griddle (not grill) and smashing the meat. And using 80/20 because the fat is where the flavor is. In fact 73/27 is even better. All this food processor and sirloin business is just pretentious and completely unnecessary for a great burger (and very easily results in a subpar burger).

[Tobra]

I like my burgers best on a cast iron skillet. Have a little flat one I use on the propane grill outside

[RKDinOKC]

If you are going to the food processor toss in some serano peppers and onion yum. Heck I mix those in my store bought stuff. Especially like the 73/27 but have to ask for it.

[Don Ro]

"...and smashing the meat."
~~~~~~~~~
Why would it be good to squeeze (smash) the juices out of a burger patty?

[vash]

I don’t even need the link; yup. I do that

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by vash

I don’t even need the link; yup. I do that

What meats do you like?

[javadog]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

"...and smashing the meat."
~~~~~~~~~
Why would it be good to squeeze (smash) the juices out of a burger patty?

It's not. He has no idea how to cook one...

[T77911S]

my new "secret" ingredient is chili powder, lots of it. you need lot for flavor.
some onion powder and garlic along with soy sauce.

I get the fatty hamburger, 73% or 78%.

if you want the outside charred on the grill, cook on hi but leave the top open. gotta look out for flames with fatty meat. fatty burger cooks slower so you can cook it longer to char the outside if that's what you like. put the meat on when its good and hot.
the grates on my grill have 2 sides, one side is very flat the other is sharp. you might like the flat side for charring.


I thought this was going to be about the slime they add to burger.

[911_Dude]

This recipe looks interesting. Its essentially chopping the beef into little bits, instead of grinding it. Sounds promising. Ill have to give it a try.

I love burgers. I make all kinds. But for a standard red white and blue burger I use 80/20 ground chuck, seasoned salt and pepper. Thats it.

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by T77911S

...I thought this was going to be about the slime they add to burger.

Me too!!! Love that "click bait" subject!

[sand_man]

I've never had any issue obtaining a charred crust on the outside, with a juicy center, using 80/20 pre-ground meat from my grocer. I like to keep the seasoning basic/simple with salt and pepper. I prefer to do them on charcoal, but the skillet works great too. If I'm doing them in the skillet, brushing the patties with a little melted butter also helps with the crust.

[sand_man]

EDIT: I like mine just a little bit more done...maybe more medium.

[drkshdw]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

"...and smashing the meat."
~~~~~~~~~
Why would it be good to squeeze (smash) the juices out of a burger patty?

You don't smash it when it's cooking, you do it right when you put the meat on the griddle. It's to not only form the ball of meat into a patty but also presses the meat firmly onto the surface of the griddle making sure every little piece of meat is touching the cooking surface. That's what creates the crust. More surface area touching the griddle, the better the crust. And you gotta do it in the first 3 or 4 seconds before the fat renders so you DON'T press out the juices.

[javadog]

This is just my own opinion, but... If you watch a professional chef put meat in a pan or put meat on the grill, you'll notice they do it very carefully, almost reverently. There's nothing wrong with making sure that the meat is in contact with the cooking surface, but I think the concept of smashing it into the grill goes a bit too far. I also think that a crust on the hamburger is not what you want, you want flavor, not char. Flipping the burger more frequently gives you a better flavor and a more evenly cooked burger.

I have ground all my own meats, for years. I have tried every kind of beef you can think of, sometimes a mixture of up to three at a time. I have also added fats of various types, including pork fat. In the end, I can buy a premade half pound patty from a local chef that is vastly better than anything I've been able to concoct over the years. I've got no idea what he puts in it, but it can't be beat.

[pavulon]

First we had NOS garage sale jack stands now hamburger hacks. I’m getting close to losing it.

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by javadog

...Flipping the burger more frequently gives you a better flavor and a more evenly cooked burger....

I also do this. I finally broke free of the "flip once" convention, after some experimentation.

[drkshdw]

Originally Posted by javadog

This is just my own opinion, but... If you watch a professional chef put meat in a pan or put meat on the grill, you'll notice they do it very carefully, almost reverently. There's nothing wrong with making sure that the meat is in contact with the cooking surface, but I think the concept of smashing it into the grill goes a bit too far. I also think that a crust on the hamburger is not what you want, you want flavor, not char. Flipping the burger more frequently gives you a better flavor and a more evenly cooked burger.

If you're picky about your steaks I can see where smash burgers would not be for you. I prefer them because they are thin, juicy and cooked all the way through. And the whole browning/charring business changes the flavor to one I will eat. But maybe I like them different because I don't do steak. Can't stand it. Last time I ate steak was when I was forced to as a child. The whole concept of a bleeding slab of flesh on a plate in front of me sickens me so I want my burgers to be as far removed from that as possible.

[javadog]

I suppose you could say I am "picky" about my steaks. I like ribeyes and I like them rare-plus to medium rare on the doneness. Cooking one to medium, or even further, ruins the steak. I cook my burgers a little longer than my steaks, but nowhere near as done as you do. I can see why we have a difference of opinion about how to cook beef.