Making burgers

[opieoilman]

I've finally managed to make some decent burgers, they were always a bit dry before.

First ones were standard supermarket mince with chopped sundried tomatoes, some basil, parmesan, red onion, garlic, salt and pepper. The others were standard mince again, fried onions, French mustard, horseradish, salt and pepper. The oil in the sundried tomatoes and fried onions seemed to help stop them drying out.

[LordGrover]

Ah. Veggie burgers?

[opieoilman]

No, just some veg (about 1 sundried tomato per 1/3lb burger and one medium onion between 4 quarter pounders) and the rest is meat.

[RizzoTheRat]

AndyAudi said:

Served with brioche bun & a wee dairy lee slice (tasteless but I like the texture & the way it melts like plastic)

I'm generally a bit of a cheese snob but have to admit plastic cheese goes really well with a BBQ burger

[otolith]

Another option for forming them is to roll them into a tight sausage of the diameter you want the burgers to be using cling film. Then chill it in the fridge before using a sharp knife to slice into patties of the desired thickness.

[21TonyK]

RizzoTheRat said:

AndyAudi said:

Served with brioche bun & a wee dairy lee slice (tasteless but I like the texture & the way it melts like plastic)

I'm generally a bit of a cheese snob but have to admit plastic cheese goes really well with a BBQ burger

try two or three thin slices of emmental and a sprinkling of cheddar or gruyere

[soad]

guindilias said:

Pffft. I use a tarmac whacker, some DPM to keep the moisture in, and a large, empty Koi pond lined with brick. Thermite to cook, evenly spread once the burger is covered with a layer of refractory plaster.
Comes out perfectly each time, ad the ideal size for two people.

I'm taking notes.

[juice]

Friend of ours made these and posted it on faceache...must admit they look

http://www.nola.com/food/index.ssf/2015/05/beer_ca...

[Miguel Alvarez]

Aldos Army said:

I got myself a kitchenaid grinder recently and have been experimenting with different cuts of meat to make the nicest burgers.

One of my favourites is to throw some oxtail into the mix. It has quite a rich taste and when combined (maybe 20-30% oxtail) with something like regular cuts like brisket etc the flavour is nice and subtle.

We eat quite a lot of oxtail and being a man I'm an expert at wacking leftovers between two slices of hovis. Lol.

Jokes aside where do you get oxtail already off the bone? Or are you slow cooking it and then mincing it after?

[Sir Humphrey]

I know what I'm making for tea tonight.

Beef mince (not too fatty)
Black pudding
Smoked bacon
Fried onions
Mozzarella cheese

Perfect.

[Du1point8]

My favourite burgers are:

500g of fatty mince 20%+
250g of lean mince
oyster sauce
ketchup
pepper
Worcestershire Sauce
smoked paprika
dried herbs (oregano, parsley, thyme)
fresh coriander

mash ingredients together for 5-10 mins.

place small amounts and smash them with something (burger press or dish lid), place on individual pieces of baking paper and into tub. Leave for 2-3 hours in fridge

Cook and place processed american cheese on top each burger.

Enjoy.

No egg, no onions and no breadcrumbs needed at all.

[RizzoTheRat]

Made some lamb and chrizo ones yesterday from my Weber cookbook. 500g lamb mince, 400g chorizo cooking sausage, bit of salt and pepper. Probably should have made them a bit thinner as 900g of meat only made 6 burgers.

[Du1point8]

RizzoTheRat said:

Made some lamb and chrizo ones yesterday from my Weber cookbook. 500g lamb mince, 400g chorizo cooking sausage, bit of salt and pepper. Probably should have made them a bit thinner as 900g of meat only made 6 burgers.

You think???

I got about 8-10 out of 750g of mince, though they didn't look that small, but then again I was told to make them thin and small enough to fit in the mini burger buns.

[Swervin_Mervin]

RizzoTheRat said:

Made some lamb and chrizo ones yesterday from my Weber cookbook. 500g lamb mince, 400g chorizo cooking sausage, bit of salt and pepper. Probably should have made them a bit thinner as 900g of meat only made 6 burgers.

Sounds about right. That's 5oz per burger, or just over 1/4lb. That's what size I make my larger ones.

[RizzoTheRat]

I'm thinking next time I might try embedding some cheddar in the center of them. Iv'e got a cheapy burger press (that was the maximum size it can do) so I reckon a layer of meat, slice of cheese, and then another layer of meat should pack nicely so long I don't get the cheese all the way to the edge.

[Spydaman]

Anyone know where I can get a semi-circular hot plate like the one in the Smashburger Youtube vid?

[Du1point8]

Spydaman said:

Anyone know where I can get a semi-circular hot plate like the one in the Smashburger Youtube vid?

a burger press?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dexam-Single-Hamburger-Bur...

[red_slr]

Its all in the cooking.

Get your mince really flat between 2 bits of cling film using roller.
You want max 5/6mm thick. About 20-30% bigger than your bun.
Put in freezer for 1 hour.
Warm up BBQ to full blast.
Take out of freezer and BBQ on full till it starts to flame.
Once it starts to flame get some good colour on it on each side and move to cooler part of BBQ.
Cook for 5 mins or so till juices are clear.

If you want thicker burger just put 2 on the bun.

Its all about the cooking and freezing keeps the shape.

[Du1point8]

red_slr said:

Its all in the cooking.

Get your mince really flat between 2 bits of cling film using roller.
You want max 5/6mm thick. About 20-30% bigger than your bun.
Put in freezer for 1 hour.
Warm up BBQ to full blast.
Take out of freezer and BBQ on full till it starts to flame.
Once it starts to flame get some good colour on it on each side and move to cooler part of BBQ.
Cook for 5 mins or so till juices are clear.

If you want thicker burger just put 2 on the bun.

Its all about the cooking and freezing keeps the shape.

I don't use a roller, I use a sophisticated glass casserole lid... aka one of these

http://direct.asda.com/george/george-home/Pyrex-Ca...

does the job perfectly and I can see when to stop pressing.

[Spydaman]

Du1point8 said:

a burger press?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dexam-Single-Hamburger-Bur...

That too but I meant the hot plate you cook on. He described it as a 3/16" sheet of stainless steel. I wondered if you can buy them or I need to get one made.