Need help with hamburgers of all things

[stormshadow]

I'm almost embarrassed to post this. My homemade hamburgers come out like meatballs. I use a burger press with 80% lean beef. My home made rub ensures great taste, but my burgers tend to puff up like meatballs when I cook them in either the fry pan or on the grill.

Help? :)

Thanks in advance.

Chris

[Sam D.]

Chris, you only asked for advice on how to get the burger patties to hold their flat shape while cooking. You're getting a lot of advice here on ways to improve the taste and texture of your burgers even though your post indicated that you are satisfied with those aspects of the burgers you are turning out now. I also use a hamburger press that I constructed myself 40 years ago. It produces patties 5" round and up to 1/2" thick. And for a long time I had the same problem you're describing with the burgers puffing up in the center while the diameter would shrink more than an inch. As others have mentioned already, the solution is to make the center concave by pressing a dimple into it. I now wind up with burgers that lose only about 1/2" diameter and otherwise hold their proportionate shape when cooked. That works out perfectly with the 4 1/2" hamburger buns I use.

You might want to experiment by trying other methods of forming your burger patties or using meat with different fat content as was suggested here. I tried just about everything that was mentioned and and after all the different trials, I'm perfectly satisfied with the results I get by using the hamburger press. Apart from cooking to the desired doneness, the thing I have found to make the most difference in taste is the quality and freshness of the meat. I have settled on ground beef with 25-30% fat content. That may sound ghastly to some but a lot of the fat is lost during grilling and it produces a juicy and very tasty burger.

[stormshadow]

Thanks all--especially Sam D. I'm going to give the dimple idea a shot. That might just work.

And yes, the flavor of the meat is awesome!!! No help needed there.

[jfood]

jfood agrees with those who recommended 80% ground beef, about 1-1.25" thick and a dimple in the middle of both sides.

Then jfood cooks on high grill heat until a nice char and an easy flip. same on side 2 until Med-rare inside. And do NOT squeeze down while grilling.

[kchurchill5]

Agree with the never squeeze down method. All the juice runs out. Why do people do that? I always make my burgers a bit bigger, and therefore don't have to squeeze down.

[danhole]

And then there is the burger joint called Smashburger where they do really smash the burger! One recently opened here in Huston and I haven't tried it yet, but I would say 80% of the people who have rave. I just don't know. It goes against everything I have ever been taught. I cringe every time I see someone smashing a burger on the grill.

http://www.mysmashburger.com/

[ESNY]

The simplest explanation... put a small divot (crater, indent) in the patty before cooking. It will still puff up, but this will make it even with the rest of the burger.

I'd also skip the burger press and hand form them lightly, but thats a different story...

[danhole]

I agree with Val, ESNY, and jfood about the indent in the center of the thick burger. I think I learned that from Steve Raichlen. He just took his thumb and gave it a good push in the middle, but my thumb isn't nearly as large as his so I have to give it a couple pushes. Works very well!

[Val]

I think someone on this board once recommended poking a hole in the middle of the patty before you put in on the grill or in the pan, doesn't have to go all the way through...that has worked beautifully for us.

[normalheightsfoodie]

I think this one of the times when less is more. Less handling and less heat. I have always found that lean ground beef does not make for a great burger. I like to make mine grilled, try a lower heat. When the "blood" starts to rise on the burger, give it a flip. Do not press down on the burger with a spatula, it will only dry it out. A thinner burger will insure uniformed cooking. I like to also give it a 45degree turn on each side to produce a good grill mark.

I think the high heat sears the outside too quickly.

Good luck.

[kchurchill5]

One, lean is bad, great for healthy for for me not for hamburgers. Too lean. Need FAT. I also add some ingredients. I like to add some worschestire (sp?), minced garlic, very fine diced onion, s/p and 1 tablespoon butter, yes butter. I works every time. But not to lean and when you mix, mix lightly. The more you mix and pat and form ... the tougher the meat will be.

I make mine literally 100 different ways adding chili powder, cumin, garlic, paprika and anything you can imagine. Chilis, cheese anything you want. But above is my mix and my 2 cents. The more lean to me the more ingredients you need to moisten because the meat is more dry. To a very lean meat I add a egg which helps. Like I said a hundred recipes for the best burger ... literally. Be prepared.

[janetms383]

80% lean is good for hamburgers! This is usually the ground meat that has the most fat (20%). On America's Test Kitchen, they made their burgers with a panade (a paste of bread and milk) by using 1 slice good white bread, crusts trimmed off then add 2 T milk and mash until it's a paste. This helps keep the meat moist.

Also, make an indentation in the center of your burger. As it cooks, the center will level off with the sides.

[kchurchill5]

I think 80 is too learn for me for what I am used to. Have used the bread and milk. Don't like that either in my burger. Love that in my meatballs however. Indentation is ok. Never worked for me

[janetms383]

K, you know I love you girl, but what percentage of fat are you using for burgers?? 80% lean is 20% fat!! At my grocer, I can by 7%, 11% 15% and 20% and for hamburgers, I always go with the 20% because that's the fattest ground beef I can get.

[kchurchill5]

I use a 75% from my store and then use a bit of turkey, and I apologize, I just realized I didn't add that into my original recipe. I use just a bit. Sorry about that, my fault by far. I have them groun 70-75 percent and then add some turkey to dry it out.

My apologies. The internet froze and I though I wrote that in my first response but only the new post came up so I never went back and looked at my original.

I should of looked. I still like a fairly fatty burger. The turkey adds some texture and some dryness to the fat. Makes a good combo. Sorry I did not look back to see. I should of.

[janetms383]

Now I want a hamburger!

[kchurchill5]

Thanks, I screwed up early, my first post didn't go through and when I tried to edit I thought it worked and didn't. OOPS. What can I say

I love a fatty hamburger and a little turkey, makes a great combo, really.

[phantomdoc]

After seeing America test kitchen, I tried using (gulp) seasoned bread crumbs and milk. The burgers are always juicy. I put a dent in the center to control center hump.

[janetms383]

I liked the techique they demonstrated also. Having an Italian grandmother, I always saw her make the panade for meatloaf, but hadn't used it for burgers. Keeping the seasoning simple and adding that tiny bit of steak sauce makes for great burgers.

[smtucker]

I was with you until the burger press. Is this a mechanical contraption that compresses/shapes the patties? or your hands? I have found that ground meat benefits from as little handling as possible. Gently shape the meat into patties. When they hit the pan/grill, do not touch them until they are ready to be turned.

[todao]

Ditto

[kchurchill5]

Absolutely, I agree in my post handle as little as possible. Just form and put in the pan. Don't turn until nice and brown and a crust forms. Then flip. Good point. Presses. Naaa. I have used the top of the saucer to make them round but just the last form, press the saucer nicely on them and it makes a great round, nothing more. It isn't a hard press, just a quick form is all and then fry. That is the extend of my press. More presentation than anything, it makes it pretty and round.

[kchurchill5]

My apologies, my internet was freezing, I edited this when I realized I left out an ingredient. I use a 75percent ground round and then a little turkey to round it out. sorry. I edited and thought it took. Should of looked and didn't. It is more fat and the turkey add some flavor and texture and dries it out a bit. sorry I missed it.

I should of checked and didn't. My internet has been up and down all day.

Sorry to confuse anyone. I still like a very fatty hamburger but add the turkey to round it our.

[alwayscooking]

Hamburgers plump up because there is air inside - it turns to steam when cooking and makes the patties expand. Air gets added during the handling the meat and fat - both the grinding process and the making of the patty. To avoid this, handle as little as possible, make the patties thinner, and cook them slower. Or an easier way (as others have mentioned), make the patties thinner in the center.

[kchurchill5]

I totally agree, mix as little as possible. I hate thin patties, sorry. I like them thick and I hate them cooked slower. I like a nice charred surface and grilled faster. thinner to me is horrible. Sorry, my opinion

I like thicker and charred faster and then flipped, usually a nice medium to medium well, just slightly pink on the inside which is perfect for me.

[alwayscooking]

Most people prefer them thick and crisp. I wasn't recommending the thinner as better except that they won't puff as much. The dip in the center also makes for a more consistent temperature throughout the cooked burger IMHO.

[kchurchill5]

I know, I just had thin burgers, Out of 30 to 40 friends none like thin. I make them all the time for cookouts which I cater a lot. NO one likes thin, they all request thick. Sorry. Just maybe a FL thing.

even MI, we always liked our thick. Never went anywhere with thin burgers.

[todao]

How's this for a rule of thumb?
If you can put the burger between two slices of pre-packaged sliced white bread and still get it into your mouth, the burger wasn't thick enough. ;>}

[kchurchill5]

LOL, works for me!

[chimay5]

I would suggest not using a press. Hand form the patties, gently and make the middle of the patty thiner than the edges.