best burger recipies

[skinny]

anyone got any tried and trusted burger recipes?
do i need to go to a butchers for the mince instead of the supermarket?
i prefer eating burgers made from 100% beef, rather than adding onions and stuff - onions live on top of a burger!


my last attempts have done away with egg / breadcrumbs and just used a combo of ketchup and bbq sauce to hold the (not lean) mince together. salt, pepper, italian herbs, chilli flakes in the mix too.
but they have more often than not ended up quite dry on the bbq (tho i won't deny there's a chance it was through over-cooking)


i'm trying to make nice american style burgers - i've tried many a variation (bacon, blue cheese, chilli covered, guacamole, etc) and always end up prefering the classic cheeseburger so nothing too fancy

[Pixel-Snapper]

Butchers mince will not need anything like breadcrumbs or egg. Even the stuff from supermarkets will not need it as long as its lean. Spices and herbs are fine but as you say onion lives on top as it causes the meat to break up more. I do sometimes for a change add some chopped up sliced chorizo in to the mix which is nice.

If your feeling flush buy some rib-eye steaks and blend them in a food processor to make your own mince.

Also a good amount of salt but not enough to over power will help, this brings out the water within the meat and will help to keep them moist.

Edited many time's as I can't spell by Pixel-Snapper on Tuesday 30th October 15:57

Edited by Pixel-Snapper on Tuesday 30th October 15:59

[skinny]

i read a heston recipe that used some (iirc) sirloin cubed which needed half the meat mincing through 3mm holes, then combining with the rest of the meat and through 8mm holes with an assistant pulling the meat away from teh mincer to keep all the strands in the same direction. sounded like a bit too much work...

[Pixel-Snapper]

Balls to heston! Wizz it up in the processor works fine for me.

[escargot]

Disagree on the lean mince bit. You need fatty mince in my experience.

[cheddar]

I find it impossible to muck up a burger, you can add anything - onion, garlic, olives, gherkins, mustard, tabasco, hp, etc - and they're always top drawer.

I don't do egg or breadcrumbs, mine are shmushy when being formed and can go straight on the bbq or sit, covered, in the fridge.

Muck about with them, experiment, enjoy

[petemurphy]

escargot said:

Disagree on the lean mince bit. You need fatty mince in my experience.

yep thats the reason mcds never did a lean burger needs 20%ish fat

[jas xjr]

the butcher will mince your meat up for you . even supermarkets will

[Mobile Chicane]

escargot said:

Disagree on the lean mince bit. You need fatty mince in my experience.

^^^ This.

20% or thereabouts. Fat in meat is where the flavour is.

I add half a grated onion to 400g of 20% fat mince, plus 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper for a 'plain' burger.

A few chopped chillies plus 1/2 tsp 'Dunn's River All-Purpose Seasoning' for a spicy one.

There is no need for breadcrumbs or egg.

Press the meat into presentation rings to make burger shapes, and chill on a tinfoil-lined tray for an hour before BBQing. If grilling, you don't need to chill the meat at all.

[tjlazer]

Jamie's botham burger is great. Won at my BBQ this year!

[Pixel-Snapper]

Yes sorry got abit carried away fat is good in burgers.

Which is why I mentioned te rib-eye burgers.

[skinny]

cheers all. i did read never to squash the burger on the bbq when it's cooking, maybe that's what made mine go dry before.

[Arun_D]

I certainly try not to work the meat too much when mixing in the seasoning. Last time I did them, I was guilty of this, and I'm pretty sure that was the reason they were a bit dense and bordering on dry.

I dont' go as far as Heston's 'strand direction' technique, but try not to compact them too much, so they just about hold together.

[AJS-]

You can use over lean mince. A bit of fat adds to the flavour, in my view.

[RVVUNM]

Forgive me for this but I find pure lean meat burgers a little bland. I like a bit of fat for flavour.
I know this is PH and the meat must come from a hand reared bull, brought up in a carpeted barn (heated) and fed prize winning hand selected cow nuts, served from a guilt edged trough.

[nadger]

This reciepe is a little 'left field' but bloody delicious!
You need 500g of lean beef mince
1 large beetroot
4tsp of horseradish sauce
Grate the beetroot and the mix in the beef and horseradish sauce. Form into patties and grill/fry.
Bloody delicious I tells ya!

[Richieboy3008]

Lots of salt, pepper, onion. I sometimes add a bit of garlic, thyme, chilli, cheese.

Ale too, helps keep them moist and gives great flavor.

Edited by Richieboy3008 on Tuesday 13th November 16:10

[Mobile Chicane]

nadger said:

This reciepe is a little 'left field' but bloody delicious!
You need 500g of lean beef mince
1 large beetroot
4tsp of horseradish sauce
Grate the beetroot and the mix in the beef and horseradish sauce. Form into patties and grill/fry.
Bloody delicious I tells ya!

I can see that working