The only hamburger recipe you’ll ever need
It should come as no surprise that in Texas, we take our beef seriously. Whether we’re grilling up a juicy T-bone or flipping burgers, quality counts. When it comes to burgers, we could endlessly debate Shake Shack vs. In-N-Out (the answer is Whataburger, of course), but if you’re going to eat the best damn burger you’ve ever had that doesn’t cost $15 at a steakhouse, you’ll need to take matters into your own hands.
First things first: The only things you need are quality beef and salt. You do not need a panade — a mixture of starch and liquids, often bread or breadcrumbs and milk) — to keep it moist and juicy (in fact, this might fall apart if you tried). You do not need Worcestershire sauce. You do not need dry rub. You do not need to stuff it with cheese or wrap it in bacon or stuff it with a jalapeño popper or whatever else is the crazy fad du jour this week. You can do any of those things if you want to (goddess knows I’m not opposed to the occasional sprinkle of spicy Montreal seasoning). You just don’t need to. You don’t need any of that because you’re getting the right mix of beef to begin with. It will be luscious and delectable all on its lonesome. I promise.
I started with a base recipe from fellow Southerner and beef aficionado Alton Brown. I chose Brown’s recipe for two reasons: 1) He knows it’s all about the beef, making him an honorary Texan in my book. 2) He’s Alton Brown. Is he ever wrong about anything? This recipe comes from a segment on his show Good Eats where he makes what he calls “the burger of the gods.” And he was dead-on with that moniker.
Brown calls for a 50-50 mix of chuck and sirloin. Skip the prepackaged ground beef — yes, even the 80-20 stuff the chefs swear by — and let your friendly neighborhood butcher earn those Benjamins. [*Pauses for laughs from the butchery crowd.*]
I know a lot of people swear by using brisket in burgers. But it’s important to keep Brown’s ratio of fat intact. So if you need or want to substitute, ask your butcher for help getting the fat ratio right. Sirloin is flavorful but relatively lean. It’s chuck that brings most of the fat to this party. I like to keep it easy with his 50-50 split and I do think brisket is for rubbing and smoking, but you do you, boo.
Now, when it comes to grinding, I prefer the DIY method. The beef stays good longer if it’s intact and has less surface area exposed to the bacteria and oxygen that make it go bad. But you can ask your butcher to cube it or even grind it for you if you’d like.
If not, you’ll need either a grinder (my method) or a food processor (Brown’s rather unconventional method, though it does seem to work if you’ve got the patience to coddle your kitchen gadgets). If you don’t have a grinder, I do suggest considering the investment. They’re relatively inexpensive, though they do get pricier the more bells and whistles they have. I have a KitchenAid attachment model (which are cheaper than standalone grinders if you’ve already got a KitchenAid). It comes with two grinder plate sizes (you’ll use the larger of the two for meat), and it’s far from a one-hit-wonder. I also use it for milling veggies for salsas and soups. I’d imagine you could use it to mill baby food too. My babies have bigger canines than yours do, so they eat whole foods and rawhides.
Image: ForkingSpoon
The only hamburger recipe you'll ever need
Alton Brown's "burger of the gods" is the best hamburger patty recipe around — and this is the upgraded 21st century version.
Ingredients
Instructions
Prepare the meat grinder and bowls
When you're making ground meat, it's vital everything stays cold. When the meat gets warm, it tends to smear more easily (becoming a paste rather than a grind), and the fat may separate from the meat, which will leave your burgers dry and crumbly.
About an hour before you start grinding, put your grinder attachment (or the plates and any other parts that touch the meat) in the freezer along with two bowls (one to catch the meat, the other to hold ice water to keep the bowl cold while you're grinding). You'll want the larger of the two grinder plates. If you want a smaller grind, you'll have to grind it twice, first using the larger, then the smaller.
Trim and cube the chuck and sirloin
Meanwhile, trim as much of the fatty sinew as possible off both cuts of meat. It can get caught in the grinder, clogging it and making your meat smear. Make sure you put the cuts back in the refrigerator when you're not working with them to keep them cold.
Cube both cuts of meat into a size that will easily fit into your grinder. These 1-1/2-inch cubes were a good size for a KitchenAid attachment.
If you don't want to mess with this step, you can ask your butcher to trim and cut (and maybe even grind) the meat for you.
Put the cubes into a bowl, sprinkle them with salt and toss them together. Put the bowl back into the fridge while you put your grinder together. Don't forget about those cold bowls. Fill the larger of the two with a little ice and some water and fit the smaller one inside to keep it nice and cold while you grind. The nested bowl will catch your ground meat, so place it under the grinder plate.
Feed the meat into the grinder
Turn on the grinder and begin feeding the meat, a cube or two at a time, into the hopper using the pusher (not your fingers) to push it through. Alternate between sirloin and chuck to reduce how much you have to handle it to mix it later.
Keep an eye on the grind
It will start to feed from the blade end. Keep an eye out to make sure it's landing in the bowl and that nothing clogs. If there's a clog, stop the machine and remove it before continuing.
Check your grind
Take a look at your grind to make sure it seems well-mixed between chuck and sirloin. If there's any salt left in the bottom of the container the cubes were in, pour it into the catching bowl with the ground meat and gently toss it.
Cover it and put it back into the fridge for about half an hour (or until you need it). Remember: You want to keep the meat cold. If at any point during the following steps you have to walk away, the meat needs to go back in the fridge while you're gone.
Portion the ground meat
Weigh the meat into 5-ounce portions. That may seem like 1 ounce too few, but remember that you trimmed the meat.
Form the ground meat into balls
Gently (oh, so gently) form the meat into balls. If your hands tend to get hot, run them under cool water between balls. That will keep the meat from sticking to your hands (and keep the meat cool!).
Form the ground meat into patties
Form each ball into patties (again, gently) of about the same thickness — a little thicker than you think you need to. Use your knuckles to depress the center slightly on one side only. This indent or "cave" will prevent the patties from puffing up when you cook them. Puffy burgers still taste good, but they do cause issues when you're topping the burger.
Cook the ground meat patty
Unless you're grilling out, I recommend a preheated cast-iron skillet for cooking hamburgers (and any other meats you need a good sear on). Just turn your burner to medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. You shouldn't need any oil because of the fat in the patties.
Put the patties in the skillet (only a few at a time — you want to have room to flip) and don't touch them! Leave them on the first side for about 4 minutes (medium-rare). For medium, go 5 minutes. For medium-well, go 6 minutes.
Flip the ground meat patty
Once the patty is ready, it will release from the skillet (or grill) pretty easily. After the time is up on the first side, flip that bad boy. Cook it on the other side for the same amount of time, then pull it off. Don't flip it again or check it. Don't cut it open. Just believe. You don't have to believe in me. Believe in Alton. Believe in the beef. Believe in the tooth fairy if you need to.
Pull it off and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
If you really don't trust yourself (or your stove's version of what medium-high is), do one patty first. Call it a trial run. It's your excuse as the chef to try it before everyone else. After it rests, then you can cut it open and check the doneness (or use a thermometer). If you're satisfied, cook the rest the same way.
Top your burger
Now just assemble your burger as you see fit. If you're having a party, invite your guests to do so after the resting period is up. You don't want the burgers to get cold, because if you have to reheat them, you'll continue cooking them.
Notes
Don't think this ground meat is only for burgers. Use it in meatloaves, taco meat or anything else you'd use ground beef for.
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the meat grinder and bowls
When you're making ground meat, it's vital everything stays cold. When the meat gets warm, it tends to smear more easily (becoming a paste rather than a grind), and the fat may separate from the meat, which will leave your burgers dry and crumbly.
About an hour before you start grinding, put your grinder attachment (or the plates and any other parts that touch the meat) in the freezer along with two bowls (one to catch the meat, the other to hold ice water to keep the bowl cold while you're grinding). You'll want the larger of the two grinder plates. If you want a smaller grind, you'll have to grind it twice, first using the larger, then the smaller.
Trim and cube the chuck and sirloin
Meanwhile, trim as much of the fatty sinew as possible off both cuts of meat. It can get caught in the grinder, clogging it and making your meat smear. Make sure you put the cuts back in the refrigerator when you're not working with them to keep them cold.
Cube both cuts of meat into a size that will easily fit into your grinder. These 1-1/2-inch cubes were a good size for a KitchenAid attachment.
If you don't want to mess with this step, you can ask your butcher to trim and cut (and maybe even grind) the meat for you.
Put the cubes into a bowl, sprinkle them with salt and toss them together. Put the bowl back into the fridge while you put your grinder together. Don't forget about those cold bowls. Fill the larger of the two with a little ice and some water and fit the smaller one inside to keep it nice and cold while you grind. The nested bowl will catch your ground meat, so place it under the grinder plate.
Feed the meat into the grinder
Turn on the grinder and begin feeding the meat, a cube or two at a time, into the hopper using the pusher (not your fingers) to push it through. Alternate between sirloin and chuck to reduce how much you have to handle it to mix it later.
Keep an eye on the grind
It will start to feed from the blade end. Keep an eye out to make sure it's landing in the bowl and that nothing clogs. If there's a clog, stop the machine and remove it before continuing.
Check your grind
Take a look at your grind to make sure it seems well-mixed between chuck and sirloin. If there's any salt left in the bottom of the container the cubes were in, pour it into the catching bowl with the ground meat and gently toss it.
Cover it and put it back into the fridge for about half an hour (or until you need it). Remember: You want to keep the meat cold. If at any point during the following steps you have to walk away, the meat needs to go back in the fridge while you're gone.
Portion the ground meat
Weigh the meat into 5-ounce portions. That may seem like 1 ounce too few, but remember that you trimmed the meat.
Form the ground meat into balls
Gently (oh, so gently) form the meat into balls. If your hands tend to get hot, run them under cool water between balls. That will keep the meat from sticking to your hands (and keep the meat cool!).
Form the ground meat into patties
Form each ball into patties (again, gently) of about the same thickness — a little thicker than you think you need to. Use your knuckles to depress the center slightly on one side only. This indent or "cave" will prevent the patties from puffing up when you cook them. Puffy burgers still taste good, but they do cause issues when you're topping the burger.
Cook the ground meat patty
Unless you're grilling out, I recommend a preheated cast-iron skillet for cooking hamburgers (and any other meats you need a good sear on). Just turn your burner to medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. You shouldn't need any oil because of the fat in the patties.
Put the patties in the skillet (only a few at a time — you want to have room to flip) and don't touch them! Leave them on the first side for about 4 minutes (medium-rare). For medium, go 5 minutes. For medium-well, go 6 minutes.
Flip the ground meat patty
Once the patty is ready, it will release from the skillet (or grill) pretty easily. After the time is up on the first side, flip that bad boy. Cook it on the other side for the same amount of time, then pull it off. Don't flip it again or check it. Don't cut it open. Just believe. You don't have to believe in me. Believe in Alton. Believe in the beef. Believe in the tooth fairy if you need to.
Pull it off and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
If you really don't trust yourself (or your stove's version of what medium-high is), do one patty first. Call it a trial run. It's your excuse as the chef to try it before everyone else. After it rests, then you can cut it open and check the doneness (or use a thermometer). If you're satisfied, cook the rest the same way.
Top your burger
Now just assemble your burger as you see fit. If you're having a party, invite your guests to do so after the resting period is up. You don't want the burgers to get cold, because if you have to reheat them, you'll continue cooking them.
IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNING: The USDA cautions against washing your meat before grinding or cooking due to it's ineffectiveness and risks of cross contamination. Additionally, they recommend that all ground beef be cooked to 160 degrees F as measured by a "thermistor or thermocouple food thermometer if possible" (a ThermoWorks Thermapen or Lavatools Javelin for instance).
RELATED LINKS
Handling food safely
Safe cooking temperatures (Chart)
Using a thermometer
The importance of resting
Fresh ground meat and ground turkey can be safely refrigerated for 1-2 days and frozen for up to 4 months with minimal quality loss. To freeze, place the fresh patties on a tray, cover and freeze for 6-8 hours. Wrap patties individually using plastic wrap or freezer paper, removing as much air as possible. Stay organized and give your frozen food extra protection by placing the wrapped patties in a labelled and dated freezer bag. Stacked patties should be separated with wax paper squares (or a suitable substitute).
RELATED LINKS
Preparing food to freeze
Refrigerator and freezer storage times (Chart)
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