My Super Burgers

Intro: My Super Burgers

This is my first attempt at an instructable so be gentle with the criticism. I am, after all, a delicate flower.

I want to do an instructable in as many categories as I can so I figured i would start at the top with food> bbq and grilling by sharing how I make my burgers.

My way isnt that out of the ordinary, most of my stuff came from someone else, but I didn't see them represented here in any aspect, so here we go

Off the top I just want to say this is only the way I make my patties, nothing else. I also intentionally leave out quantities of ingredients so those can vary from batch to batch depending on how many are being served and taste.

STEP 1: Gather Ingredients

1. Meat. (duh) I like to use the lowest fat content I can since I occasionally like to take care of my heart and I don't mind spending the extra money and the taste difference between 80/20 and 97/3 is negligible. 

2. onion (white or purple)
3. Bell pepper (green)
4. Crackers, Crushed (Club or Ritz)
5. seasoning (seasoning salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder etc)
6. Worcestershire sauce (opt. Teriyaki, just not at the same time as the Worcestershire)

STEP 2: Mix

Pretty simple step here. Get a big bowl and put the ground beef in and break it up.

next I add the onion and bell pepper, but rather than dicing like most people do, i run the two across my cheese grater into fine shavings. this creates a much more even mix and alleviates my pet peeve of chomping into a big chunk of onion or bell pepper. 

After that I'll crush up the crackers and mix them in. 10 crackers for a lb (2.2 kg) of beef should do. these help seal in the juices for better taste and juicier burgers

Now Ill splash in some seasonings to taste. I will pretty much always add seasoning salt and garlic powder, and then whatever I arbitrarily deem sounds good at that very moment. sometimes it works, sometimes not so much.

One more ingredient that is optional since some dont care much for it, is Worcestershire sauce or teriyaki sauce. Just be careful with the worcesteshire as it can get over powering very quick

Other things you could add would be cheese (either cubes or shredded) and bacon bits. I dont add these since i prefer them whole on top of the burger.

Now everything is in the bowl, roll up your sleeves and stuff your (hopefully clean) hands in the mix and turn, toss, and knead until an even mix is achieved.

STEP 3: Make Patties

I would suggest using something such as a measuring cup to make evenly sized and consistent patties, but just pulling a handful out will work just fine, too.

One big thing to be sure of is to make the patties very flat and larger in diameter than the bun you will be using as they will contract during grilling. I say flat though, because on more than one occasion I have ended up with what more resembled giant meatballs. They tasted fine, but we're making burgers, not meatball sandwiches here.

That's it. Cook and enjoy. Yum.

Comments

[mrsplooge]

Tto get around the "meatball" syndrome, you need to press your thumb into the center of the patty to create a Divot just before cooking . When the meat cooks the divot disappears.

[justin.jackson]

good call

[arete01]

I is surely veeery tasty, (it will be my next burger)

but... You vrote 2.2 Kg? It is a Super Burger for sure! 1lb is 0,5 kg.

(exactely 1lb = 0kg 453.59g, and 1kg is about 2,2 lb)

[l8nite]

nice basic recipe, to help prevent the burgers from swelling up into balls try making a dimple in the center of the top of the burger before frying/grilling/baking

[TheCritic]

By the way,.... To much of the crackers will have a reverse affect and will Dry out the burgers so be careful with the amounts you add to the mix. Just like adding to many bread crumbs to meatballs, They get dry and crumbly. If you add olive oil to the breadcrumbs and toast in the griddle first , you will get a great flavor and moisture into your burger.

[TheCritic]

I do a similar burger and agree with the lean beef. The only other ingredient I add would be fresh parsley to the ground beef which adds a whole other level of great flavor. When I grill my burgers, I also add a few rosemary leaves to the top of the burgers. The smell coming from the grill will make even a vegetarians mouth water.

[lemonie]

You need your own photos, can't you borrow a camera?

L

[justin.jackson]

I have a camera, and I do need my own photos. I agree with you wholeheartedly. I pretty much wrote this from memory though since to take pics of me making this, i would, of course, have to actually make them. which would, in turn require me to grill them. Unfortunately, January in Colorado isn't exactly conducive to grilling. But I will, at some point, add my own pictures to this. (you have my word)

[lemonie]

January in Colorado.. ah yes. There'll probably be a barbecue competition for the summer, keep an eye out for it.

L