Since we're well into grilling season, I thought it might be fun to share some recipes.
First off, I like to use the America's Test Kitchen panade method. Basically, for each pound to pound and a half of ground beef, I use one slice of bread wth the crust removed, and enough milk to make a panade (thick paste). Add spices, and mix with the ground beef. The panade adds some binder to the ground beef to replace that lost as the fat drips out. You can also sear these to a nice crust on the outside, without drying the burgers into hockey pucks.
So now, after all that exposition, here's my two go-to recipes:
1. Add steak sauce, granulated onion, and granulated garlic to the panade. Sometimes I'll throw in a little bit of sage or savory for a slightly different flavor. Top with cheddar.
2. Hit the panade with a few generous splashes of your favorite hot sauce. These are great topped with bleu cheese.
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I like to buy fresh ground chuck from my local butcher, loosely pack into patties. Then press the spices (kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic and onion powder, Italian seasoning) on the outside of the burger - this helps form a nice crust on the outside of the burger. I've also discovered (this may be controversial...) that flipping the burger several times throughout cooking cooks the burger to a perfect medium rare throughout and doesn't dry it out at all.
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I take them, handcuff them, throw them down on the floor, put a hood on them, lead them into a darkened room, force them to sit in an uncomfortable chair, pull the hood off, shine a really bright light in their face, light a cigarette, blow the smoke in their face and start asking them questions. Every now and then I'll have someone walk behind them tapping a billy club into their hand or the back of the chair.
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You should just get a Taser. :-) :-)
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Hilarious!
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I usually make two smaller patties with divots in the middle of both, and then put a small amount of cheese - bleu, goat, etc - in the middle, and press the two patties together to make a burger. Crumbled bacon works as well.
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just granulated onion and garlic sprinkled on top.
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I get some ground sirloin (usually 90/10, I like them more lean), just add some salt, pepper, and a little mesquite bbq sauce. Mix it all up, press them into 3/4-1" patties, and fry 'em up! I have the grill on about 4 (of 10), flip them after about 4-5 min, leave them another 4-5 min, rotate the ones in the front towards the back with one more flip (the front of my grill doesn't get as hot as the back) and definitely don't press them down with the spatula. They end up with this delicious slight mesquite flavor from the bbq sauce and veeeeery juicy.

I let my friend do grill duty while I was making some other stuff one grillout and he pressed the heck out of the patties...they turned out very dry :-)

So don't mash your burgers on the grill! The more you know! hehe

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Usually with fire.
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Just tell the wife I want it rare. I'm not allowed near the grill.
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I assume there's a story here... :-)
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4 minutes on each side. I dont know the recipe...my wife mixes it all up. :-)
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I only use cheap, high fat, freshly ground chuck from my local Asian market. At only $1.59/lb this meat produces the best burgers west of the Mississippi.
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:-)

:-):-)
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Ground chuck, lightly formed, thumbprint in middle, heavily seasoned with blackening seasoning, cook 4 minutes, flip, top with a handful of blue cheese... masterpiece!!!
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Montreal steak seasoning rub and once it's done top with A1 and you're favorite cheese...I typically go for pepperjack. :-)


Sometimes I like to mix it up and smoke the burgers too. In that case I leave them plain and cook with Jack Daniels pellets.
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That's it right there. Nothing to add :-)
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Forgot to mention this in my OP, helps keep the burgers flat as they shrink on the grill. :-)
Anyone grind their own? I've done it a few times, especially if there's a really good sale on something like Black Angus. Nothng like taking meat right out of the grinder and slapping a few patties on the grll. :-)
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Form paties out of ground chuck with indents in the middle so they don't ball up, sprinkle with black pepper and garlic powder (not salt - it pulls moisture out of the meat), grill until just about medium rare, add the cheddar cheese and throw the buns on the grill, finish to medium rare, top with lettuce, tomato, onion, sauteed mushrooms, ketchup and mayo. MMMM.
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I use 85/15 ground sirloin. Mince some onions and mix it in with the meat to form patties and either grill on the BBQ or make sliders on the stove top.
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