There are so many different types of burgers: grilled burgers, diner burgers, smash burgers, stuffed burgers...all get you a hamburger but all are markedly different.

Is a burger to you all about the condiments or all about the beef?

Anyway, mine and cribbed from others, here's my thoughts.

1) I don't season the meat at all, I season the pattie just before I put it on the gas grill or into the fry pan. Salt especially does things to the meat I don't want happening.

2) Fat is good in a burger. Most of it broils away so don't use extra lean...it has a mouthfeel like pressed sawdust in a burger.

3) Grind your own or buy local, fresh ground; those tubs of high speed ground meat from 1,000 miles away don't make good burgers.

4) Don't steam them, use enough heat to sear and cook them. most home cooks use too low a temperature and cram too many into or onto the cooking surface.

5) A good bun cannot be overstated.

The link below was a gift to me from someone on this forum, now I pass it onto you.

Click on the "a Hamburger Today" tab up top of the home page and enjoy.

Here is a link that might be useful: A good, no great hamburger section.

I have a recipe for Italian Hamburger. I would put it in if you are interested.
LOU

Not knowing what you like or are looking for it's a crapshoot but here's some things you could look at as alternatives or variations:
⢠Hamburger steak
⢠Bacon Cheeseburgers
⢠Sloppy Joes
⢠Juicy Lucys
⢠Taco salad, tacos, taco version of sloppy joes
⢠Pizza burgers, either the traditional open face with meat, sauce and cheese on a bun broiled, or serving a burger with pepperoni, mozzarella and pizza sauce
⢠Make it into meatloaf
⢠Tater tot hotdish
⢠Hamburger in gravy
⢠Meatballs with or without gravy
⢠Spaghetti
⢠Chili
⢠Ranch burgers
⢠Any way you like it in a wrap instead of on a bun, or on toast
⢠Sausage stuffed
⢠Soup or stew
⢠Top with salsa and Mexican cheese
⢠"Olde English" style (as served at a local restaurant chain years ago) Toasted english muffin with the burger open face on it, topped with swiss cheese, bacon and bbq (or was it steak) sauce
⢠Mini burgers
⢠Top with a slice of ham & cheese
⢠Chicken fry them
⢠Top with salad or coleslaw
⢠and of course, whatever you're doing just with different spices, a different cheese or a different bun/wrap or something can make a difference. A bun should be toasted IMO, and if you're not already, there's a big difference by itself.

Burger is so versatile you can do it so many different ways there's no need to get boring.

Thanks so far! Yeah, for me a burger is much more about the beef than the toppings. That site is great, and I plan to further explore it.

The Italian burger sounds like it might be worth a try, I'd love the recipe.

-Nathan

Sutter Home Winery has an annual burger competition - they have some interesting recipes on their website. Not all are made with beef, but there's bound to be something for everyone here!

seagrass

Here is a link that might be useful: Sutter Home Build a Better Burger

nm,
I put different cheeses in the middle before cooking.
Take, say a 1/3 lb burger or smaller and divide the meat in half, form your patty and put some blue cheese, Swiss or cheddar in between the two patties and seal the edges. Cook it, you will have a nice gooey center.
Add herbs, onions chopped fine, onion soup mix, butter milk mix from a package, the possibility's are endless.

Linda

Interesting. For me, for me a burger is about the beef AND the toppings. So I like to make my burgers virtually unadulaterated except for spices and then add a bunch of junk on top. Man do I love a fried egg on top!

We'll have to check out that Little Big's place when you're here. I'm not much on slider so I haven't tried it yet but that review makes it sound really good. It's just down the street from Niko Niko's.

The sutter home link is cool! I need to look at all those recipes but at first glance, the strawberry BBQ sauce sounds delicious!

I disagree with a few of Metax's views on a great burger.

I do agree that you need to start with really good beef. But extra lean beef will work just fine. I mince garlic on a microplane, mix with a little olive oil and mix into the ground beef. Season with salt and pepper and form the burgers.

I prefer grilled but seared in a hot cast iron skillet works for me too. The bun has to be a decent, if not homemade than a good kaiser bun will work. And the bun needs to be toasted on the grill as well.

I'm all about the meat. The only toppings for me are slices of tomato and a little onion and maybe a lettuce leaf. I don't like any of the traditional condiments, like cheese, mustard, mayo or ketchup on my burgers.

Ann

Nathan:
Here is the Recipe.

Lou�s Italian Hamburgers or Meatballs

Do you use your KA for mixing Meatballs ???
I watched many of my relatives making Meatballs, thru the years.

Break the eggs on the meat and start mixing with their hands.
Then throw some bread crumbs in , with all the spices and keep mixing.

Always thought there should be another way to mix the Spices,
thru the crumbs and meat evenly throughout..
I did it this way now, for years.

Ingredients:
4 � lbs. of Ground Sirloin
1 � lbs. Of ground Pork
� Cup of fine chopped Onion ( micro wave 2 minutes ) let it cool.
3 cups of Italian Bread crumbs ( including 1 cup of Corn Flakes, ground to crumbs )
3 tablespoons of Parsley
1 tablespoon of Salt
1 tablespoon of Garlic powder
1 tablespoon of Onion powder
3 tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese.
3 tablespoons of Powdered eggs or 2 large eggs
1 tablespoon of Chicken Soup base , mixed in 1 cup of warm water,

Put the meat into the mixer , in alternate spoonfuls . Use the paddle beater.
Turn on low speed to mix.
Meanwhile , in another bowl, put in the bread crumbs, Onions and all the spices.
Add the Chicken water mixture, if needed add more water, to make a damp mixture.
Add this to the meat in the mixer.
Everything mixed thru evenly. And the paddle took all the Gristle, from the meat.
- - - - - - - - - - - -

Measure out the meatballs ( I use an ice cream dipper ) and roll them.
Place in an oiled baking pan. And Bake at 350 Degrees for about � hour or,
Until they are browned slightly or not cooked thru.
I made 38 meatballs. BUT

I stole a piece of the meatball mix and made an Italian Hamburger.
It was delicious in a slice of bread , with nothing else on it.

Reminded me of when I used to steal a fried meatball and run out of the kitchen,
before my Grandmother grabbed the Wooden Spoon.

LOU

May, I've eaten at Little Bigs a couple of times and wasn't very impressed. It's only a few blocks from my house. (If you like Cajun food, BB's across the street is very good IMO).

Wow, Kyle, really? They make it sound so good in that review! Try the Petrol Station for a really good burger although if you go at a busy time it's a LONG wait. It's a neighborhood bar with a lot of nice beers on tap and I think their kitchen is very small and has a small capacity. But, they're worth the wait.

To me, mixing in egg, bread crumbs and the like isn't a burger, that's meatloaf and meatballs. Not the same at all in my book.

The other important thing for me, for a good burger is a toasted bun, even if it's a low quality bun. You can even put it on toast for a hamburger sandwich, again, not a real "burger", but a variation.

Like I said, ground meat is versatile. Experiment and find what you like and dislike.

Another who likes a simple seasoned patty and then lots of great toppings.

My favourite is, pea meal bacon, cheddar cheese, fried onions and sauted mushrooms, lots of neon mustard!

Tried Ground Kobe beef burgers?

dcarch

Ken , I agree. Doesn't matter how good the meat is, but if the bun isn't toasted it ruins it for me.

Ann

" IMO "s
I only put the Recipe in for Italian Hamburgers because Nathan asked.
Didn't mean to get anyone upset.
LOU

Lou what are you talking about?

I don;t see anyone getting upset about your recipe....am I missing something?

If I going fancy for myself I start with the meat. It has to be local. Wallyworld or grocery store burger can be very bad... unfixable.... something to be covered in sauce and consumed for the calories. Put in another order for 10 lbs of ground cow Tuseday night! Local dairy farmer culls the herd regular to keep milk production high.. lower producing cows become hamburger... that is sold to me "as is"... I also get the liver, tounge, tail and hearts for free. Ground heart makes great chili meat!

Burgers... got good meat so I sprinkle it with cayenne powder, cardamon, and black pepper.... easy on the cardamon... extra cayenne if it is going to be a cheeseburger.

Pan has to be hot. Grilled is great but I think the best burger patty comes from a smoking hot iron pan greased with bacon grease. It has to sizzle good when it hits the pan. Looking for the meat to turn dark brown... that is the sugars from the meat juices fried onto the burger surface. You have to stand there and watch because at high heat things go from perfect to burnt in just a few seconds. A fine coating of grease on your glasses means you have it about the right heat. I only flip once!

Bun needs to be buttered and fried in the pan next to the burger patty. Very easy to burn the bun because of the butter... put it on to cook after flipping and have a plate ready to put it on. I salt the bun when it is toasted and before putting the patty on it. That puts the least amount of salt right where I can taste it the most... salted buttery toasted bread is a treat by itself!

I like my toppings cold. I buy cheap american cheese slices just because they seem to be the perfect burger cheese. I know they ain't real cheese but they make a cheeseburger. Fresh leaf lettuce is critical because it adds moisture to the burger. Mayo needs black pepper on it or mixed in it... other wise skip the mayo. Miracle Whip stuffs need not apply for a burger position around here. I like hot onions sliced thin. About all I need for a nice burger... crispy bacon slices are acceptable.

If my burger is going to work as my lunch the greens and onions get put in a seperate baggie... the burger and cheese warmed in the microwave then the fresh veggies are assembled. My co-workers drool without shame.

MY version of perfect for ME. Others probably have different tastes. I've been known to slip slivers of fresh habenera pepper into the meat in place of cayenne. Thin slices of jalpeno on top are a treat when I'm in that mood. Most of the time I'm in a hurry or out of an item so my burger ain't "perfect"... does not slow me down.

: )
lyra

One suggestion that I think is generally applicable to all these burgers has to do with how you cook them.

After you set the patty on the hot griddle or pan, don't poke, wiggle, pat, press, or flip-flop the patty. Just go hands off, walk away, and let it stick, brown, cook, and release on its own. Flip it only once, and again hands off. Then remove. Only three touches, well, plus the finger press to see if it is cooked.

Unless you are doing smash burgers.

You see them from time to time on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.

hot grill, ball of burger, on and let it begin to cook.
Just before you flip you smash it into (roughly) a burger shape and flip.

The caramelized part from the first part is mushed into and throughout the resultant pattie.

You need one last flip to re-do the original smashed side.

The burger that results is irregular, loose and very flavourful

Griddle or pan has to be hot. Real hot.

Bunnyman covered most of my points well, although I'm OK with Miracle Whip or ranch dressing and a little Louisiana Hot Sauce which can even have a little splash in the bacon grease to really flavor things - just be careful on inhaling fumes. Hot pan definitely. I also don't go to the extent of poking a hole in the middle as some do but I do press the middle in so it's thinner than the outside and then the shrinkage matches it up and you can get a good crust in the bacon grease, it'll pretty much shrink, then flip and get ready for burger goodness without it turning into a football shaped object that won't crust or cook evenly. Sometimes though I'll make them quite thin and either do a double, or have more burgers. Either way is fine. But no pasteurized processed cheese food product for me. Mozzarella, Swiss, Pepper Jack, Provalone, Farmer cheese even Sharp Cheddar or CoJack will work, but none of that pressed oil stuff. Never really sure whether to throw the clear wrapper or the contents. Which plastic tastes better, the clear or the yellow/orange?

For the bun I'll usually toast them first then cook the burger and reheat the bun again a bit at the end. If I'm doing a larger number I'll pop 'em under the broiler. And I've been known to put a dab of peanut butter on the toasted bun too. PBB&B (Peanut butter, bacon & beef, it's what's for dinner.)

Wish I had some hamburger thawed. Don't feel like going to the store. (heavy sigh)