Recipes > Homemade Beef Burgers
- Serves: 4 to 6
- Active Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Views: 45,373
- Success Rating: 100% (?)
Steps
Method
For this recipe, you need a meat grinder. Place all of the grinding attachments, along with a large, stainless-steel bowl, into the freezer.
Make sure these are very cold before you start grinding the meat. This is done for two reasons: 1) for food safety; and 2) to keep the ingredients as cold as possible during grinding. The friction of the grinder will cause the meat to heat up and the fat to soften, so keep everything as cold as possible.
Method
To prepare the hamburger fixings, slice the cheese, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Wash and spin the lettuce dry. Thinly slice the onion into rings. Just before grilling, thinly slice the tomato.
Gather the condiments. For a fancier set up, place the condiments into small bowls.
Method
A combination of brisket and chuck is often used for a burger. The brisket provides richness and the chuck provides a delicious, beefy flavor, along with a good amount of fat.
Cut the meat into 1" -inch cubes and place into a bowl. Transfer to the refrigerator while you set up the grinding machine. It is important to keep everything cold while making burgers.
Method
Once you have set up the grinder with a medium-sized disk in place, remove the cold bowl from the freezer and the meat from the refrigerator.
Grind the meat on medium speed. Use the plunger to push the meat through the grinder.
Once the meat is ground, season it with salt and pepper. Then grind the meat a second time to ensure it is very tender.
Method
Immediately after grinding the meat, cover a scale with plastic wrap and divide the meat into equal-size portions.
For 4 large burgers, divide the meat into 8 ounces each. Alternatively, you can make 6 burgers, roughly 6.5 ounces each.
To form the patties, make sure you use a gentle touch. Work quickly and pack the meat as loosely as possible. This will give the burger a light texture and also prevent the burger from shrinking substantially during cooking.
Press the center of the burger with your thumbs to make a slight impression. As the burgers cook, the sides shrink more than the center, so this helps to even out the thickness once cooked.
Place the burgers onto a tray and keep refrigerated until your grill is ready.
Set the grill up for direct grilling and preheat it to high.
Method
Once the grill is hot, brush the grate clean. Using tongs and a paper towel doused in oil, oil the grate.
Once the burgers are on the grill, season the tops with a bit more salt and pepper to taste.
Grill the burgers about 4 minutes per side (flipping only once for the best crust). Once flipped, season the other side with salt and pepper to taste.
Note: Do not press the burgers with the flipper during cooking. This presses out the precious juices from within the burger.
During the last 2 minutes of cooking, place the slices of cheese on top of the burgers, if desired.
Once the burgers are just cooked, through, transfer them to a plate and place a small knob of butter on the center of each burger for extra flavor and moisture (if there is cheese on the burger, skip this step). Let rest for a couple of minutes before serving. This will help the meat to relax and be even juicier.
Note: You can toast the buns, if desired, while the meat is resting.
Chef's Notes
- by Kimberley Slobodian
- •
- June 18, 2010
Serve these burgers are great served with the following:
Creamy Potato Salad
German Potato Salad
or a simple salad tossed with this Lemon Shallot vinaigrette.
11 Comments
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i think i would be better if there's a video describing how to form the patties, how to handle the ground meat. handling a ground meat and forming into patties need a skill. thanks
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Rouxbe Staff
Forcemeats will eventually be covered in the cooking school, so stay tuned :) Cheers! -
Would this mix of brisket and chuck be good with any recipe calling for "ground beef"?
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Rouxbe Staff
That's a great mix. Enjoy. Brisket can be lean (depending how you buy it) - so be sure to have a bit of fat. Enjoy! -
Can I stop after shaping them and freezing the burgers? I would like to make some ahead of time during the weekend so I can have them during the week
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Yes, you could make the burgers ahead and freeze them — just be sure they are properly and fully thawed before you go to cook them. Cheers!
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Hi, I couldn't get chuck and brisket and I used shoulder ("espaldilla" in Spanish) and It worked fine!. Thanks for the recipe. Rgds, JJ http://www.alimentacion.es/es/campanas/carnes/piezas_del_vacuno/reportaje.aspx
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Rouxbe Staff
Thanks for the update Juan Jesus - sometimes shoulder can be quite lean, so I'm glad it worked out. Cheers! -
Thanks Ken for your answer, fortunately butcher got a cut with fat enough (but less than 20% of fat) to get juicy hamburgers. Next time I'll order in advance chuck and brisket I want to try you mix. Rgds. JJ
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Is it fine if instead of using a meat grinder, I grind up the meat manually?
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Hi Lui. I would just buy it ground or have your butcher grind the cuts you want right on the spot. Lauren
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