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Lets talk about Burgers

Muahahaha

I know this topic has been broached before but with the advent of gourmet burger joints all over the place Im sure posters here might be experimenting and have things to add to the topic. Anyway heres where Im at lately, feel free to add any tips/tricks/recipes of your own.

Buns
For ages Aldis brioche buns were the only game in town for me. But recently Ive moved onto Tescos own label Giant White Floury Baps (79c for 4).. The size of them means you gotta make a thinner patty but it also means you can get more toppings on without it becoming a tower you cant fit in your mouth.

Sauces
Im decidedly unadenturous here and have remained with mayo on the bottom bun and Aldis Country Kitchen Relish on the top bun. Would be very keen to hear if anyone has any good burger sauce recipies that really elevate a good burger

Cheese
Again Im still unadventurous here and have been sticking to plain old mature cheddar. Im not a fan of blue cheeses so they are out but I would like to try using Monterrey Jack as it crops up in a lot of recipes. Does anyone know where you can get it in the main supermarkets? I know Aldi has those Monterrey melts but they seem way too small for the job. Was more looking to see where I could get it by the block if anyone knows?

Toppings
I dont go overboard here and like to keep it simple. Most of the time I just include iceberg lettuce on the bottom and a slice of smoked bacon on top. Recently Ive been getting into the habit of carmelising onions by cooking them on a low heat for 15-20 mins after theye been tossed with some balsamic and brown sugar. Its a bit of extra work but adds a lovely sweetness to the various flavours

The Mix
I almost always use either Lidls Hereford mince or Aldis Angus mince. Id be really interested to hear from posters who have pushed the boat out further and asked their butcher to mince specific cuts for making burgers. Would be keen to learn which cuts work best if anyone has any pointers?

Into the mix I usually add seasoning, teaspoon each of paprika, chilli and parsley leaf followed by a tablespoon of Worestershire. Then I add a teaspoon per burger of dijon mustard as the binder. I have used eggs & breadcrumbs for this in the past but find they add little to the overall flavour so have settled on always using mustard since. Ive also played around with adding cumin and crumbled black pudding, both are interesting additions worth trying but I dont bother anymore.

Chips
Went through a phase of making my own and then twice cooking them and then thrice cooking them. Its a hell of a lot of effort so after going back to the humble oven chip and trying several brands I cant find any better than Lidls Chunky Maris Piper chips (black bag in the freezers for 1.69). They are fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside which is basically what I was always trying to achieve with the thrice cooked methods.

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Subcomandante Marcos

Buns
A large Waterford Blaa. The perfect burger bun. Super soft but with lots of elasticity meaning it doesn't fall apart. Inside lightly buttered and toasted on a pan/griddle

Sauces
Ketchup and mustard only for me, not too much either for me.

Cheese
The cheapest, meltiest, easi-singaliest cheese available.

Toppings
Pickle, onion, lettuce, tomato.

The Mix
80% chuck and 20% sirloin (aiming for 15-20% fat content), more salt than you think you need and a good amount of fresh black pepper. into a mixing bowl, mixed robustly but not smushed together like sausage meat, left at room temp for a while to allow the salt to draw out the moisture and proteins from the fibres to help binding and give a better crust and then formed into wide, thin, uniform discs to just a bit wider than the width of your bun (so it barely fits inside after cooking), it's a burger not a meatball.
Cooked medium high for long enough on each side to get a nice hard seer and decent crust, perhaps adding a bit of butter near the end to help keep it moist and make the crust even crispier.

Chips
Normal cut, fried twice, once low and then drained, let come down to temp and chilled for an hour and then very high, seasoned with plenty of salt that's been crushed in a mortar and pestle with some rosemary and thyme.

Selik

coleslaw wrote:

or else try make yourself its not rocket science you have just explained it simple

This was a joke.... I do make my own burgers from time to time but not with a consistent recipe!

vicwatson

Buns
Aldi Brioche Bun with seasame seeds, or Dunnes baps

Sauces
For me it has to be Tesco American BBQ sauce or Tesco organic tomato ketchup, sometimes Aldi burger sauce

Cheese
Lidl do Monterey Jack slices as part of their American range will prob come up again soon with BBQ season(!) around the corner ! It's awesome stuff, the best cheese for a burger, but this is the only time I ever see in in Ireland, and I've tried all the supermarkets looking for it. I'm currently a big fan of Double Gloucester Onion and Chive cheese. Its great.

Toppings
I like to keep it simple. Most of the time I just include iceberg lettuce on the bottom and a slice of smoked bacon on top - I'm with you on that, and the cheese.

The Mix
Just meat and a little black pepper, sometimes I used 10/15% fat content to keep it moist but I also like a drier burger with a 5% fat content in the meat. Odd occasion I'll throw a splash of Worcestershire sauce into the mix.
I never use egg and/or breadcrumbs - absolutely no need for them.
Let the meat talk for itself says I !

Chips - I'll eat any !

[Deleted User]

I've made a lot of burgers over the years, using different recipes and ingredients. I've now settled on a method.

Someone gave me a tip a while back, possibly on here, to add a heaped tablespoon of mayo to a pound of mincemeat when making burgers. I started doing this, along with a pinch of salt and pepper, and being careful to never over mix, which can make the meat tough. I also make my burgers as wide and flat as possible, with a little thumb print in the middle so that it doesn't swell up into a meatball shape.

I also used to cook them on a screaming hot pan, but now I prefer to use a medium pan for a little longer, being careful not to move the burgers (except for flipping them), to develop a nice crust. This makes a juicy, tender patty.

Brioche bun if it's going, toasted. A little mayo, mustard and ketchup. Iceberg lettuce and home made cucumber pickles. Onions essential - raw, fried or caramelised. Cheese good but optional - I like an easi single.

Chips are best home cut and deep fried but failing that, some lightly steamed wedges lashed into the oven with loads of garlic and herbs, are just the ticket.

I honestly think my own home made burgers, using this method, are perfect, and I usually prefer them to any burger you could get elsewhere. Pretty smug eh :pac:

Gloomtastic!

Anyone use one of those burger presses you can get or do you just use your hands?

dudara

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

Anyone use one of those burger presses you can get or do you just use your hands?

Just my hands. I'm generally anti kitchen gadgets that only add to the washing up total.

Dial Hard

Gloomtastic! wrote:

Anyone use one of those burger presses you can get or do you just use your hands?

My mam has a Tupperware set of rings with lids and with a pressthat I used a few times when I was still at home. If you want really nice, thin, uniform burgers and/or want to make a batch that you can keep nice and fresh in the fridge for a few days, that'd be handy, but I'm not that fussed and I'm pretty sure she never actually used it herself.

dudara wrote:

Just my hands. I'm generally anti kitchen gadgets that only add to the washing up total.

I'm anti anything that only performs one function. My kitchen space is precious!

rubadub

Muahahaha wrote: »

Tescos own label Giant White Floury Baps

These are so big I sometimes cut slices off like its a loaf. I have made burgers but have to do a thick pattie or several patties otherwise the bread to meat ratio is too much.

I found a trick is to cut the centre out, as in slice it like it was a big mac bun into 3 bits. I just eat the central bit later, make toast or something. Then you are left with thinner buns.

They are 110g each, a regular tesco burger bun is 50g, so is irish prides. The large irish pride burger buns are 82g.

FanadMan

rubadub wrote: »

These are so big I sometimes cut slices off like its a loaf. I have made burgers but have to do a thick pattie or several patties otherwise the bread to meat ratio is too much.

I found a trick is to cut the centre out, as in slice it like it was a big mac bun into 3 bits. I just eat the central bit later, make toast or something. Then you are left with thinner buns.

They are 110g each, a regular tesco burger bun is 50g, so is irish prides. The large irish pride burger buns are 82g.

Could you not make a double decker burger with the 3 part bun......all the more to eat

Dial Hard

I hate floury baps. The feeling of flour on my lips sets my teeth in edge.

Alf Stewart.

Had homemade turkey burgers yesterday for dinner.

Pound of turkey mince, mixed with salt n pepper, teaspoon of smoked paprika, pinch of chilli powder, parsley, teaspoon of whole grain mustard, and a dash of Worcester sauce.

Divided into three patties. And fried for ten or fifteen minutes.

Served up in Wholemeal gourmet burger buns. I put some lettuce and tomato in mine for the salad, along with a few slices of cheddar.

Dressing was, Dijon mustard on the bottom, with a tiny bit of picalilli on top of that. On the top bun, i had some ketchup and some mayo over that.

Fair enough it wasn't beef, but I still think this is relevant though.

jules-burger.gif?w=650

the beer revolu

Alf Stewart. wrote: »

Divided into three patties. And fried for ten or fifteen minutes.

Were they not kinda dry after that much cooking - turkey being a pretty dry meat to begin with?

Phonicks

My way is the simplest and i have never tasted a nicer burger

Tescos bun
Tescos burger
Onion
Butter

Fry the burger
Butter both sides of the bun and place in a steamer for a minute
Cut the onion in slices about 5mm thick, do not break up this beautiful lump of onion

On a plate place the bottom of the bun
Then the burger
Cover the burger completely with one of the slices of raw onion, 2 if burger is bigger then onion slices
Top bun

No sauces, suger, salt or anything

Eat

Dont be at yourself

15% fat mince, pressed into thin patties with a burger press (picked up a cheap one for a few quid in Home Store and More)

Fry on medium, flip, place an easy single and top of a brioche bun on top, cover pan for a couple of minutes. Burger cooks through, cheese melts and bun steams. Steaming the bun makes such a huge difference.

Bit of mustard, ketchup, lettuce and pickle on the bottom bun, and then place the patties on. Because the patties are thin, I stack two on.

Sometimes also add bacon, mushrooms and onions if I can be arsed.

Muahahaha

Just giving this thread a bit of a bump to share a few developments in my burger game. Since writing the OP I've completely changed how I make burgers. No longer is there any mustard or onions in them, no spices or herbs either. Having fallen into a Youtube rabbit hole on burgers a while back I learnt a lot and then went experimenting with some impressive results.

I watched Hestons program on making the ultimate burger and what I took from that was that you should handle the mince as little as possible. So no more chucking it in a bowl and then piling on heap of binders, herbs and spices before pulverising it into a ball to be portioned up. Now it literally comes straight from the pack and gets rolled into a ball with as little effort as possible. I roll the ball in a cereal bowl well dusted with salt and pepper and thats it, nothing more. Doing it this way I've noticed a significant improvement in texture over how I did it before. Heston rattles on that its something to do with the muscle fibres, if you overwork them then then they will retract and the resulting patty will not taste as tender.

The next improvement I came across was the idea of smashing a burger when it first goes on the pan. I really cant emphasise enough how well this technique works. By smashing the ball of meat into a buttered hot pan and hold it down under pressure for the first 20-30 seconds of cook you end up carmelising the burger and it forms a delicious crust packed with the falvours from the malliard reaction. I would defintely encourage others to try this because Ive found that it really enhances the flavour of the burger. I've recently bought a cash iron burger smasher specifically for the job but before that I was just smashing it down with a side plate which does the job just as well. If you watch the short video below you'll get the idea behind the smash technique.

Nextly Ive taken on the technique you see in all the gourmet burger places of melting the cheese and steaming the bun. All you need to do here is put the the bun and cheese on the burger for the last minute of cooking and place a cereal bowl upside down over the burger. This will create steam inside the bowl which will melt the cheese and soften the bun. I've since bought a steel cloche specifically for this task but tbh a cereal bowl or even dogs food bowl will do the job just as well.

Final improvement I've made is the actual mince. Supermarket mince is usually pretty but a okay lot of time the most fat you can get is 18% and often that is not on the shelves and you've to settle for 12%. I've learnt that all the gourmet burger places are working off a 25-30% fat content for their burgers and that their mince is typically a combination of two main cuts- chuck steak and short rib. The chuck is really beefy and the short rib really fatty, together they make an excellent combination for homemade burgers. Because of the high fat content what you get is a really juicy melt in the mouth type burger. After trying it once you won't go back to regular supermarket mince. Any decent butcher will be able to make up a burger mince to spec for you, I order it in 2x 1kg portions and then use one and freeze the other. I've found The Village Butcher in Ranelagh (also in Firhouse) excellent for making up this mince for me. The owner there is passionate about burger mixes and even got me experimenting further by substituting the short rib for bone marrow meat instead which is also a combination worth trying.

So thats it. I think these changes to how I make burgers have improved the burgers I make significantly. Give them a try and report back the results.

Muahahaha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBHZBTXDBW4

Nextly Ive taken on the technique you see in all the gourmet burger places of melting the cheese and steaming the bun. All you need to do here is put the the bun and cheese on the burger for the last minute of cooking and place a cereal bowl upside down over the burger. This will create steam inside the bowl which will melt the cheese and soften the bun. I've since bought a steel cloche specifically for this task but tbh a cereal bowl or even dogs food bowl will do the job just as well.

Final improvement I've made is the actual mince. Supermarket mince is usually pretty okay but a lot of time the most fat you can get is 18% and often that is not on the shelves and you've to settle for 12%. I've learnt that all the gourmet burger places are working off a 25-30% fat content for their burgers and that their mince is typically a combination of two main cuts- chuck steak and short rib. The chuck is really beefy and the short rib really fatty, together they make an excellent combination for homemade burgers. Because of the high fat content what you get is a really juicy melt in the mouth type burger. After trying it once you won't go back to regular supermarket mince. Any decent butcher will be able to make up a burger mince to spec for you, I order it in 2x 1kg portions and then use one and freeze the other. I've found The Village Butcher in Ranelagh (also in Firhouse) excellent for making up this mince for me. The owner there is passionate about burger mixes and even got me experimenting further by substituting the short rib for bone marrow meat instead which is also a combination worth trying.

So thats it. I think these changes to how I make burgers have improved the burgers I make significantly. Give them a try and report back the results.

OldMrBrennan83

For me:

Buns
Brioche, though the odd time I love a sweet bundy.

Sauces
A ring of southwest and American mustard.

Cheese
A slice of those round smokey cheese slices (with the little rind around them) and a small sprinkling of blue if I have some.

Toppings
One large thinnish slice of tomato, not too thick, rocket, and maybe fried onions. A slice of (non pickled) beetroot in place of the tomato the odd time.

The Mix
3/4 5% beef mince and 1/4 5% pork mince, garlic powder, salt, pepper. Sometimes some grated apple if the meats are mixed closer to 50:50.
Blackened seasoning on each side before cooking.

Chips
Those new frozen Tesco own-brand crinkle cut ones from the freezer (in a sort of clear bag) in the air fryer. Gorgeous flavour off them.

Muahahaha

OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »

Toppings
One large thinnish slice of tomato, not too thick, rocket, and maybe fried onions. A slice of (non pickled) beetroot in place of the tomato the odd time.

Beetroot on a burger? Controversial :pac: Years back I worked in the kitchen of a ski resort in New Zealand where it is par for the course to serve beetroot on burgers, even McDonalds came out with the 'Kiwi Burger' which had a slice of beetroot on it. The amount of complaints we had and burgers sent back by European and American customers was so much that just a couple of weeks into the ski season the head chef (who was a Kiwi) quietly took the beetroot off the menu. Then we had the locals complaining that there was no beetroot on their burger, you just couldnt win.

OldMrBrennan83

Muahahaha wrote: »

Beetroot on a burger? Controversial :pac: Years back I worked in the kitchen of a ski resort in New Zealand where it is par for the course to serve beetroot on burgers, even McDonalds came out with the 'Kiwi Burger' which had a slice of beetroot on it. The amount of complaints we had and burgers sent back by European and American customers was so much that just a couple of weeks into the ski season the head chef (who was a Kiwi) quietly took the beetroot off the menu. Then we had the locals complaining that there was no beetroot on their burger, you just couldnt win.

I got it for the first time at the bar in the Krakow Airport Hilton but iirc there was some reference to NZ or Australia in the name. Never seen it before but it was a lovely addition.

postsnthing

Lidl have long sliced pickles they seem new and are phenomenal on a burger !

OldMrBrennan83

postsnthing wrote: »

Lidl have long sliced pickles they seem new and are phenomenal on a burger !

Iceland used to have a lovely pickle relish for people that like the taste without the crunch. Not sure if they still have it but it was always nice on a burger.

Captain Red Beard

postsnthing wrote: »

Lidl have long sliced pickles they seem new and are phenomenal on a burger !

Tesco have them too.

The Hill Billy

Talking of pickles & burgers...

I make my own burger relish with very finely grated/chopped pickles & shallots, Colman's mustard, tomato ketchup & a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

dudara

Muahahaha - everything you describe is pretty much how I make my burgers. Like you I put a bit of thought into it a few years ago and I’m very happy with the results.

Subcomandante Marcos

The Hill Billy wrote: »

Talking of pickles & burgers...

I make my own burger relish with very finely grated/chopped pickles & shallots, Colman's mustard, tomato ketchup & a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

Add a splash of pickle brine from the jar. Thank me later.

rubadub

the "smash" technique is really good. Many misunderstand what it means, there was some thread here before with somebody saying it is terrible as it squeezes the juice out -obviously never tasted one!

I have a heavy cast iron pan and have to bring it out the back roaring hot as there is so much smoke. I did it in a heavy stainless saucepan before that.

In videos of Bunsen they put a squirt of water down before covering the burger and bun, to create more steam for the bun.

The Hill Billy wrote: »

Talking of pickles & burgers...

I make my own burger relish with very finely grated/chopped pickles & shallots, Colman's mustard, tomato ketchup & a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

I made similar enough ones before. Now I just have a jar of pickles & pickled onions drained and liquidised together.

Many who hate pickles or indeed onions just to not like the texture of whole ones, I like both normally but it is just convenient to be able to put an a nice even spread of it on a bun, and not have bits falling out when eating. It also takes up less space in the fridge and will keep a long time.

RasTa

Next step is buying your own mincer. They are cheap enough

rubadub

Bunsen smashing technique shown 1min40sec shows the steaming and extra liquid going under the bowl

EDIT: he says bunsen use an "amish dinner roll", and does not think it qualifies as brioche. Tesco are now selling own brand potato burger buns which look similar enough to those in the video. No photos up yet https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=303705659
On many US sites about burgers Martin's potato rolls are often highly recommended.

Another Bunsen starts 10seconds in, says black aberdeen angus beef

another bunsen, does not show the smashing well at all, and does not look like it got a decent crust, does show them weighing the presmashed meat balls and they are 150g which is 5.3oz, which is about the size I go for

Wowburger smashing at 1min50s they do it really thinly, so thin holes appear in the burger. They are double stacking burgers so can get away with thin ones. If I had a cooking area that large I would do the same, so you get more crust overall in the 2 burgers. A good scraper is essential, they appear to use a wallpaper remover/scraper. They also steam the top, many will just steam the top, which I do too, otherwise the bottom is all squish in your hand with the sauce and it can fall apart.

boxbuger smash at 2min 10s they also mention steaming later

chili shack 2min19s brush butter on the pan/grill and use greaseproof paper under the smasher, this can allow for quick release, usually I leave the smasher on top so the burger cooks and steams and then it comes away easily

Muahahaha

RasTa wrote: »

Next step is buying your own mincer. They are cheap enough

yeah had been thinking of that. I wonder are the mincer attachments you get for kitchen aid or Kenwood mixers any good? I remember in Hestons program on burgers he specified a certain diameter of mince for texture purposes, must look back on it

rubadub wrote: »

Wowburger smashing at 1min50s they do it really thinly, so thin holes appear in the burger. They are double stacking burgers so can get away with thin ones. If I had a cooking area that large I would do the same, so you get more crust overall in the 2 burgers. A good scraper is essential, they appear to use a wallpaper remover/scraper. They also steam the top, many will just steam the top, which I do too, otherwise the bottom is all squish in your hand with the sauce and it can fall apart.

Yeah doing it like Wowburger with 2 x 75g patties is a good technique too for double the crust flavour. Plus you get to double the cheese too.

The Nal

Buns
Brioche

Sauces
Homemade BBQ sauce, mayo, French's mustard.

Cheese
Strong cheddar and a drop of strong blue

Toppings
Tomato, rocket, guerkins, bacon.

The Mix
20% fat mince, red onion, parsley, ketchup, oyster sauce. Have also experimented with leaner meat (minced brisket) and minced pork shoulder which is nice too.

Chips
Maris Pipers deep fried or oven baked with a Mexican rub.