Make hamburgers that won't fall apart on the grill (or disappoint the grandchildren) (2024)
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We use our outdoor grill several nights a week and do well with things like marinated lamb, yakitori chicken, Puget Sound seafood and vegetables. But when our grandchildren ask for hamburgers, we fail miserably. We make the patties about 1/2-inch thick from the leanest hamburger or ground round. But when we put them on the grill, they crumble and fall apart. How do we get the patties to stay together?
First of all, I'd make them thicker, maybe 3/4-to 1-inch thick. Cook them over a slightly lower fire so they don't burn on the outside before they're cooked on the inside.
The very low fat content of the hamburger probably has something to do with it, but there are a couple of tricks you can use:
Add 1 egg yolk per pound of hamburger. It won't add appreciably to the fat content and will bind the meat beautifully.
The other thing you can do is add canned, drained, crushed black beans or chickpeas to the hamburger. The starch from the beans will bind the meat together and add an interesting taste. (The kids might not like it, though.)
Add 1 egg yolk per pound of hamburger. It won't add appreciably to the fat content and will bind the meat beautifully. The other thing you can do is add canned, drained, crushed black beans or chickpeas to the hamburger. The starch from the beans will bind the meat together and add an interesting taste.
Instead of using plain ground beef to make your hamburger, it's best to add binding ingredients to the mixture to keep the patties from falling apart. Binding agents like breadcrumbs (and in this case graham cracker crumbs) and eggs are great options for keeping your patties together as they cook.
Add 1 egg yolk per pound of hamburger. It won't add appreciably to the fat content and will bind the meat beautifully. The other thing you can do is add canned, drained, crushed black beans or chickpeas to the hamburger. The starch from the beans will bind the meat together and add an interesting taste.
We recommend shaping patties, putting them on wax paper, and putting them in the refrigerator to cool back down until you're ready to throw them on the grill. Go easy on the shaping.
No, eggs are not necessary for binding burger patties, though they are commonly used for binding them. However, you can use other binding agents such as breadcrumbs, cracker crumbs, potato starch, flour, and porridge oats to bind burger patties according to your preferences.
You can avoid this problem through a few easy techniques, like pressing down on the raw burger patties with your thumb or by smashing them flat. They will allow you to make delicious, flat burgers on a grill, flat top, or skillet.
Pan-frying is a great method for cooking burgers using minimal time while achieving maximum flavor. A super hot, dry skillet allows the burger to quickly develop a flavorful outer crust without overcooking the interior, keeping the center juicy.
Many people have learned that it's not good to press down on your burgers while they cook, because doing so expels juices from them. Smashing them flat and thin then sounds like a recipe for dry, gross burgers. Not so! As Kenji has shown, it's exceedingly hard to press juices out of uncooked meat.
By pushing, pulling, and rolling it, the meat will stick together more easily, and that means it's less likely to fall apart when you smash it. By creating balls and adding these to the hot grilling surface, it's going to be easier to press down on them and flatten the meat out.
watch the edges, and don't flip them until the edges are browning. also pay attention to the way you shape your burgers. if they're much thicker in the middle than they are on the edges, the middle will still be loose while the edges of the burger are firm. and then you have the fall-apart thing happening.
Try to work as efficiently as possible and avoid squeezing too hard, since overworking the beef is a big reason why burgers fall apart. If you don't want to grill them right away, however, throw them in the fridge while you wait – colder burgers are less likely to break down when you cook them.
However, onion doesn't go on the bottom like on my single-patty burger. Instead, throw down your first patty with some cheese, then your tomato (salted of course), then your onion, then your second patty and cheese. After that throw on your pickles and lettuce if you want any.
Make it so the patty is about 1⁄2 in (1.3 cm) thick in the center. Its edges will still be about 3⁄4 in (1.9 cm) thick. That small indentation is enough to help the burger hold its shape. With it, the center part will only puff up a little bit as the thicker edges cook.
Let me cut straight to the chase: All that you need to do to prevent this from happening is to compensate by shaping your patty a little wider than the bun to begin with, and making a shallow dimple in the center of it. Once cooked, it should fit the bun perfectly, and lay completely flat.
Whether you're cooking steaks with a large fat cap, burgers, or skin-on chicken, foods with a higher fat content will drip more, increasing the likelihood of flare-ups. So, by cutting off any excess fat or skin (anything more than ¼ inch from the edges), you can reduce flare-ups and make your food healthier.
Introduction: My name is Neely Ledner, I am a bright, determined, beautiful, adventurous, adventurous, spotless, calm person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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