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.
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.
"Chill your burgers for at least an hour before you cook them," says senior food editor, Barney. "This will help them keep their shape when they're cooking and stop them falling apart." You can also freeze them before cooking.
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.
Yes, add about one egg per pound of lean meat, or two eggs if you're making turkey burgers, to ensure your meat mixture stays together through cooking until your very first bite.
The most common burger binding agent is egg. This makes your ground beef stick together and is the most readily available ingredient. You can also use potato starch as a burger binding agent depending on your allergies or general availability.
If you just can't resist buying lean ground beef, try adding a bit of water to it. A little extra moisture helps even well-done burgers stay juicy and tender, even if they're made from 90% lean ground beef.
Just before forming the best burger patties, you'll want to simply stir in a mixture of ½ teaspoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of water (so the baking soda gets evenly spread) for each pound of ground beef, then let it rest for five to 15 minutes.
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.
What can you use to bind burgers instead of egg? In theory, you could use bread crumbs—I recommend using coarse, crustless fresh white bread crumbs—or even grated Parmesan cheese. The best way of getting your burgers to hold together is by using a medium grind 80% beef 20% fat ground chuck and a burger press.
Once you've picked the right meat, the next step in making this incredibly juicy hamburger recipe is the addition of crushed crackers. Sound crazy? Trust us, it works! This is because the starch in the crackers keeps the natural fat and juices from escaping the patty during the cooking process.
If your cooking grids aren't clean, food will have a hard time releasing when it comes time to flip. Dirty cooking grids are a leading cause of stuck on foods because you have residue from previous grilling sessions; stuck on and burnt sauce, bits of old steak, and who knows what else.
Some ingredients like grated onion, a little flour, eggs or breadcrumbs can be added to the burgers for them to hold together. They act as binding agents ensuring that the burgers maintain their shape when cooking is done.
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.
PRO TIP: By starting burgers while the grill is preheating, it helps prevent flare-ups. and grills burger slowly. Once grill reaches temperature, the turned patty will begin to char and remain juicy. Flame flare-ups will possibly occur if you use a 75/25 ground chuck or place patty on a high-temperature grill.
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