Home butcher STEVE BAIN provides a platter of pointers for making homemade hamburger patties in this edition.
Recently we looked into the preparation of burgers so they don’t fall apart when bitten into. This involved trimming the meat to fit the buns and removal of any tough sinew from a steak.
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Another option is to use hamburger patties instead of a steak. These patties can be cooked in a kettle-type barbecue and, with a few considerations, you can stamp your own style on them and improve the end product to generate thumbs up responses rather than ‘yuks’ from your guests.
METHOD
Step 1: One of the flavour options is to use lump charcoal instead of ‘barbecue briquettes’.
Step 2
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Step 2: Simply tip the charcoal into the barbecue, just the same as you would do with the briquettes.
Step 3
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Step 3: This shows what the charcoal looks like — you just know the burgers are going to taste wonderful!
Step 4
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Step 4: Another tip is to use natural firestarters instead of a ‘chemical’ option.
Step 5
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Step 5: Place the natural firestarters evenly around and among the charcoals.
Step 6
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Step 6: Natural firestarters work just as well as the ‘smelly’ chemical types.
Step 7
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Step 7: Using 80/20 mix beef mince (or even 70/30) ensures there is plenty of flavour in the patty. Using gloves keeps the moisture in the meat, rather than some of it being absorbed by your skin. And gently working the mince, by pushing it in with your thumb as you move the patty around (using your palm as a turntable) forces the patty together simultaneously with the increased stickiness of the mix as it is worked. This makes a patty that holds together rather than it falling apart. There is a ‘feel’ that you will get for the right amount of manipulation of the mince mix — don't overdo it. When it feel right, then STOP! Place the patty on the grid and step away from the grill.
Step 8
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Step 8: Place the patties around the grill with just a little space between them.
Step 9
Step 9: Feel free to sprinkle a little commercial rub on top of some of your patties. Experimenting with different flavour choices stimulates discussions on which ones you and yours like best.
Step 10
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Step 10: A temperature probe can be used to test the internal doneness of the patty (patties that are red raw in the middle will get a ‘yuk’ from your guests).
Step 11
Step 11: Various authorities offer different recommendations for the desired internal temperature, with most saying temperatures in the low 70s are ideal.
