On number 4: I pre-season lightly before making the patties. With proper seasoning and patty formation (I just hand-press mine into a conveniently sized ramekin lined with wax paper), they do not taste at all like meatloaf. Sometimes I also baste them with a seasoned olive oil mixture while grilling.
Optional tip for those who like bacon cheeseburgers: You can grill your bacon, too, if your grill has an upper rack. For best results, place the bacon so that it will be over the burgers when you close the grill. (Be wary of flare ups as the bacon cooks, though.)
Exactly how I do it. Just get it into shape, don’t smoosh it. Most of the work has already been done for you if you’re buying it like that. Keep that air in between the meat as much as possible, while still being able to get it into a coherent shape.
Yes, I do it with steaks and chops, too. Tonight, though, I’m just having a naked hamburger on a plate – a “hamburger steak,” if you will – so I need the optics to enjoy it properly.
Any advice on how to oil a grill? My burgers turn out OK without oiling, but yesterday I made chicken breasts and they stuck something fierce until they were completely done.
Do you use a paper towel soaked in oil, or a brush, or spray? Do it when the grill is cold or hot?
First, I need an alert to food threads, because you always say what I would have said and then I have (almost) nothing further to add.
IMNSHO, grill grates should always be brushed and oiled before cooking. Every time, regardless of what is being cooked.
On a gas grill, turn all the burners to high, close the lid, and wait 15 minutes. Brush well, then use paper towels dipped in oil and apply to grates. Do this every time, and do it to all the grates. At this point, you can turn off any burners you are not using.
On a charcoal grill, it is essentially the same, but you only need to heat for about 5 minutes (unless you are using cast iron grates, then you may want to wait 10 minutes). I almost always only heat half the grill, so when I go to clean, I will rotate the grates 180 degrees with tongs, brush and oil the 1/2 that was directly over the heat, then I will do the other half.
Brushing after cooking is helpful, but I’m always too busy getting the food on the table and the grill has cooled down too much by the time we’re finished.
Lastly, if one is grinding (or using a food processor, like I sometimes do) one’s own burgers, chuck roast is really good, short rib and/or brisket are better.
The reason I don’t flip more than twice is that my burgers are pretty loosely put together and if I flip them more than that they tend to fall apart. I’m usually using meat defrosted in the microwave which sometimes causes it to be hard to form into patties.
Yes it is too dense for ideal hamburgers but it can be used. The best meat is obviously fresh ground but that is too much work for a weekday dinner. After that it is ground meat in the shrink wrap, then in the chub pack or vacuum packed is acceptable.
Both of the grocery stores near me make up good-sized patties in 2-packs that freeze quite well. We always have a couple of packs in the freezer for a pick-up meal, usually as a chili size or the like. You can get regular, with bacon, with bleu cheese, with cheddar cheese, with habanero peppers…all added in when the patties are made. Not as good as made at home, but a whole lot quicker and easier.
