Smash Burger on Fox news today - Taboo method???

[HistoricFoodie]

Everything I've read says that makes for tough burgers.

The culinary world is full of rules of thumb and conventional wisdom that everybody believes, but nobody reality tests. I believe this is one of them.

I've made burgers both ways, and never noticed any toughness when salt was added to the meat.

In general---whether we're talking burgers or steaks---salting should be done to the outside just before the meat is cooked. Otherwise, the salt will draw moisture out of the meat---and that can result in dryness and toughness.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I too have discovered that you don't want to use premium grade ground beef. You need fat to make hamburgers taste good. And I too make the middle thinner than the edges.

I cook mine on a grill. I don't smash them because that's the common wisdom (whether it's right or wrong) and because juices come out and that seems intuitively obvious to be a bad thing (although that too may be right or wrong).

I guess I do them the way I do them because that works fine for me. No reason to change.

By the way, I think hamburgers are the average amateur chef's best chance to cook something at home as good or better than dining out. Fresh good ingredients cooked at home are a winning combination, and even better that they come out exactly the way you like them.

I warm the buns on the grill too. I like nice browning marks on the inside faces.

 

[HistoricFoodie]

I guess I do them the way I do them because that works fine for me.

Which, when all is said and done, is the only thing that matters---no matter what you are cooking.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Everything I've read says that makes for tough burgers.

The culinary world is full of rules of thumb and conventional wisdom that everybody believes, but nobody reality tests. I believe this is one of them.

Right. Here is someone who has actually tested it.

The Burger Lab: Salting Ground Beef | A Hamburger Today

 

[jennyema]

I agree, but I only salt burgers immediately before grilling them. The guys I'm talking about actually mixed the salt into the ground beef before forming the patties and putting them on the grill. Everything I've read says that makes for tough burgers.

I mix in salt all the time and dont think they are tough. They taste a lot better, too.

 

[jennyema]

GB dry brines his steaks!

As Jenny said, always salt before cooking. With steak in particular you want to do it early. There is a technique called dry brining and it is the only way I cook steaks now. What you do is liberally salt both sides of the steak and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Let sit in the fridge for 24 hours. You can get away with just a few hours if you are pressed for time. Initially the salt draws moisture out, but then that moisture disolves the salt and that salty liquid is then reabsorbed by the meat. The result is that you end up seasoning the steak from the inside out instead of just seasoning the outside. Once you try this method you will be hooked.


As Ms. Rodgers and Mr. Wolke explained, when salt encounters protein, the protein changes shape on a molecular level. In its new form, it can absorb more water than normal and softens. So a salted piece of meat can taste juicier and more tender than an unsalted one. If the meat is not too heavily salted, nor left to dry very long, what little drying results may also improve the flavor. The trick to keeping a presalted steak from turning gray is simply to pat the surface with paper towels just before you put it on the grill, to dry off any moisture.

 

[Steve Kroll]

I mix in salt all the time and dont think they are tough. They taste a lot better, too.

Note that I'm not disagreeing with you or anyone here. Only that "conventional wisdom" and the "test" I linked to above says otherwise.

 

[HistoricFoodie]

Interesting. And, proving once again, that for any question there is a techie looking for an answer. Not always practical, but an answer nevertheless.

That aside: a teaspoon of salt for each patty? Not in this household. We want to taste meat, not salt. Maybe that's why no burger I've ever cooked looked like his.

Also, take a close look at his final comparison pix. I don't think it has anything to do with salt, but his "good" version is not cooked evenly at all. Wonder what's behind that?

 

[Steve Kroll]

That aside: a teaspoon of salt for each patty? Not in this household. We want to taste meat, not salt. Maybe that's why no burger I've ever cooked looked like his.

I agree. That's very heavy handed. I salt burgers more by feel than taste, but I would bet I use less than a teaspoon for an entire pound. And I like salt.

 

[HistoricFoodie]

That sounds about what I do, Steve. Maybe a teaspoon in a pound of meat?

 

[lyndalou]

I watched a rerun of one of Ina's shows this week. She was cooking burgers on the grill outside and pressed down on them.

 

[taxlady]

1 tsp/ pattie!! That's your whole recommended daily allowance of sodium.

I press down on the patties. It makes it easier to figure out when DH's well done burgers are ready.

 

[niquejim]

I make 2 completely different styles of burgers.
The first is my "gourmet, fancy pants " burger. It is equal parts sirloin, brisket and short rib weighing 5-6oz each, shaped loosely into a patty with the depression in the middle, which is salted liberally and grilled. It's the best burger I've ever had. Truly sublime with cheddar and a fried egg.
The second is much cheaper but still very good. All fresh ground chuck weighing 4-5 oz shaped somewhere between a patty and a meatball very liberally salted and placed on a screaming hot cast iron griddle and smash just once right as it hits the pan. DO NOT smash again or you will squeeze out the juices. Without that heavy salting you won't get that crust that makes smashed burgers so good

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Whether making in the CI pan, broiling, or over hot charcoal, with a lid on, I make each burgers a third ound of 70/30 chuck, carefully, but tenderly shaped into a round disk about a quarter inch thick, with smooth sides and the center thinner than the edges. I salt the outer surface as the meat cooks, flip it after about 3 minutes, salt the other side, and remove after another three minutes or so. I butter the buns and throw them onto my griddle to lightly toast them. If I'm using cheese, I pre-slice the cheese before starting the burgers. When they are flipped, I place the cheese on top. I never squish my burgers and they are dripping juicy. you have to eat them with a napkin to avoid getting juice all over your shirt. The down side is that the burgers can make the bun soggy. Sometimes, when in a hurry, I add an egg per pound of ground chuck, and work it into the meat. I don't have to thin the center of the burger, and it doesn't shrink at all. The cooking method is the same and you can't tell that the egg has been added to the burger.

This is what works for me.

I had a burger one time, cooked medium rare, and served on an artisan bun. I don't know what cut of beef was used at the restaurant, but suspect that the intense beef flavor came from sirloin. This burger tasted like an incredible steak, but was edible in a bun. It was about 5 bucks American for the burger, and the fries were like what I make at home. I wish we had a restaurant that served that quality of food in my home town. I got the burger at a corner burger joint in Olympia Wa.

I wish I could duplicate that burger. I would never cook a burger medium well to well done ever again. It was that good.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[apple916]

Great responses from everyone, thanks. I was surprised not one person mentioned any feedback on how good a Smash burger was. Anyone had one yet? is it better than In n Out at least?

 

[niquejim]

I've never been to Smashburger but I understand it's similar to 5 Guys

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Great responses from everyone, thanks. I was surprised not one person mentioned any feedback on how good a Smash burger was. Anyone had one yet? is it better than In n Out at least?

Isn't available where I live. Can't try it. Sorry.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Steve Kroll]

Great responses from everyone, thanks. I was surprised not one person mentioned any feedback on how good a Smash burger was. Anyone had one yet? is it better than In n Out at least?

There's one not far from me, but I haven't tried it. I like homemade burgers and honestly don't eat at fast food joints. But maybe I'll head up there sometime over the weekend and "take one for the team" just to see what the fuss is all about.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

That aside: a teaspoon of salt for each patty? Not in this household. We want to taste meat, not salt. Maybe that's why no burger I've ever cooked looked like his.

1 tsp/ pattie!! That's your whole recommended daily allowance of sodium.

I agree with you both. One teaspoon is more than I'd want to eat in an entire meal, much much more. I'd balk at anymore than maybe 1/4 teaspoon, if even that. I might try adding salt before cooking some day but probably not any time soon.

Also, take a close look at his final comparison pix. I don't think it has anything to do with salt, but his "good" version is not cooked evenly at all. Wonder what's behind that?

Maybe I misunderstood the article, but I understood the burger that was all salted together wasn't as good as the looser one with nooks and crannies for juices etc.

I thought the article was a bit ambiguous, and the idea of adding salt to hamburger goes against my grain so much that I didn't re-read the article.