Your Best Burger

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GB

Chief Eating Officer
Joined
Jul 14, 2004
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25,510
Location
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I have been cooking burgers a lot on the grill since the weather has been cooperating. I am sick of just boring burgers so I have been trying all sorts of different things. The other night I made a great one.

I took ground chuck and added some ground red chipotle pepper, celery salt, ground black pepper, whatsthishere sauce, and then some oregano and cilantro from the garden. This was topped with double glouster cheese and a thick slice of an ugly ripe tomato.

These burgers were about a half pound of meat each before cooking. I preheated the grill very hot and then put the burgers on the front burner. After about a minute I turned off the front burners completely, but left the middle and back burners on high. I flipped them once. There was enough heat left in the grates that the burgers got grill marks, but since it was indirect heat they did not dry out. I also grilled the buns.

What is your favorite burger to make? What kind of things do you add? What are some outrageous things you have added? What are some things that have worked or thing that have not?
 
We made burgers again last night. ("we" means I prepare them and the h does the grilling). He does it using a very similar method as you, GB. I didn't add too much in the burgers but I made sure to barely work them into patties, as I like 'em moist, whch they were. I used garlic and my favorite mesquite seasoning (I have to order it online, so that's a bummer!) but here's a yummy treat: grill your tomato and avocado slices. The burger will really be fabulous! (The easiest way to grill avo slices is to slice it hemispherically, so you have donut shaped slices) And, bleu cheese is a great addition to this burger. YUM!
(now I'm hungry....!)

Also - I made them into 1/4 lb sized patties, and my 72 pound 12 year old ate 4. I have no idea how!
 
LOL as I was typing this I was guessing you would have an avocado burger submission Jkath :)

I used to hate avocados, but last year I tried guacamole again and loved it so now I want to try more things with avocado so I will certainly try it on my burger!

I forgot to mention that I had some hickory chips that were smoking in the grill as well.

I have used the hickory to smoke my tomatoes before, but I have not used those on a burger yet. I will try that next!

I remember when I was your sons age and I could put away food like I was a bottomless pit. Oh the good old days :)
 
i'm a simple person. i like a-1 on mine (any stake sauce really)
cheese and tomato. i also like to add onion soup mix to my
burgers sometimes.
 
The best burger I ever made was about a month and a half ago.

I made two half pound burgers, and between the two of them, I used three large (about 3/4 inch) cloves of garlic in the meat. Just the right amount of salt and pepper, and onion also ground into them.


My wife likes garlic, but she's not a huge fan of it. While i was dicing up the garlic, she just came over to the counter and looked at me funny... she was like "You're going to put ALL that garlic in that pound of meat?" Yep... sho is. "I'll pass" LOL

Good! More for me!


I literally smelled garlic for 2 days afterward, as it all oozed out of my pores.




They were awesome burgers though... I only finished about one and half. Couldn't quite put the whole second one down.
 
I'm a fan of simple burgers, just some good ground chuck, salt and pepper, and onto a rip-roaring hot grill, so they get a bit of "crust" on the outside. Melt some cheese if you wish, and onto a toasted bun with ketchup and mustard.

Occasionally we do the fancier ones. Mix in some onion, sometimes an egg, and some of that there woostersheer stuff. Grill as above...

John
 
i read that the most expensive burger in nyc last summer went for $44. it was made with ground loin meat, stuffed with truffles, and was topped with foie gras. boy, for that price i really hope it came deluxe, with fries and a coke...
 
I agree with ronjohn. I like the taste of the meat so I keep it simple with the burger and add toppings to dress up the meal.
 
As said onion soup is good in them. Also try using any rub you like. We mix ours with Obie Cue sweet rub, also use Jack Daniels wood chunks.

Also just try adding some smoke to it using different flavored wood. The smoke flavors can be used on just a plain burger for added flavoer, without doctoring up the burger too much.
 
I have become hooked on Paula Dean's Egg burger...very simple, sauteed onion rings. 1/3 lb economy (max flavor) beef patties, cheddar cheese melted on top and a fried egg on it. I like it runny (very messy, very good). only S & P with mayo, nothing else...
I guess I've burned out on blue cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped etc.
 
ok, i won't make jokes about putting wood chunks in your burgers (i'm waiting for bang to have a recipe for that), rainee.

but seriously, are jd wood chunks flavored with the whiskey, or is it just the same wood charcoal that they use to mellow the flavor, sans whiskey?

so far i have tried the duraflame brand lump charcoal, and royal oak. i love the flavor it gives meats, as compared to briquettes. gas grills are a distant third.

oh, i bought a charcoal chimney starter like you recommended. it works great!!!!!!!!! no more lighter fluid, just a coupla sheets of newspaper and away you go...
 
Glad you like the chimmney.

The Jack Daniels wood chunks are actually from the barrels they store the whiskey in. You get a faint taste of the whiskey.

They only use the barrels once for storing whiskey. Then they are sold to socth distilleries, or make furniture, etc.
 
buckytom said:
i read that the most expensive burger in nyc last summer went for $44. it was made with ground loin meat, stuffed with truffles, and was topped with foie gras. boy, for that price i really hope it came deluxe, with fries and a coke...

and maybe a little toy too!
 
I go fairly simple with our burgers, but we all like garlic in them, but not the hot of raw garlic, so I use roasted garlic, salt, pepper,and steak sauce, just a little:rolleyes: then for each person I make two patties and place their favorite cheese in the center seal the two patties and grill...I also grill the buns, I like blue or roquefort cheese, so on my bun I use my dad's avocado dip, butter lettuce, tomato, onion and several slices of bacon...DH likes cheddar, bacon, tomato, thousand island..both girls like like mine but add some hot sauce to the avocado dip..Thar's about it :LOL: Course, we have to have all the goodies to go with the burgers, potato slad, mac salad, chips..good things to drink:LOL:

kadesma:)
 
jkath, could you PM me the name and addy for the mesquite flavoring you use, please? Being a native Arizonian, I prefer mesquite over hickory any day!!!
It depends on my mood and who else will be eating with me on how I fix burgers. BTW, I love Paula Deen's egg burger too!!
 
For me I have two ways to approach burgers. The first is my hometowns style... I grew up going to a place called "burger steak" which offered a big fat pattie but also it was really heavy on the fixings (lettuce, thick tomato slices, onion, avocado, fried onion, slice of canadian bacon, cheese, jalapeno slices... the works) so from time to time I make my burgers that way.

Mostly though I make the "small but powerful" ones. Regular store bought rolls, small (bout 1/4 lb patties), some fixings but well seasoned and usually packed with crisp bacon, bleu cheese and other "potent" ingredients. These usually take two to fill you up but man you savor every moment of it.

Shunka: I hate mesquite. It's probably my favorite flavor but when I was a little kid I burned my feet REALLY bad on mesquite sap that was boiling out of freshly cut branches and trunks. Still.. you gotta love that taste.
 
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