How to make juicy burgers?

Help needed...

[smayler]

Hopefully this is the appropriate place to ask if anyone knows how to make juicy burgers?

Every single time I try to make them they never end up being juicy as some commercial burgers.

Usually I mix ground beef with 2 tsp of baking soda, salt, spices and oil and then put the mix for an hour in a freezer.

After pulling the mix out I create burgers and grill them.

They end up being ok, but never juicy.

What am I missing?

:)

p.s. Please help, spring is (eventually) coming...

[graywolf]

I'm not sure about all that extra stuff and the freezer, I use salt & pepper myself. One thing I will share is make the patties thicker on the edges and with a depression in the middle. Usually they puff up fat in the middle when they cook and are either underdone and pink or overdone and dry. If they start out thinner they will cook faster and not dry out

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[iJeep]

Have you tried cooking them at a higher heat for less time? It seems like that will not cook all the juices out as fast (unless you over-cook them).

[Rugles]

>>>2 tsp of baking soda

I never heard of putting baking soda in a burger. What is the reason behind it?

Real curious.

I agree with the high heat, or flames. You have to sear both sides to keep the juices in and prevent them from getting dry.

Also, I never understood why people push down on the burger while cooking.

[grandpa]

Also, I never understood why people push down on the burger while cooking.

To see if there's any juice left to be cooked out.

[bill]

In Japan they mix a large amount of breadcrumbs and diced vegetables with the meat. The result is a bit more juice than many would like...

[vkaryl]

Hmm. Never been a problem for us: we buy 93% lean ground round or sirloin, make patties about 1 inch thick, use garlic pepper on the outsides, grill until just pink inside (his) and still mooing (mine). Always yummy juicy....

[digitalghost]

Only three tips I've ever heard regarding burgers.

1. Make sure the cooking surface is hot. Hot enough to sear the meat before you put any meat on it.
2. Only flip a burger once. When you lay the burger on the cooking surface, leave it there until blood is freely running out of the middle of the burger. Then flip it.
3. Never press the burger with a spat or cut into the center to see if it is done. Test by touch. The firmer the burger is, the more well done it is.

[lZakl]

The way I do it is to make sure one part of the grill it hot enough to sear the meat, and another warm enough to cook it. The first thing you want to do is sear it, this locks in all the juices and makes sure they can't escape. (and as digitalghost suggested, flip only once.) THEN move the patty to another part of the grill for cooking. There are ALWAYS 2 parts to cooking great meat.

1) Locking in the juices with high heat
2) Cooking in a cooler part of the oven/grill

With a charcoal BBQ, you would do this by placing all of your brickettes against one side of the BBQ (this is where you sear), and placeing the vent over the spot with no brickettes under it (this is where you cook).

Just my 2¢ ;0)

-- Zak

[iDKris]

i think the main problem in your mix is the baking soda, then freezing the meat. the more you freeze/thaw meat, the more you're messing with it.

i just can't get over the baking soda. when it's heated, it releases carbon dioxide and makes things rise. it's an alkali and might be a factor in drying out the meat while it cooks. i'm curious how you found that recipe? you should try out a few that were previously mention, like just making the patties and seasoning them with salt/pepper. want to try something different, throw in a little cinimon or nutmeg. you can mess with spices and herbs as much as you'd like, but stay away from baking ingredients b/c they react very specifically.

[vincevincevince]

I use minced silverside, mixed with finely chopped spring onion, and seasoned with crushed (not ground) black pepper. I bind it with about half a teaspoon of cornflour per burger, and make them thick. Cooking them hot, as mentioned before, is the key. I aim to have them almost burnt on the outside before the inside is more than warm.

One thing I've noticed is that to make a really nice burger, it costs about the same as to make a steak of the same size... mmmm.... steak...

[smayler]

Thanks everyone for your wonderful replies.

I thought that baking soda locks juices in, but obviously not. Someone advised me while ago to go with soda and that made burgers puffy but not juicy.

So far my recipe looked like this:
* 1 kg of ground beef
* 2 tsp baking soda (goes out)
* 1.5 tsp salt
* 2 tsp onion powder
* 3 Tsp water
* 3 Tsp oil

Process: Mix well all ingredients, freeze for an hour (will stop doing this), form patties and voila... It's true about waiting until BBQ becomes very hot.

Any improvements are more than welcome, and yes, steak is good too, hmm...

:)

[vkaryl]

I advise leaving out everything but the meat, and season the outside after you make the patties. Otherwise it's more like meat loaf - which is good too, but not what you're looking for!

[AWildman]

I'll have to look up my recipe. I have an AWESOME hamburger recipe that calls for ketchup, worchester sauce, barbecue sauce, water, salt, and I think dried red pepper. BOY is that good stuff!

BTW - Good tips on the depression in the center. I do hate it when my burgers get puffy in the middle and thin everywhere else.

[2by4]

Use good meat, organic or grass fed, amazing difference in flavor, something about not being filled with antibiotics and growth hormones.

digitalghost has it down though, perfect recipe.

[limbo]

My grandfather always said the sign of a good burger was one that greased your elbows. Judging by these posts I don't think he was alone.

[krieves]

I agree with some of the eariler posts. Leave out all the stuff but the ground beef. Sear it on both sides and then reduce the heat (gas grill) and finish cooking it. IMHO, you should season and add stuff (cheese, onions, etc.) to your burger after it is cooked. Mixing stuff in the beef ruins/diguises the flavor.