Tips for making good Hamburgers

Ok it has been a long long time since I made hamburgers at home. I tried doing it again last night and while it was not a disaster it certainly wasn't as mind blowing as I had hoped. What I did:

500 grams of minced beef
one small onion
some barbeque sauce
one free range egg
a bit of mayonais

mixed it all in a bowl and then formed the patties and fried it in a pan untill it was cooked through slapped it in a semmel with some chedder cheese bacon and so forth. I was searching the internet for good hamburger recipes and couldnt find anything normal. they had bean mindblowers, and stuffed hamburger surprise everywhere, however no real normal burger recipes.

Why bother with the mayonnaise if you have the egg?

Anyway, I would start off with some beef filet or sirloin and blend it. Don't overdo it though. You want to be left with roughness. take an onion (I like a red / white onion mix), garlic, salt and pepper, a touch of flour and an egg, one or two hot chili's and a touch of liquid smoke (not too much or it is overpowering and the burgers will be too watery.

i don't use an egg but grate the onion and that provides the moistness to bind it. i also bung in some cumin powder and coriander leaves with the seasoning. adds a middle eastern flavour to it.

herbs? spices? peppers? breadcrumbs? orange juice...

me thinks you need to have another go!!!

Nice. there is sooo much you can do with the basic mix.

chili, lime (juice and grated rind), lemon grass, coriander and a touch of fish sauce. Bung in some thai basil if you can get some

for a traditional and really tasty burger - used minced beef, breadcrumbs, one egg, minced onions (if they're cut too coarsely they're a bitch to keep together) and worchester sauce (if you don't have any use some balsamic) - bit of salt and pepper and bob's your uncle

oh yeah - and LAMB makes even better burgers... Might even argue, better for you...???

This is exellent! I am going to run down to the grocer and give it another go. Is it better to cook burgers in the oven or in the frying pan? (bbq is kinda a no go right now)

On a grill!

where can u get liquid smoke here?

When you get a grill, try this recipe for Lamb Burgers. It will cure you of beef burgers forever. Made this once for my wife who "kinda" likes lamb. It has been a top requester ever since then.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...36_8137,00.html

oo lob a bit of tabasco in the burger mix too! gives em a nice sting!

I don't bother with anything to bind the meat, just use fresh mince meat from the butcher, not the stuff in the supermarket packets and it stays together just fine. The only use for egg in a burger is fried and plonked on top of the pattie, along with the beetroot

The meat here is too lean. Pick your own cut and have them course grind it or use the stuff they sell prepared.
If you use the stuff preprepared, then you will need to add the fat. Add about 1/8 cup lard for every 2 cups of burger meat.
You can add grilled onions or use some onion soup mix. I prefer grilled onions. That means that you chop up the onions and fry them in some butter until they are transluscent. You don't put raw onions in or your burger will fall apart. Add an egg if you like as well as salt and pepper and a clove of garlic to taste.
Roll the meat out like you would bread. 1/2 inch thick is what I like. Use a large cup or bowl to "cut" out the shapes. Fry them in the same pan you used for the onions or throw them on the grill and there is no reason that you can't grill out today.
The secret with onions is that if you aren't going to eat them raw, then you have to precook them for almost every recipe know to good chefs.

It is also quick and easy to add a packet of ranch dip to 2 lbs of meat.

I have Ranch, but I doubt others have than in stock.

Onion soup mix works fine, too. In the US I used to use Lipton, but the Zwiebelsuppe Fix is different, but also good.

Ok I just made a fantastic burger! Thats awesome. What I did (because of the suggestions):

got the a rindbraten minced and got the guy to find a piece of rind with lots of fat and got him to mince that as well.

to the meat i added one small red onion (fryed), an egg, warcestershire sauce and some flour. pressed it out and cut an appropriate size patty. fried the burger on my lovely new tabletop grill and threw a piece of chedder cheese on at the end. came out lovely. next time i am going to use a bit of salt and some garlic, but all and all it was a really good burger.

on the side I had some homefries. I mixed olive oil, salt, basil and orageno in a bowl. and stirred around some thinly sliced pieces of patatoe. put it in the oven for 12 minutes at just over 200 deg celcius. turning once. the combination was fantastic

I'm so fricken hungry right now. Don't know why I read this thread when I'm still at work miles away from getting a burger down my gullet

The meat here is too full of water I'd say. A decent butcher who minces the cut you want there and then is the ultimate.
Breadcrumbs are useful if the meat's a bit fatty, and an egg will help bind it all if the meat is too lean. Grating in some parmesan cheese into the mix is a good call - adds fat, and also means you can just completely skip the burger idea, and make nice "meatboils in tamayto soyus". Burgers indeed, pff, marron!