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I've got more grass-fed ground beef than I know what to do with and, I'd like to perfect my burger recipe. I see lots of involved recipes with tons of spices, but I'm looking to keep it simple.

The best I've made so far is just S&P, minced onion and minced fresh parsley.

Any suggestions on how to improve from there? I'm pan frying them, if that makes a difference.

Joe Flynn
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    Is there any particular problem you're trying to solve? As it stands, you're basically asking for recipes, or perhaps "what tastes good with beef?" which are two common kinds of off topic questions here. – Cascabel Feb 03 '15 at 18:13
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    You want minimalist? Leave out the onion and parsley. – moscafj Feb 03 '15 at 19:00
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    Please close if off topic. You got the gist of my question. They're good, I just see recipes with eggs and breadcrumbs and a series of spices and wonder if they really add anything. I make them rather thin, medium well. I'll try them without the veg, that actually hadn't occurred to me. – Joe Flynn Feb 03 '15 at 20:19
  • I make my patties quite thin with just S&P. Works for me and I'm one of the most spice-heavy cooks I know (with maybe over 20 whole spices sitting in my pantry). – NRaf Feb 03 '15 at 21:38
  • If you want to know about egg and breadcrumbs, ask about it in the question; they have pretty specific effects on texture! Spices are a bit more subjective, might not be much to say beyond try it and see what you like. – Cascabel Feb 05 '15 at 08:01
  • Egg, breadcrumbs, vegetables, etc all add something. The question is if you need/want that added. – SourDoh Feb 05 '15 at 15:13
  • I also think that the question in its current state is off topic, as "improve" is totally subjective and also open-ended. As Jefromi suggested, if you want to know the role a given ingredient plays in a patty, you're welcome to ask it. – rumtscho Feb 05 '15 at 17:31
  • Indeed: while in this form it seems to be off topic, more of a poll (you've gotten two "here are my favorite kinds of burgers" answers), we would love for you to ask any of the specific questions you have! – Cascabel Feb 05 '15 at 18:33
  • From what I've read, if you add eggs and breadcrumbs to it, it's no longer a burger, it's a meatloaf. – pacoverflow Jul 07 '22 at 06:24

2 Answers2

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I would say if you want to improve on your burgers, go even simpler. Season only with salt and pepper, or even just salt, after you form your patties. Rely upon the salt to bring out the flavor of your beef, and the maillard reaction from cooking to add flavor and texture. Anything more and you are likely to overwhelm what is some quality beef.

Sean Hart
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  • +1, my favorite burger is a grass-fed patty, salt and pepper just before grilling in a cast iron pan. – Dan C Feb 05 '15 at 16:37
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My family had a fast food restaurant that was very successful. My father thought that good beef burgers should be either half pound to one pound burgers, flattened to about a little under 1/2 inch as they would "beef up" or fatten up a bit, cooked medium for juicy and only salt and pepper after turning the meat on the cooked side. The grill was flat and always clean and using a fry pan is okay as long as it is clean and use a metal spatula to turn burger over and a stainless steel pan is better in my opinion. Make sure it is not obscenely hot so it does not burn and smokes all over. Turn only once.

user33210
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