Post #10 Making Your Own Burgers

Today's blog will reflect on a staple meal amongst the first world, as americana as the apple pie and country music: The Burger. Whether it's steak, beef, bison or vegetarian, everyone loves a good burger. Making a burger can be easy to if one has the basic skills, know-ho, and tools. In this blog, you will learn the science going into grilling a burger as well as how to prevent common-place issues.

Ground beef, the common composition of burgers, follow all the same rules as most other grilled meats do. 

• Ground beef, as the name implies, is ground up beef chuck  (shoulder/neck meat). Because the meat is ground up, water and subsequently juices are lost. 
• To prevent this, add a little bit of water, about 2/3 of a tablespoon or so for every pound of ground beef

• Handle the patty as little as possible, as flipping can lead to excess juice runoff
• Don't smash the patty! This does not make the patty cook faster and it only serves to dry out the beef!
• Try to shoot for a 15%-20% fat ratio, too little fat makes a dry or easily charbroiled burger while even higher amounts of ground beef can make for a delicious but overly-fatty burger

How to Cook a Burger:

• Season the burger to your liking, but remember to never over season. Seasoning is a garnish, not a separate meal
• Cook burgers at high heat for about 4-10 minutes. The lower end of the spectrum will yield rare to medium-rare burgers while the opposite side yield well-done and blackened burgers
• Make sure to have a clean grill, dirty grills don't transfer heat as easily and will yield longer cook times
• It is recommended not to eat ground beef lower than 140 degrees, so internal temperatures should range from 150-160 degrees. Rare and medium-rare occur below the safe 140 degree mark, so be weary of undercooking your burgers

(this picture was too good to pass up)

Though chuck is the most common composition of burgers, sirloin and bottom round are also common options for burgers

-Chuck: very worked part of the cow, very juicy but tough due to being such a worked-out piece of beef

-Sirloin: located near the top back of the cow, less juicy due to lack of movement but yields smooth and round meat

-Bottom Round: rump of the cow, balances juiciness and texture, however does not excel in either category

Last tip for cooking, make sure to leave a small indentation in your burgers before cooking. Not only does this allow for even cooking throughout (as the center usually takes the longest to cook), but also allows for more burger per bite, rather than leaving a bulgy center.

(Yum!)