The world seems to have gone burger mad

[Backyardsmoker]

Everywhere you go its all about big burgers, fancy bread and toppings and ridiculous prices. But to be honest I wouldn't think twice abiut paying £15 for an ace burger. I came across this yesturday
http://m.shortlist.com/cool-stuff/short ... est-burger

Some of the burgers look amazing.

Just out of curiosity whats everyones fave burger recipe? Do you bother making your own or do you buy butchers or supermarket burgers?

I have to say that the burger is my favourite food. So many thibgs you can do with them.

Ben

[Backyardsmoker]

That. Link might not work in your phone. I have a galaxy note 2 and it came up in html writing until I put my phone in desktop mode

[keith157]

Good quality minced beef usually chuck with a bit of rump, a 1/4 lb burger press then chill for a while to firm up, good old S&P before cooking. I prefer my burgers on a flat top cast iron grill cooked to medium rare (IF I mince it myself or get it from my butchers). As to buns, totally non traditional, we've used wraps folded to a triangle with burger in one side and salad or "bits" in the other fold. Recently we've taken to using sandwich thins on flavoured burger if there is a substantial BBQ to be eaten. There was an interested forum debate on which was more important for taste, the burger or the addornments.
As to flavoured burgers, sweet sauteed onions, minced garlic or roasted garlic work well, finely diced cheese (if cooking to medium) added will keep the burger moist. There was an excellent link (which I can't find) where experiments were conducted into adding salt to your mix before cooking which apparantly took away all of the texture turning it into a mush.

Oh and although it wasn't called a burger, at the Colesium in good old ancient Rome you could buy, along with your cornucopia of dried fruits, a cooked, flattened meat ball between slices of bread, doused (sadly) in Garum (think Thai fish sauce on steroids)

[Eddie]

Thanks for the link, got some interesting places. Might try one out next Saturday when I take my family to Wembley . Always like to make my own, I get my mince from my butchers and love to put my own pulled pork inside them. Yes the burger takes over 10 hours to make , but hay-ho.

Eddie

[Backyardsmoker]

Im looking into getting a meat grinder/sausage maker. I have seen some amazing recipies for beef and lamb sausages that I would love to t. And smoke them.

I stopped buying susupermarket burgers a couple of years ago. Always tasted like onion and repeated on me way too much and nit even in a good way.

I buy my mince from my amazing butcher and I just put fresh cracked black pepper, salt and garlic poweder. Last week though I put in someme hot sauce only a few dashes juat eniugh to make my tongue fizz slightly.

Its funny you say you use wraps I did it for the first time last week. I jave a photo but they look dead messy. I had the burgers I just mentioned with. Mixed cheese whixh was white strong Cheddar and some red leicester. Had raw red onion and lettuce. I also put somw hash browns in a fried egg and put mustard and tomato sauce. It was amazing. Even my 6 year old son liked them. He had a toned down version.

As fir the taste of the meat or whats on it... dwfinately the meat. I cant understand people who droqn their full english's with various sauces. If its quality meat then thats what I want to taste. With burgers for me ita more meat less toppings.


Ben

[keith157]

Well said Ben, a true devoted Carnivore. I've also a gizmo for doing stuffed burgers (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pocket-Burger-P ... 376&sr=8-1) which I'm hoping to get better results from this year as I've found a good quality spray oil to coat it with. (Costco's own brand Canola (rape seed) oil. I tried making stuffed burgers before but with not so good results, edible but not pretty.

[Backyardsmoker]

My dinner last night. Made the burger my self put salt pepper garlic powder and celery seed powder on. I chopped up an onion pepper and mushrooms fried them up and melted strong Cheddar on the burgers. I had acsmall but of tomato sauce mustard and bbq sauce. It tasted amazing.

Well said Ben, a true devoted Carnivore. I've also a gizmo for doing stuffed burgers (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pocket-Burger-P ... 376&sr=8-1) which I'm hoping to get better results from this year as I've found a good quality spray oil to coat it with. (Costco's own brand Canola (rape seed) oil. I tried making stuffed burgers before but with not so good results, edible but not pretty.

Im going ti buy one of them. It looks ace.

Cheers. Ben

[Tiny]

Backyard smoker,
Burger sounds wonderful except.....it is one of the absolute fundamental aws of nature that cheese on a burger can only be synthetic and processed in nature, any other kind of cheese is absolutley wrong.

Those that use brie, stilton or cheddar are wrong in every regard.

I know BBQ is a broad church and most deviations are acceptable but like fundamental laws of primary sauces, the application of processed cheese to a burger is mandatory.

Consider yourself mildly rebuked!

Cheers Tiny
PS the fundamental laws of primary sauces
tomato is heinz, brown is hp, mustard is colemans and mayo is hellmans......

[Backyardsmoker]

I like to taste the cheese. Why ruin good meat with cheap cheese? The sauces I used was hp bbq heinz tomato and I think the mustard is called frenchies? I could be wrong. Its in a yellow squeezy bottle. I agree with the other cheeses by the way.


Ben

[Tiny]

Ah!
French's american yellow, I shall add this to the list of fundamental condiments and clarify that it is English mustard that has to be colemans. Good spot.

There is no fundamental condiment when it comes to BBQ sauce so all are acceptable.

I can neither explain or justify why cheddar is unacceptable on a burger and why it must be processed filth, it is just the way it is.....

Burger sounded exellent, did you ese egg to bind or some other approach? most of my attempts have dissasembled.......

Cheers
Tiny