From the folks at your small-town butcher shop, we are sharing the secret to forming the perfect hamburger patties at home!
Creating the best hamburger is more than fancy condiments, sliced tomatoes, melty cheese and a freshly baked bun. The star of the show is the beefy hamburger patty….so let’s do it right.
Hand-pressing those burger patties at home takes a bit of time (only a few seconds per patty!) but it is so-worth it! You may never go back to frozen, boxed patties ever again – you can also say goodbye to those additives and fillers!
First, you want to select the ground beef you will be using. Not all ground beef has the same quality of flavour, so we suggest seeking out a good butcher for superior meats.
The ground beef you most commonly find at the meat counter is primarily ground chuck, which is supplemented with a couple other cuts.
In terms of fat percentage, we recommend selecting a ground beef with a higher fat percentage such as an 80/20 medium ground beef. The fat content not only creates a moist, flavourful burger, but also helps hold the burger together without adding binders such as egg and breadcrumbs.
An important tip to remember when you set out to make your patties is keeping the ground beef cold and not over-working the meat. An over-worked burger can end up being a tough burger.
Want to achieve making that juicy hamburger you love so much from your local burger joint? You can do it at home (and maybe even better!).
What is the perfect size burger patty? Classic burger patties tend to be about 4 – 6 oz. We lean towards a 6 oz patty for a thick, juicy burger. Divide your meat into even portions or use your kitchen scale if you want to be exact. Form the ground beef portions loosely into balls.
Now it’s time to shape those patties! You may think you need a fancy burger press; however you likely have the tools at home for this burger press hack!
All it takes is 2 circular deli lids, about 4.5 inches in diameter with a ¼ inch depth. Place your ball of ground beef on the top of one lid and use the other lid to gently press down around the edges until the beef is evenly distributed to the edges of the lids. That’s it!
Experiment with the size of the lid – smaller lids can be used to make sliders.
Once you’ve pressed all your patties, you can pop these into the fridge. When your grill is hot and ready, pull them out of the fridge and season with salt and pepper.
Do you want to make these ahead? These can easily be frozen to use at a later time. Just be sure to put squares of parchment paper between each patty – this will make them easier to separate. You can also cook them right from frozen, no need to thaw them out!
When you’re ready to cook, use these chefs tips to make sure your burgers are juicy!
Tag us in your burger pics using @heatherleafarm!
