Following the tips by Linda Wells and beefnutrition.org, I cooked up a delicious burger that fit nicely on the bun. Staff photo by Daniel Clifton
MARBLE FALLS — One of my favorite times growing up was Saturday afternoons in the summer when Dad fired up the grill. When I was younger, my dad would pile in some charcoal briquets before eventually switching to a gas grill.
But it didn’t matter what he used for the cooking heat, on top, he dropped on his favorite grilling food: hamburgers.
While you can pretty much grill any type of food, hamburgers, along with hot dogs, remain an all-time popular item. But grilling the perfect hamburger isn’t as easy as it seems. My attempts often end in balled-up burgers that don’t resemble anything my dad created on his grill.
I regret not paying closer attention to his technique when I could, but I was fixated on the coming burger highlighted with a slice of cheese and stacked with tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and a healthy smattering of ketchup, mustard and mayo. He would settle the burger down on our plates among a bed of old-fashioned potato chips and baked beans.
Heaven, as Jimmy Buffett well noted in his song “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” really is “Medium rare with mustard be nice, heaven on earth with an onion slice.” But the mechanics of making this piece of paradise has evaded me to some degree, and others as I’ve noted over the years.
Dad passed away more than a decade ago, so I can’t turn to him for help. I remember him placing those hand-formed patties on the grill but can’t recall what he did then. So for a little help, I turned to Linda Wells of the Burnet County AgriLife Extension Service.
“One of the first things I’d recommend is not adding salt to the burger on the grill,” she said. “The salt can dry up the meat on the grill. Plus, we really want to enjoy the flavor of the meat.”
The other big “no-no” of grilling a burger is pressing down on it while it’s cooking, she said. This is hard to resist because you think if you press it down while it’s cooking on the grill, you will get a nice, thick juicy burger instead of the shrunken ball with which you sometimes end up.
“When you press on it while it’s cooking, you’re just smashing out the juices, which really add to the flavor and keep it from shrinking up too much,” Wells said. “Once you set it on the grill, don’t press down on it. You flip it over once, but don’t press down on it or all those natural juices will just run out of it and into the grill.”
As for limiting the shrinking or balling up, Wells and other grilling experts prefer the practice of “dimpling” the patty before you put it on the grill. This basically means taking your thumb and pressing it down in the center of the patty (enough to make a nice dimple.) This helps prevent the burger from shrinking. Other people also will take the edge of the spatula and make a few light lines across the top of the burger.
You might want to experiment to see which one works best for you and just how deep of a dimple or lines to create.
At the meat of the matter is the choice of meat. Many will say that when it comes to hamburgers, toss your diet worries to the side because you need a higher percentage of fat — even as high as 80 percent lean protein and 20 percent fat. You can even look for higher quality cuts of meat in your burger choice such as sirloin.
Wells agrees that meat selection definitely matters in the burger quality, but for people concerned about fat content, she said you can still get a great burger with a leaner selection of beef.
“It’s all really in how you prepare it,” she said.
According to beefnutrition.org, mixing one egg white and a quarter cup of bread crumbs into 93-percent lean beef makes it easier to work with. Then cook the ½-inch thick patties over medium heat for 7-9 minutes, flipping only once until the internal temperature of the patties reaches 160 degrees (for medium doneness.) Then, add on your favorite toppings (even avocado for an interesting twist.)
“Burgers are a great summer grilling meal,” Wells said. “And it’s a great dinner that really brings the family together.”
Parents can even get the kids involved with forming the patties, selecting the toppings and, of course, eating them.
Go to beefnutrition.org or call Wells at (512) 756-5463 for more tips. And if you do have ideas and tips of your own for the perfect burger or summertime grilling, share them on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/101highlandlakes.
daniel@thepicayune.com
