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How to make the best homemade burger

    Here are tips on how to choose the meats and the simple and practical way for you to make yourself the best homemade burger you’ve ever had

    Want to learn how to make the Best Home-made Burger? Then come with me!

    A good burger can be as or even tastier than a chef dish. And the best is when you yourself learn the tricks of making this meal and improve the recipe every time you put your hand in the dough.

    The positive side is that to make a burger is relatively simple. Of course there are recipes and more recipes for meat blends, but with basic information you can already make a tasty snack. The rest is perfecting.

    That’s why I’m going to pass on what I learned over the years and attempts. A lot of things came from talking to specialists and burger places I’ve been to.

    But, I reinforce, the best homemade burger you’ll eat will come from a lot of trying, some mistakes and successes. So, practice a lot and don’t be afraid to make mistakes!

    Hamburger meat

    The secret to making a tasty burger is primarily in the meat. Therefore, you need to know some fundamental tips

    Fat is essential

    You want a soft, juicy and moist burger, it needs to have fat. And the fat will come from the blend of a lean meat with a fatter meat.

    Don’t worry so much about the fat, most of it will melt when you bake or fry the disc. Besides, it’s the fat that will give it all together when you make the balls and form the hamburger discs.

    So, you can even make a burger fit, with duckling (lean meat), but you need to understand that it will be drier and harder than another with fat.

    The fresher the better

    The hamburger taste depends on the freshness of the meat and its groove (that red liquid that looks like blood). So, avoid buying ground meat already packed, without knowing how long it’s been on the shelf, losing liquid and aging.

    Therefore, the best option is to buy the meat in a quality butcher’s shop and ask for it to be ground on the spot.

    The less you touch the meat, the better

    With the ground meat, you will need to make little balls and, later, the hamburger discs. But, the more contact it has with your hand or other surfaces, the more the meat will age and lose its grooves.

    So, avoid messing with the protein too much, make the discs and leave it in the fridge right after.

    Forget spices

    At the beginning of my burger making endeavour, I used to see indications of ingredients to put in the meat. Forget them all.

    The best homemade burger you’ll eat at home or in any burger joint doesn’t mix with spices, doesn’t put onion soup, egg, salt or pepper during the process, only on the plate after it’s grilled.

    Everything that is added will mask the real taste of the meat, make it lose grooves and impair the flavour of the protein.

    In fact, adding salt is also a problem. This is because it retains water, it will make the meat drier. Therefore, add salt and pepper either on the griddle or after roasting to make it tastier.

    Meat Blend

    As we have already said, the secret is to mix a lean meat and a meat with more fat. Or you can take a prime meat and a second meat. Or you can take two meats and include a reserve of 20% fat to include when you grind the meat.

    Prime cuts:

    Prime meats are softer because they are located in the regions in which the animal moves little and in which the muscles are bigger.

    They are: baby beef, maminha, coxão mole, lagarto, contrafilé, patinho, picanha, fillet mignon and alcatra.

    Second Meat:

    The meats considered second cuts are less tender because they are in the regions where the animal moves more. For this reason, when the meats are exposed to direct heat, they tend to get tougher.

    Thus, second cuts of meat are: forehand muscle, topside, chump, sirloin, rib eye, shoulder, flank and chuck.

    How to make the blend

    You can search and each recipe will offer a different percentage for you to make.

    • 350g chuck + 350g brisket + 350g neck + 250g brisket fat
    • 525g brisket + 525g tenderloin + 250g brisket fat
    • 525g brisket + 525g top round + 250g breast fat

    But as I know it’s complicated to do this in front of the butcher, if you take half of the lean meat and half of the fatty meat you already have a nice burger. If the meat has too much fat, ask him to clean it before going to the grinder.

    On the other hand, if you want to make it with just one meat, go with a very fatty steak and be happy.

    Regardless of the mixture, we recommend that you go through the grinder twice, to have more unity and not need to mess with your hands.

    Amount of meat

    Here you leave for a personal choice. A smash burger is a thinner burger, with less than 100 grams and that can be kneaded on the spatula when it goes to the fire. It is similar to the height of fast food hamburger restaurants plates. But thin, it bakes much faster.

    Now a traditional homemade burger is thicker, it can have between 150 grams and 200 grams (some even more than that). It gains in juiciness, but takes longer to bake on the plate.

    Remember that, because of the fat in the meat, when you make the disc, make it a little larger than planned, since it tends to shrink.

    Other types of meat, bacon and the like

    Can you make a hamburger with ribs? Yes, and it’s delicious! Can you make picanha burger? It’s delicious, but as you’re going to grind it, I think it’s a waste of meat.

    There are recipes that you can mix sausage, bacon when you grind it. I recommend you do it at the butcher, not at home, so you don’t spend too much time mixing the meat and lose the groove and flavor.

    Get a recipe like this on the internet and go for it!

    Cheese

    You can put a ready-made cheese when the burger is on the griddle or make a cheese sauce to include.

    In the first case, the tip is to put the cheese in the final 1 minutes of the protein on the fire. Long enough to melt without disappearing completely.

    Time to prepare the burguer on flame, frying pan or grill

    Homemade Hamburger in the fire

    Heat the plate well, when it’s hot (raising smoke), put the burguer straight, chilled from the fridge.

    Don’t press or squeeze the burger, to not lose the grooves. Depending on the size and flame temperature, between 3 and 5 minutes for each side.

    The time will also vary according to the meat point of preference.

    Smash Burger

    Shape the meat in “little balls” of 100 to 110gr each and heat a plate or thick frying pan in high heat. Check if the plate is hot, if yes, put a small ball on the plate and knead it with a spatula.

    With one minute on each side the burguer will be done; longer, well done; shorter, medium rare

    Tips for Hamburger Bread

    Around here the criteria is also relative. There are countless types of buns with different textures and flavors.

    I think brioche bread is better. Because it is soft enough to embrace the burger without destroying it between bites.

    My only tip here is to butter the inside and place it on the hot plate, to add flavor to the bun and create a layer of protection for the groove the meat will release inside the burger.

    Accompaniments

    Burger and that dynamic duo to go into a snack. I recommend choosing those bacons in strips and pass in the frying pan enough to make it a little crispy without drying it out and making it completely hard.

    What to drink with a good home-made burger

    Hamburger is a more caloric and fatty dish. So the idea is to break a little the feeling of fat in the mouth.

    So, for those who don’t drink alcohol, a lemon juice, or something citric, like orange.

    Now if you like beer, I give you two style options. Hamburger with bread, meat and cheese go well with an APA (American Pale Ale)

    Burger with bun, meat, bacon and cheese go well with a Red Ale or IPA (Indian Pale Ale). This way, both reduce the feeling of fat, the first by the malty notes and the other compensates the bitterness of the hops.

    More Homemade hamburger recipes

    After all the above talk, I’ve separated some basic burger recipes for you who like practicality and don’t want to think too much!

    Best home-made burger

    • 500g ground chuck
    • 500g ground sirloin
    • 5 hamburger buns
    • Butter to brown
    • Salt and black pepper to taste
    • 10 slices of mozzarella cheese
    • arugula leaves
    • 1 sliced red onion
    • 2 sliced tomatoes
    • mayonnaise to taste

    PREPARATION METHOD

    With the ground meat already mixed, make small balls that fit in your hand (150 to 200 grams).

    2 Make about 5-6 burgers as round as possible, with the centre a little smaller than the edges.

    1. In a frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Let it warm up and place the burger on the plate for 3 to 5 minutes (according to the point). Season with salt and pepper.
    2. Turn once. With 1 minute left, place 2 slices of cheese on burguer and let it melt.
    3. Remove from heat and let the meat rest for 1 minute.
    4. Toast the bread with butter in skillet.
    5. Place hamburger on bun and assemble as desired
    6. By the way, the snack will be even tastier with a good homemade mayonnaise. Spread mayonnaise over the bread, add the burger with cheese, arugula, red onion slices and finish with tomato.

    Best Home-made Hamburger with Bacon

    • 500g ground chuck
    • 500g ground duckling
    • 250g bacon, minced
    • Butter for browning
    • Black pepper to taste
    • Salt to taste
    • 14 slices of prato cheese
    • Assorted green leaves
    • 1 tomato, sliced
    • 1 sliced red onion
    • 1 sliced onion
    • 7 hamburger buns

    PREPARATION METHOD

    In a bowl, mix together rib eye, duckling and bacon. Make meat balls the size of your hand.

    1. Make about 6-7 burgers as round as possible, with the centre a little smaller than the edges.
    2. In a frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Let it warm up and place the burger on the plate for 3 to 5 minutes (according to the point). Season with salt and pepper.
    3. Turn once. With 1 minute left, place 2 slices of cheese on burguer and let it melt.
    4. In fact, remove from heat and let the meat rest for 1 minute.
    5. Toast the bread with butter on skillet.
    6. Place the hamburger on the bun and assemble as desired: green leaves, tomato and onion.
    7. Serve with the sauces of your choice.

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