Last year I started a series with my email group called "Question of the Month" where I gave them a question and asked for their answers.  I fully intended to make use of their answers, but things got in the way and I never got back to it.  I was reviewing email the other day, saw all those answers, and decided to revisit them and get the great responses out to you.  And I'm going to resurrect the series and ask for your thoughts again.  So if you want to be involved, head on over to the sign up page and you'll soon get the Question of the Month and can let me know what you think.

The first question I asked was:

What is your secret to grilling the best, juiciest, most flavorful hamburger?

Some of the responses that I got:

From Randy:

1. The meat HAS to have some fat in it!  I prefer an 85/15 blend.  85% ground beef, 15% fat content.  This is the biggest point of disagreement between me and my wife.  The only thing that 96/4 stuff makes is incredibly dry burgers.

2. The burgers need to be formed "flat".  That doesn't mean they need to be thin.  Make them as thick as you want.  Just make sure they aren't shaped like a dome.  No dome tops.

3. Start with a hot grill.  There should be a sizzle when the meat hits the grill.

4. Flip only once.  Let the first side cook completely before flipping.

5. NEVER squish the burger while it is cooking.  That might make a really cool sound but all you are doing is turning a juicy burger into a dry piece of meat.

6. Salt and pepper are the only spices you need if you follow all the other advice.

Scott: Randy has some great advice.  I've found that an 80% ground beef fat blend does pretty well and the rest of  Randy's tips are spot on.

 

From Jennifer:

I like lots of different flavor combos in my burgers--from dry ranch or Italian dressing or soup mixes & sauces like Dale's and Heinz 57 to stuffed burgers to mixing meats like venison & bacon.  But my favorite trick--no matter how you season them--is to pre-form the patties, then lay them on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet to freeze.  Once solid, layer them between burger-sized pieces of waxed paper & store in labeled Ziploc freezer bags or Tupperware.  Just take out as many as you need & enjoy!  (You can throw them right on the grill still frozen!)  It's a great way to take advantage of buying when your fav soon-to-be-patty is on sale & having dinner pre-loaded and ready to go on a whim (or when you finalize your group's head count!).  This is also a great way to transport the meat to campsites, parks, etc.  Since they're already frozen solid you're not dealing with messy, drippy waste & they keep longer in a cooler than if the ground cow (or woodland/plains denizen) of your choice was raw.

(Bonus hint:  mass quantities of leftover hamburger buns, kaiser rolls, or ciabatta from an event will store frozen for a long time, too.  I hate re-thawed bread, but buttered & toasted on the grill with the burgers?  They come back to life quite nicely.  Try garlic or herbed butters to complement your protein!)

Scott: I've heard that mixing different kinds of meat together with the beef can make some pretty tasty burgers.  And I like the idea of pre-forming the burgers and freezing them so they are ready to go.  It's kind of like Omaha Steak burgers, but cheaper!

 

Walt gives some ideas about using canola oil to make juicy burgers, even with the lean ground beef:

I love venison but it's too lean for good burgers. so for years I've added one tablespoon of canola oil to 1 lb ground venison for my burgers and meatloafs. Works like a charm.

More recently, concerned about cholesterol and saturated fats I decided to apply that idea to my beef burgers too. I buy the leanest ground beef at the store and add the canola oil, same as with the venison

Folks love my juicy hamburgers and don't even know they're healthier for them.

Scott: Great idea!  I've never tried it, so if you've tried it, let me know how it works (I'll do the same).

 

Here's from Grady:

I cook a lot of dutch oven and BBQ over fires and grills sometimes, I cook burgers for the crew or family at home and this recipe seems to fit the bill with all that try it.. I use ground chuck and make the patties thick. About 3/4". Marinate  about 1 lb. hamburger in 1 tbsp. Worcestershire, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp. accent, 1 tsp. Lowry's season salt. Cook patties about 6-8 min on a hot grill or fire grate. Move to one side and place a portion of pastrami on the pattie, then put sweet baby rays with a touch of Worcestershire mixed in to give it a little tang on the pastrami, cover with Swiss cheese to melt it on then serve with a grilled bun with olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan on the bun. Make the burger medium or medium rare and work to keep the juice in.

Scott: Sounds delicious!  I'll have to give it a try.

 

Kit gives this suggestion:

I keep my burgers pure; 80% ground beef, no pink slime. Salt, pepper and garlic powder after I've gently form the patties, mine thicker, my husbands thinner and I make a depression in the center, like a fat thumb print. Hot coals, wood embers or propane. I slice a sweet large onion into 3/8 of an inch thick slices, lightly oiled or sprayed with Pam and place them on the grill first. I only grill one side of the onion and the onion is not cooked all the way through.  Grill the burgers to taste, toast the buns, ketchup on the bottom bun, then onion (grill side faces burger), top of the burger, your choice: tomato, lettuce and mayo on the top bun. My husband uses mustard instead of mayo. Pickles, of course, would be on the onion side and cheese can go either way.

Scott: Kit has a very specific way of building her burgers, like I do.  I'm wondering most of you have a similar system.  If so, share in the comments below.

 

George is short and sweet:

I find that using 50% beef, 30% pork and 20% lamb makes for a tastier burger!

Scott: There's that mix again!

 

Now from South Africa.  Gustav says:

I live in South Africa where Barbeque or Braai as we call it is a National Sport.

Some burgers that I’ve tasted were great and others terrible.

My secrets:

1. Lean beef mince with 10% fat, mixed 50% with pork mince.
2. Add fried finely chopped onion at a ratio of 100g per 1kg mince.
3. Season with barbeque spice and pepper and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Form generous patties of 150g each and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
5. Light a wood fire and leave until coals are hot but not searing.
6. The patties must be at room temp when cooked.
7. Barbeque the patty till juice appears and turn, baste the patty with Barbeque basting.
8. Leave for 3 minutes turn, baste and serve.

Scott: Great tips

 

Mike says:

Our burgers are made with chopped onions, some salt & pepper and a cube of cheese in the middle.

We butcher our own beef and pork so the exact fat content I cannot tell you, however, I would say it is at least 90% lean beef.  Sometimes we might add some ground pork to the burgers also.

No special technique for forming at all, they just stay together and then once the grill or smoker is up to temp they go on.

Scott: Simple, but I'm seeing that mixture of different meats yet again

 

From Gary:

On hamburger I use 80 to 85% lean. I use a hamburger press that leaves rings in the burger that I bought at Sportsmens Warehouse.  I season the burgers with Montréal steak seasoning and cook on low heat. The press gives the burgers a consistent thickness from edge to edge.  I spray the grill with Pam turn the heat on high and then lower the heat to low once I place the burgers on the grill.

Scott: My wife loves the Montreal steak seasoning, so that would be good to try.

 

Vince has a simple tip:

As far as burgers I use ranch dip mix and chopped jalapeños. I get the meat that is on sale, and I use a small plate to form the burgers....

Scott: Flavors can make a big difference.  But sometimes all you need is good old salt and pepper.

 

Danny says:

Hi something I do for a real fast but flavorful hamburger is  take your ground beef and add some pace chunky sauce and press out your patties. Then just grill.

Scott: Sounds good to me!

 

Finally, Gary says this:

I like to use a pkg of onion soup mix with the hamburger before I grill. Typically use a package to 3# of hamburger, like a little more onion flavor, use a package to 2#, both are great.

I mix it in and form the patties by hand, and use 85%, for juicy burgers.

 

Well, that does it.  Those are some of the tips from my subscribers to my email list.  Thanks to everyone that participated.  You've given us some great ideas and I'm sure that many of you reading have your own tips.  I'd love for you to share them in the comments below.

I've also written some posts about grilling juicy hamburgers--check it out as well.   We also love the Spinach Mushroom burgers that I tried.