Lately my hamburger patties fall apart and are very dry. I'm supposing the fat content has something to do with it but how can I keep them from falling apart? I am making large patties kind of like a hamburger steak. Thanks for any help.
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- Add a teaspoon of icewater to the meat.
- Don't salt the patty until it's shaped.
- Avoid handling the patty too much, and don't flatten it before or during cooking.
- Place a small pat of margarine in the middle of the patty.
- Sear the patty on high heat to seal in juices; then reduce to cook (might use two separate pans).
My father was a meat cutter from age 17 until after I was born- so close to twenty years in total. He, naturally, is where I got most of my meat related info throughout my life! My dad always used a ground beef for burgers that had 80/20 percentage of fat content. Of course this was when he bought prepackaged meat at the supermarket. I do recall him having a grinder and making his own blends of sausage and ground chuck/beef at times as well. At any rate yes, The fat content is the place to start to adjust Id say.
Another option is adding a vegan egg (2 tbsps ground flaxseed with 1 tbsp water, stir and set aside for ~15 minutes before using. I find it a good binding agent with the added benefit of omega-3s (brain food).
Let us know how you make out with all the suggestions / recommendations you decide to try?
Dry hamburgers can be a problem but it is difficult trying to answer your question as we have no idea how you are presently preparing your burgers or what type of meat you're using.
You say you're trying to make a larger burger - like a hamburger steak so that can be a little different.
Are you using a pan or grill?
I'm assuming pan..
Some pointers:
Add seasonings for flavor.
Do not overwork your meat.
The more it is handled/over-mixed, the tougher the burger.
Keep burgers cold until you are ready to cook them.
Are you using a recipe or just your own 'way'?
There are so many good 'tried' recipes online that it makes you hungry just doing a little searching.
It would be difficult to recommend recipes as we do not know if you're just making a plain Hamburger Steak or if you're trying one with mushroom gravy, or onions/peppers, brown gravy, or adding sausage to your patties.
All recipes stress less handling time, keeping meat cold, using lower heat, as well as several other good points.
Some people have habits they have acquired over the years that may not be the best ways to prepare hamburger meat.
Try looking at some recipes online and maybe you might see something you're doing that could be causing your burgers to be dry.
www.thekitchn.com/
I think you they are overcooked.
Do not do any more mixing of your burger meat than necessary.
Do not cook patties straight out of fridge or the freezer.
You could add an egg to the meat mixture
Maybe try a hamburger press, mold, or ring...similar to these:
www.amazon.com/
www.amazon.com/
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