Hamburgers on the grill

Everybody who has a grill, has their secret to making the perfect hamburger. I don't think this recipe makes the perfect hamburger, but it sure makes a good one in a pinch. The two things that have really helped improve our hamburger prowess are 1) Using liberal amounts of melted butter in the cooking process and 2) making a panade (mixture of bread and milk) to mix in with the meat so it doesn't get all dried out. The idea for the panade came from the recipe I found on: Once Upon a Chef. Take this recipe, tweak it and change it until you have created your perfect hamburger.
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds of ground beef (makes about 6 burgers)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 3 Tbsp melted butter
For the Panade:
  • 1/4 cup of milk
  • 3/4 tsp black pepper
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Ketchup
  • 1 1/2 pieces of white bread (no crust)
​For the Burger:
  • Ample Bacon
  • Cheese
  • Lettuce
  • One large ripe tomato
  • One large avocado
  • One large onion
 
  • Preheat the grill to high heat
Directions
  1. Heat the grill! Of course, before you do this, make sure there isn't anything on the grill, like your wood utensils, because they will catch fire.
  2. If using bacon (why wouldn't you?): Preheat the oven to 415 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and line the bacon up in a tidy little row. Bake until crispy (usually around 14 minutes).
  3. If you have helpers, set them to work on this step and you get to skip ahead, if not, then cut up all the other stuff (tomato, onion, lettuce, cheese, avocado) otherwise the burgers will get cold and you will be miffed that you have to do this while everyone else is trying to eat the burgers while their hot.
  4. In a small bowl, mix the ingredients for the panade.
  5. Break the bread into small pieces, then add everything else and mix it until it becomes a thick paste.
  6. In a large bowl, mix the ground beef with the mixture from the panade. It helps if the meat is more room temperature than super cold from the fridge.
  7. Divide the meat into six equal portions and form into compact, tight balls.
  8. Flatten them into patties (about 3/4 of an inch thick and 4 1/2 inches wide).
  9. Take the burgers out to the grill
  10. Depending on your grill, take some vegetable oil and a paper towel and oil the grill grates so they aren't so sticky.
  11. Butter the top side of the hamburgers and place the buttered side down on the grill. Close the grill and cook for 2-4 minutes.
  12. While you are being the grill master, make sure someone is preparing the avocado, tomato, lettuce, and onion for the burgers. If you like your onion grilled, then butter them and place them on the grill too.
  13. Open the grill and butter the side of the burgers that is facing you, sprinkle on some salt and pepper, then flip them over for another 2-4 minutes.  Cool until you reach the desired level of doneness.
  14. Did you remember the bacon?
  15. If you have an upper rack on your grill, once the burgers are done, place them on the upper rack and place the cheese on them so it gets nice and melty without scorching the burgers.
  16. If you are an over achiever, toast the buns on the grill by first basting them with butter. 
  17. Let everyone assemble their burgers and enjoy!

It doesn't have to be the perfect hamburger

Peter has some sort of love affair with McDonald's hamburgers that defies human understanding. And I get it, sometimes you just crave food that will never decompose and has no nutritional value. One time, we were in Paris with the greatest food available on the earth, and he wanted to go to McDonald's and get a cheeseburger. So we went and got McDonald's because we are terrible parents. But in the end, everyone was happy and we had a good time. It just goes to show that it doesn't have to be the best food in the world to have a great time. So take heart if your hamburgers aren't that good, or the meal isn't iron chef worthy, it's really just the being together that matters.