The Obligatory Hamburger Grill Part I

All right this is the season where the barbecues are fired up and meat burned to perfection. Ergo, let’s talk some great burgers, shall we?

Charcoal vs. Gas

The first major debate is charcoal vs. gas, and by extension hardwood and electric. Gas grills are great for convenience as it just takes a few minutes and you are grilling. However, that convenience comes at the cost of flavor; there is no flavor imparted by the process itself. At the same time, charcoal takes longer to get ready, as well as having smoke to deal with, but imparts some flavor to the food. Charcoal grills are also cheaper. Generally, anything that applies to an gas grill applies to an electric grill, and the same for charcoal and hardwood grills.

First off: Grill Prep

The grill should be cleaned as soon as you get it. For new grills this means making sure that any packaging is dealt with and that it has been quickly cleaned to deal with any packing materials that may have stuck to the grill. An older grill that you inherit or purchase must be cleaned just to make sure it’s healthy to use. A wire brush, hot soapy water, hot water for the rinse, and a warm grill are usually best. A grill you are about to use needs to be seasoned for essentially non-stick use; all you need to do is soak some paper towels in vegetable oil and then continue to wipe down the grill until it is glossy black.

The Burgers

Before you do anything with the burgers, keep in mind that you want to do as little mixing as possible; the more you mix things into the burger, the more its proteins start talking to each other and the tougher the burger will be when it cooks. That said, start with one teaspoon of salt per 1-1/2 pound of hamburger or your favorite mix; any Lipton dry soup  mix is recommended, such as French onion dip. You can also mix in other ingredients, such as teriyaki sauce and even ketchup. However, keep mixing down to a minimum or you will end up with tough burgers; you may want to try marinating, but do so for short periods to avoid the burger breaking up.

Oh, one last thing: The ideal burger is about 80% meat and 20% fat; this keeps the burger from shrinking while maximizing flavor. Keep that in mind while shopping and you should be okay.

That’s enough for now. Next we’ll be cooking your burgers….