A Hamburger Patty How To

We have tried adding different ingredients to our hamburger patties to spice them up a little bit. We have used yellow mustard and a little olive oil with spices. DH didn't like it not because the taste was bad but they were prone to flame up. After many tries and combinations, we final hit on one that is just right for us. 

This is the combination we like the best and it grills well too.

The Sills Family Hamburger Patties

• 2 pounds of ground beef
• garlic salt
• black pepper 
• onion powder
• Worcestershire sauce

I crumble the ground beef in to a large bowl. I add a few shakes of garlic salt, black pepper, and onion powder, then I add a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce. I use a big wooden spoon to combine everything, then you are ready to shape the patties. 

Spice added, now to combine everything.

I have tried several methods to shape the hamburger patties. We even have a hamburger press that works well for the first two then the grease of the meat makes for a mess after that. This is the method I have final hit upon that makes the patties big enough and thick enough for us. It also results in a juicy well-done hamburger patty. (I won't allow any raw meat to be in our patties. To big of risk for E-Coli and other foodborne illnesses.)  

Once the meat and spices have combined, I turn the meat out on to my square shape cutting board. I gently shape the meat into a square shape and then divide meat into even pieces using a knife or metal spatula. I pick up each section and quickly roll into a ball. I place it back into the bowl until I have used up all the meat.

I take a ball of meat, place it on the cutting board, and smash it down slightly with the palm of my hand. I begin shaping the patty by gently turning the meat between my hands into a circular shape and flattening more as I go. The result is a well formed patty. 

A well-formed patty. Not to thick and nicely rounded.

The last thing I do is to make an indention in the middle of the patty. This helps the patty to grill evenly and not puff up in the middle. It works like a charm. I place all the patties on a platter with the indented side face down and put them in the frig until we are ready to grill. This gives the meat a chance to rest and helps to set the shape. Now if your husband pays careful attention to his grilling duties, you should have a pretty good grilled hamburger patty. 

Close up of the indention.

Loving the simple pleasure of summertime meals on the grill!