There was a bit of a discussion regarding hamburgers in the middle of another thread. I cannot remember where it was, but I took some advice I read there and will report my experience.
Typically, I buy the imported angus hamburgers at Playero when they don't look frozen then unfrozen, and frozen again. They are good, have a nice amount of fat to add flavor, but they cook up a bit hard. I have seen Dominicans use these hamburgers, thaw them put the meat together in a ball, and reform them so they are not so compressed. The outcome is more like a hand patted burger and it is good. I typically don't have time to do this because by the time I get home from work and scurry around, I am thawing the burgers and as soon as they are thawed, I cook them.
BUT- in the thread am referring to, someone wrote that the 80/20 hamburger at PriceSmart is the best. I doubted what I read because it is not imported meat, but yesterday, was at PriceSmart so I bought it. It comes in large rolls. Mine was 7.16 pounds. When I arrived home, I divided it up into 6 packages and froze all but one, planning on doing the great hamburger experiment. There was no strange meat smell like there often is in local ground beef.
When it was time to cook, I got out my favorite cast iron pan and sprayed it with just a little PAM. I put it on the stove to heat up while I made 2 burger patties. Seasoned the patties well with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then put them on the stove. After a few minutes, I went to check on them and there was not one bit of grease in the pan. Strange, I thought. I flipped the burgers and the nice spice crust I made that was supposed to cook in the grease, looked burnt. I cooked the other side and took them out of the pan. There was not one drop of grease in the pan!!!!
How could these be 80/20 hamburgers???
They tasted fine, in fact the flavor was okay. But not the juicy burgers I anticipated.
So I guess I will use the remainder of the 7 pounds of ground beef in recipes other than burgers.
.......and am still on the look for the perfect homemade, patted burger!!!
Typically, I buy the imported angus hamburgers at Playero when they don't look frozen then unfrozen, and frozen again. They are good, have a nice amount of fat to add flavor, but they cook up a bit hard. I have seen Dominicans use these hamburgers, thaw them put the meat together in a ball, and reform them so they are not so compressed. The outcome is more like a hand patted burger and it is good. I typically don't have time to do this because by the time I get home from work and scurry around, I am thawing the burgers and as soon as they are thawed, I cook them.
BUT- in the thread am referring to, someone wrote that the 80/20 hamburger at PriceSmart is the best. I doubted what I read because it is not imported meat, but yesterday, was at PriceSmart so I bought it. It comes in large rolls. Mine was 7.16 pounds. When I arrived home, I divided it up into 6 packages and froze all but one, planning on doing the great hamburger experiment. There was no strange meat smell like there often is in local ground beef.
When it was time to cook, I got out my favorite cast iron pan and sprayed it with just a little PAM. I put it on the stove to heat up while I made 2 burger patties. Seasoned the patties well with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then put them on the stove. After a few minutes, I went to check on them and there was not one bit of grease in the pan. Strange, I thought. I flipped the burgers and the nice spice crust I made that was supposed to cook in the grease, looked burnt. I cooked the other side and took them out of the pan. There was not one drop of grease in the pan!!!!
How could these be 80/20 hamburgers???
They tasted fine, in fact the flavor was okay. But not the juicy burgers I anticipated.
So I guess I will use the remainder of the 7 pounds of ground beef in recipes other than burgers.
.......and am still on the look for the perfect homemade, patted burger!!!
