Let’s Talk Burgers
Growing up, I loved hamburger night at my house. Mama made thick, juicy burgers in a skillet and served them with big ol’ french fries and enough ketchup to drown the whole shabang in. Alright, so I was the one adding the flood of ketchup but it set the whole meal off perfectly in my mind. On nights when we didn’t have buns, she’d just serve the patties topped with sauteed onion slices (which she cooked in the skillet along with the burgers) and call it hamburger steak. Either way Mama went with this, it was a win-win.
I sure do miss having Mama make my hamburger,
but since I’m the Mama these days, I reckon she’s done gone and passed the torch.
So, as the head hamburger-cooker, this is how I turn out juicy and taste filled burgers. I look forward to hearing how you make your burgers. Do you have a secret ingredient or method that people just rave about? What toppings do you like? Are there any unusual sides that you just have to have? As a fellow burger enthusiast, I’d love to hear how they’re served at your house – or your favorite restaurant. Feel free to reply to other comments as well if you want to chat about it a bit. No sense in being shy, this is your home, too!
I use ground beef (whatever is cheapest), egg, and dry french onion soup mix.
I LOVE onions with my burgers but my family doesn’t (at least they think they don’t ~ hehe!) so this way I can have my onions and they are clueless.
Add all of your ingredients together. I am using about two and a half pounds of ground beef here.
I mush it all up. The best way to do this is just with your hands.
Shape patties into doughnuts.
The hole in the middle keeps the hamburger from puffing up into one big ball and also helps it get done evenly.
As it cooks the hole fills in.
After you brown the patties really well on both sides, add a cup or so of water to the pan so that they can continue to cook without burning and get done all of the way.
Right before you take them up, top a few with slices of cheese for those who like cheeseburgers.
Can you believe I don’t care for cheese on my burger? I’m an odd bird, I know.
My perfect burger includes a side of big old steak fries and some Comeback sauce to dip ’em in!
This picture shows hamburgers served with Comeback sauce and a a side of abomination – otherwise known as “green bean fries”. That was a new fangled recipe I figured I’d try so I could bring it to you if it was good.
Well folks, I can honestly say that they “look” good, but I can’t go beyond that. After making these, from now on if I want green beans, I’m gonna eat green beans. If I want fries, I’m gonna eat fries. Trying to turn green beans into fries worked out about as well as trying to turn broccoli into mashed potatoes:). Just my opinion!
Now this is where you come in! I know y’all make some awesome burgers and there are limitless variations (just about all of which I’d personally like to try!).
How do you make your burgers? I’d love for you to share your favorite burger recipes with me in the comments below. Tell me how you like to make ’em, how you like to eat ’em, how you like to serve ’em, and what you serve ’em with. If you’d like to include any actual recipes in your comments, go right ahead! (Yipee!!)
Feel free to respond to other folks comments as well if you’d like, We’re all friends here. 🙂
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Click here for Comeback Sauce recipe!
Got Leftovers?
Hamburger patties are SO EASY to recycle into future dishes! I allow my patties to cool and them crumble them up before placing them in a freezer bag. Next time you make chili, taco soup, beef casserole, or the like, just pull out your crumbles and toss them in. You’ll have the convenience of using pre cooked beef, the added zip of the onion soup mix flavor, and the pride in not wasting your leftovers!
“If something intolerable simply cannot be changed, driven away, or shot – Southerners will not only tolerate it but take pride in it as well.” – Florence King
Submitted by Aunt Kathy. To submit your quote, click here.
Oh, please do yourself a favor and buy leaner ground beef! I used to buy the cheap stuff too, I was feeding a family of 7. Now, I can’t eat the cheap stuff, my body won’t tolerate it anymore. It’s so bad for you, and you too will pay for it one day. Just keep in mind what we do to our bodies won’t catch up with up till our 40’s or later. It’s well worth the extra money to provide a healthier food supply. I love your site and have tried many recipes, I love to bake, I just don’t eat alot of it. I love to share!
Hey Sue!
Thank you for your concern, you are so sweet to care like you obviously do about me and mine!
I’d be happy to buy more expensive ground beef if I could afford it. Until then, I’m just grateful and so thankful for all of the wonderful food I am able to put on the table. I do boil my ground beef when I use it in recipes such as tacos, chili, spaghetti, etc, so that gets rid of a great deal of the fat content.
Isn’t it wonderful to be able to live a life where we can just go get food whenever we want it?
We’re all so fortunate.
Grateful for you,
Christy 🙂
You’ve made me homesick! My mother always had a round hamburger press to make her burgers. She would press the meat into the round thing, then mash down with fork tines to makes ridges, then flip the fork up and use the end to make a hole in the middle. Perfect and cooked through every time! We marinate with Zesty Italian dressing and either Dale’s or Moores – lots of flavor.
OHMIGOSH,
I have NEVER thought of marinating in Zesty Italian and I love everything zest italian touches!
Oh my, I know I have a new favorite and I can’t even imagine how good it is yet!
The best burgers in the world are at the Blue Dot in downtown Pensacola! OK, that’s arguable, but they’re darn good by any standard. I wish I knew how they made them because they are only open for lunch and I can’t get there often!
I usually just shape the patty and dust it with garlic salt, black pepper, and red pepper and then throw it on the grill. Sometimes I shake a little Worcestershire on there, too. Thanks for the tip about the hole in the center. I’ll give it a try!
Alright Sonya,
I gotta know – did you spell Worcestershire sauce right the first time?
I always have a jim dandy of a time spelling that word, even though I’ve actually studied it for the purpose of blogging!
I need to check out Blue Dot. Any idea what they do to their burgers? What do they taste like?
Thank you!!!
Christy 🙂
Ha! Well, I knew how to spell it in my mind, but my fingers weren’t cooperating entirely so I had to fix a typo or two! Spelling it is even harder than pronouncing it!
The Blue Dot is a little hole-in-the-wall place that only sells burgers and rib sandwiches. They have no sign out front and their hours are a guideline, not a rule! I definitely tasted pepper in the meat, but I’m not sure what else. I need to go back for more! Mustard is the dominant condiment, (Hey, that rhymes- sorta!) and the tomatoes are ripe and juicy!
I love fried egg on my burger! Especially with cheese and bacon. And Sometimes I do a teriyaki burger with grilled pineapple (Kind of like a banzai burger..but a lot cheaper!)
I swear I am trying this fried egg on burger thing soon, Lindsay!
Now tell me, is a banzai burger something from a restaurant or is it just a type of burger you make at home?
Indulge me…I don’t get out much 🙂
Banzai burger is a burger from Red Robin which there are two of in the Huntsville area you lucky dog. They aren’t cheap but boy are they good. If you want I can send you the knock off Banzai burger recipe to try at home. You’ll just have to leave the cheese off.
My husband and I love the show Man Vs. Food and they had on there “Juicy Lucy’s”, so he tried making them and they are so delicious! What he does is he puts the cheese inside of the hamburger before cooking it. Makes sure the burger is all sealed up, then cooks it. Then, when you take a bite, the cheese just comes pouring out like a delicious volcano. I think I’m gonna have him cook them tonight…
Oh my that does sound good, even though I’m not a cheeseburger person!
I love the name, too. My grandmother, Lucille, is sometimes called Lucy. We’d have fun with this one. I gotta call Mama now!
Stir in some blue cheese crumbles to your raw meat for a different treatof a burger.
You know, I’ve never in my life had blue cheese! Okay, it is now going on my list of things i need to get around to trying!
We love to add 1/2 sleeve of crushed Ritz crackers, a good dollop of steak sauce, some garlic powder, and an egg. We do the doughnut thing too and it helps in making a great big thick (but not burnt)patty. Thanks, Christy!!
I love the Ritz idea! I’ve done it with saltines, which I really like, but Ritz amps it up even more!
I need to get me some steak sauce. I really love the stuff but never buy any – go figure!
Thank you!