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PICNIC HAMBURGERS
Makes 4, adjust the volume proportionately
By Dennis W. Viau
If there are hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, I’ll go for
the hot dogs. It’s not that I especially like hot dogs; it’s just
that most hamburgers are nothing more than simple plain
beef patties that are cooked. At least hot dogs have added
seasoning. When I make hamburgers, I dress up my patties
by adding additional flavors to give them some zing.
Ingredients:
1 pound (454g) lean ground beef
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dry bread crumbs
A few gratings of fresh ground black pepper
4 to 8 slices American cheese
Onion deli rolls (rather than plain hamburger buns)
Directions:
Combine the ground beef, onion powder, and garlic powder in a large bowl. Grind some black pepper
into the bowl and add the bread crumbs. Mix well. You can pinch off a small portion of meat and shape it
into a small patty to fry and taste for salt if you prefer.
Divide the mixture into four equal parts to make four quarter-pounder hamburgers. Shape each patty
larger than the width of the bun, as the meat will shrink when it cooks. (I don’t like a thick patty.)
Butter the buns and toast on a barbecue grill or in a skillet. Remove and set aside. (This step can be done
in advance of the picnic. Keep wrapped so that they don’t dry out.)
Grill (or fry) the hamburger patties until almost well done, about 155°F (68°C)—the USDA recommends
160°F (70°C). Check with an instant-read digital thermometer if you have one.
Place the cooked patty on the bun and add a slice of American cheese. If you like extra cheese you can
put a second slice under the hamburger patty. Garnish with condiments or toppings as desired, but I like
them with just the cheese—the seasoning makes them good enough to enjoy.
The Step By Step guide begins on the following page.
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43. Copyright 2010 The Mobile Home Gourmet, MobileHomeGourmet.com, all rights reserved.
20110404
STEP-BY-STEP
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Here are my ingredients. I like to include some bread crumbs because I notice these patties yielding
some juice while they cook. The bread crumbs will capture some of that liquid for a juicier hamburger.
You’ll notice there is no salt. These burgers have enough flavor to require no salt. I also don’t buy regular,
generic hamburger buns. I prefer onion rolls for even more flavor.
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Place the patty ingredients in a large mixing bowl and combine. You can test for pepper (and salt, if you
prefer) by pinching a small amount of meat and shaping it into a tiny patty. Cook it and taste for flavor.
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I use a spatula to divide the meat into four equal parts. I started with one pound of ground beef, so I
know these patties will be quarter pounders. I also like to use parchment paper when shaping the patties.
It makes less mess and they are easy to spin around as I shape them.
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Here is my patty, ready for the grill. As you can see, I shaped the patty larger than the width of the bun.
These burgers will shrink when cooking. At this point they look like any other raw hamburger patty, but
wait until you taste them! In fact, you might want to surprise your picnic guests by not telling them the
flavor has been enhanced.
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I do not own a barbecue grill, so I use a skillet. Butter the inside of the bun and place on a hot skillet or
grill. Toast evenly and transfer to a plate. To save time, and space, at the grill, you can do this step well in
advance and store the buns in their original plastic bag to prevent them drying out.
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This is how I like the bun toasted, just lightly browned.
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Place the cooked patty on the bun and cover with a slice of cheese. For extra cheese you can place a slice
under the patty as well.
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These hamburgers have so much flavor, I prefer to eat them without adding any additional toppings.
You can add condiments, such as ketchup. A leaf of lettuce with a slice of ripe tomato, along with a little
mayonnaise, is also good. Mustard and grilled onions, hot chili, sautéed mushroom—the variations seem
almost endless.
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Conclusion
When I go to a picnic or barbecue, I really do wonder why the hamburgers are just plain beef. They have
so much potential. When guests eat my hamburgers they are often surprised by the amount of flavor in
them. We marinate chicken or slather it with barbecue sauce when we cook it on the grill. Why not also
dress up the plain hamburger and turn it into something special?
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