Sup cu/ck/olds. Pathetic NEET here, trying to learn how to cook for myself.
Forgive my for any mistakes that seem entry level to more seasoned coo/ck/s.
One of the basic dishes I'd like to master is the burger.
Not any old burger, mind you, but the classic smashed, crusty, greasy spoon gruel burger you can find all over here in Flyoverland.
My first attempt, while less than stellar, was still edible. I'd like to see if you can help me work out the kinks with it.
>formed the beef into balls, approximately halfway between the size of golf/billiard balls
>seasoned the balls with a fuckton of sea salt and black pepper
>put skillet on the stove at max heat, let it warm up
>buttered the skillet, put buns in, smashed them down and let them fry for a few seconds
>buttered the skillet again, put in beef-ball, seasoned-side-down
>30-45 seconds later, smashed it down with the spatula and seasoned the raw side
>flipped it when the sides started to crust
>put cheese on after another 30 seconds or so
>removed when cheese was melted
>repeat for other patties
Here were the 3 problems I ran into...
>fuckton of smoke, had to open all of the windows and doors
>burger was far too salty. recipes all said to use liberal seasoning, but i was almost sweating
>patties weren't as flat as I would've liked, and they didn't stack very well. burger was a mess by the end
Also, I am mildly concerned I contaminated everything while cooking.
How often should I wash my hands while dealing with raw beef?
>>7783676
Seems easy to fix.
>>smoke
Turn your heat down.
>>salty
Use less salt next time
>>contamination
If you touch raw beef then wash your hands before you touch anything else. Pretty simple.
When I make burgers I form the patties and put them on pieces of wax paper. Then I wash my hands. At that point I never need to touch the raw beef again because I can use the wax paper to move the patty onto the pan or grill.
>>7783702
Points 2&3 seem simple enough, and I will take note.
In regards to #1, the only reason I had the heat so high was because this style of burger is known for a hard browned crust on the outside with a juicy interior.
Can I pull this off at lower heat?
Dont pish when forming the balls, it will become a meat brick, form it hard enough for it not to fall apart.
Also dont smash the burgers or press them down, you're supposed to let the juices stay inside the patty.
>>7783760
That's a myth. You only lose the juices if you wait too long to smash it.
>>7783708
Gradually raise the heat?
>>7783764
Well, pressing on it too hard will still result in leakage. I guews I just took the word smash too literal.
>>7783708
>Can I pull this off at lower heat?
Sure. Start with a high heat to get that sear, then lower the heat to finish cooking the patty.
>>7783767
This isn't going to give the sear OP needs.
But you might find a happy medium. U just have to try med-high next time. see about the smoke and sear.
>>7783788
This. Just pay attention to what's going on in the pan as a clue for how to set your heat. You want to hear that "sizzling" sound the instant the meat hits the pan. If it's not sizzling then the heat is too low. On the other hand, if it smokes then the heat is too high. Adjust your heat using those two points as a guide. Hot enough to sizzle, not so hot that it smokes.
I'd also suggest toasting your buns in the pan after you're done cooking the burger. That way the buns will be flavored by the burger juices. If there's too much fat in the pan then just pour out some of it before putting the buns in. You want enough to flavor the buns but no so much that they get soaked.
>>7783676
>turn pan on highest setting
>throw in butter
Use less heat.
>throw a fuckload of salt on
>too salty
Use less salt.
>make balls
>smashes on grill
Make patties.
How dumb can you be?
>>7783837
Not as dumb as someone who advises against smashing burgers in a smashed burger recipe :^)
>>7783844
smashed burgers are memes.
>>7783852
>I was only pretending to be retarded
>>7783858
Wow, you sure got me!
>>7783676
its the style i do most 2, so here goes
>you dont season the beef before,you season in the pan
>skillet medium heat, add the buns to the hot butter and let it fry for a decent amount, bread burns on high temp and gets a nice sear on medium/low temp
>no extra butter when adding the beef, in fact you actually wipe your skillet roughly before if using the same one, the fat from the beef should be enough, the excess butter fucks with the hard sear you are looking for
>smash it pretty much immediately, maybe after 10 sec
>you turn when you see the top start turning from pink to done, cheese immediately after, stack after 10 secs or smth
the smoke problem comes from butter and remaining particles from the bread i suppose.
Butter burns on high temps, you should use canola oil or smth similar at these temps.
i trust you understand how to make your food less salty.
make them larger, use something to press down on top of your spatula, whatever you can find (hammer, potatoemasher whatever)
Beef is no problem at all, i mean wash your hands by all means, but you dont need to worry unless your beef was old or smelly, at which point you shouldnt use it anyways.
GL next time
>>7783676
My recipe for crusty, smashed, fast food style burgers is pretty good. Potato buns, 70:30 ground chuck, a pinch of salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder. Season your beef and form thin, loosely packed patties. You want em to hold their shape but still have nice nooks and crannies. Heat up your pan then add canola oil. High heat will give you a hard crust and won't overcook your burger. Let em sizzle for about 3 mins each side. As for toppings i‘ve been using green chile and cheese sauce lately. Cheez whiz works fine too. It's all trial and error really. Eventually you'll come up with your own nuances.
