The Perfect Hamburger

This is what you will end up with; a perfect cheeseburger with homemade french fries. I’ll add those later.

Take one pound of ground beef, turkey or whatever meat you prefer & lay it out then flatten. Not too much, though, because it will make it harder to work with down the road. Then sprinkle with a liberal amount of kosher salt & knead together till it is thoroughly mixed.

Split the meat into two equal portions.

If you don’t have a patty press then form your patties as evenly as possible. If you do have a patty press, I recommend covering the patty press with wax paper so that the meat doesn’t make too much of a mess. It’s also a lot easier to clean up afterwards.

Press the lid down after you have it adjusted to the proper thickness and do the same with the second patty.

Let the patties sit for no less than ten minutes. This allows the salt to properly adjust the flavors of the meat, it makes the meat juicier and it also allows the juices to re-distribute when it is cooked.

Set your range to medium because this will cook the meat properly and not burn it if watched well. I use a griddle ’cause it heats up faster & holds the heat better but you can use a pan as well; just follow the same steps.

1: Put pan or griddle on stove until it is heated up to a point where you can put your hand about three inches above the pan and you can feel some serious heat.

2: Then place the patties on the pan.

Cook the patties till they are showing about 1/4″ cooked on the underside. When they are flipped they will have a nice crust on the once-underside. Then wait till the burgers are fully cooked to your desired doneness.

Put your buns onto the griddle & toast till the edges are nice & toasted.

If you want cheeseburgers, add the cheese to the freshly cooked patties right after they are pulled from the grill or pan. Let them sit there for about 3-5 min. to allow the juices to redistribute through the meat.

Yes, I know it sounds silly, so :P

Once the buns are pulled from the griddle they should look like this. Add a thin layer of mayo or miracle whip and some freshly ground pepper. Then immediately place the hot patties on the buns to create a killer sauce under the patties.