Burgers - Eggs? Bread crumbs?

[CyberdineX]

Hi Brethren,
I am sick of store burgers and I am goign to start making mine from scratch.

What are you thoughts on fillers.
I will be going with 20% ground beef, and will likly play with stuffing and filling with bacon, sausage etc.

But I would love to hear tyour thoughts on binders. Are they needed?
Eggs, Egg yoke only, Bread crumbs?

My first inclination is nothing that is just a filler, but ... will the burgers work better with some binder?

Thanks,
Chuck

Meat-a-tarion
----
Vermont Casting 524 Signiture Series Grill, UDS in Design Phase

 

[BBQinMI]

I never use binders in Burgers. It has never been needed

 

[HossIsBoss]

Hi Brethren,
I am sick of store burgers and I am goign to start making mine from scratch.

What are you thoughts on fillers.
I will be going with 20% ground beef, and will likly play with stuffing and filling with bacon, sausage etc.

But I would love to hear tyour thoughts on binders. Are they needed?
Eggs, Egg yoke only, Bread crumbs?

My first inclination is nothing that is just a filler, but ... will the burgers work better with some binder?

Thanks,
Chuck

Meat-a-tarion
----
Vermont Casting 524 Signiture Series Grill, UDS in Design Phase

When I make my hamburgers I just put worcestershire sauce in them.
Never tried any binders.

 

[1buckie]

Careful......start using binders & yer steppin' off the cliff into meatloaf territory.....soon your burgers will become HUGE !!!!!!

 

[MS2SB]

All you need is 80/20 ground beef and salt and pepper.

Start with a nice loosely packed ball of meat and toss it back and forth between your palms until it reaches the thickness you want. Season with salt and pepper. Grill.

 

[JamieK]

The binder is usually egg, I use at least 1 egg depending on how many I making. Bread crumbs are not need but I use them or oatmeal on mine, which helps soak up the fat and juices as it cooks and retains the flavor.

 

[deguerre]

Yep. No binders. Also, forget the pre-ground stuff at the store, as you can't cook them as rare as you'd like due to e-coli issues. Grind your own! So much better.

 

[qman]

Yep. No binders. Also, forget the pre-ground stuff at the store, as you can't cook them as rare as you'd like due to e-coli issues. Grind your own! So much better.

Yep, this.
I stopped buying ground meat in stores long ago. Grind your own. Much better.

 

[LMAJ]

Grind it, form it, grill it!

Binders are for meatloaf and meatballs, not burgers!!

 

[Carbon]

All you need is 80/20 ground beef and salt and pepper.

This. :biggrin1:

 

[AussieMatt]

You're almost describing an Aussie rissole. Ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, shredded carrot and onion etc.

But burgers, like everyone else, 80/20, salt and pepper.

Matt

 

[bigabyte]

I don't like adding fillers like that, I think it affects texture too much, making it more like meatloaf or meatballs than burgers.

However, if your intent was to stretch a dollar out, then mix it with ground pork. I've been happy even as high as a 50/50 mix of ground pork with ground beef, but experiment to your tastes. Pork is still considerably cheaper than beef, and if you grind your own you can grind up the best deals on pork and beef you can find.

 

[CyberdineX]

Thanks everyone for your feedback so far,

I would rather not use any binders / filler but was concered about the burgers fallign apart.

As for grinding my own meat, this is a longer term goal for me. What type of grinders are people using? What should I expect to spend on a grinder that will do a good job and last?

thanks,
Chuck

 

[eggzlot]

for hamburgers I do not use a binding. I tend to make turkey burgers more often these days, and then I use about 1 egg for every pound of turkey meat. It helps the turkey burgers stay together.

 

[swimmy]

I made venison burgers last week. After four attempts at making a patty that did not crumble as I tried to peel it off the plate, I used two eggs and some bread crumbs. But for beef patties, I don't use anything other than some light spices. I find that a thicker patty solves the crumbling problem just fine.

 

[landarc]

If I am making pure hamburgers, no fillers. Sometimes I like to add chopped onions and water chestnuts to the burger, along with some Worcestershire sauce, then I add some egg and bread to the mix. But, that is rare these days.

 

[Smokey Al Gold]

I never use binders when I make 80/20 beef burgers. I try to keep the patty as loosely packed as I can since it makes for better texture. I hate tough burgers. However when I make vension burgers a binder of egg and breadcrumbs really helps hold it together. Good luck!

 

[NickTheGreat]

No binders, especially if you're using 80/20.

 

[spider22]

If you are using 80/20 no binders should be needed for burgers.

 

[Bludawg]

I bind 80% lean Chuck with 20 % Beef fat add some Woosty and Uncle Chris's Gourmet Steak Seasoning Salt & Peppa frozen into 5.33 oz servings.