For years I made cheeseburgers on the grill that fell apart while cooking them, and half of my burger fell into the charcoal. I learned a nifty little secret that prevents the burgers from falling apart... mix one egg per pound of hamburger. They taste great! There's also several different optional ingredients that you can add to make a great burger!
This recipe is for about 6 to 8 cheeseburgers.
Hamburger Ingredients:
-
2 lbs. of hamburger
-
2 beaten eggs
-
1/4 yellow onion, diced fine
-
1 inch of ginger, diced fine
-
4-5 pieces of garlic, diced fine
-
1 teaspoon salt
-
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
-
8 Cheddar cheese slices (my favorite)
-
8 hamburger buns
Combine all the ingredients into a large bowl. Make a ball with some meat and toss it from hand to hand about 25-times each. This packs the meat firmly and guarantees that your burger will not fall apart on the grill. If you don't smash your burgers with a spatula or poke them while they're cooking, the burger will be VERY juicy when it's done.
Believe it or not, a
little finely diced carrot or celery also works.
Barbecue Techniques
I've learned a few barbeque techniques over the years that most people don't know. A lot of people just dump their charcoal into the barbeque, like I used to do; but a better method is to make a pyramid so that the heat can center within the pyramid. This way you won't have to reignite your charcoal a dozen times to make it go. Also, you don't need to cover the entire grill. In fact, it's best not to so you can move food to the sides when it is almost done to prevent burning. Also, a lot of people burn their food because the heat is too high. A lower heat and a longer time to cook makes the meat more juicy. Never poke your meat with a fork or knife because it'll let all the juices out. Cooking low and slow makes meat more juicy.
Keep a little spray bottle handy with water, so if the juices in the meat catch fire you can gently spray the fire away (or you can just move the meat to the sides of the grill until the fire settles down). Another method is to place the barbeque lid over the meat to smother the fire. Keep the bottom vents open and the top vents closed. This helps make the meat juicier and also more flavorful from the smoke. The key is not to have the heat too high. I used to put way too much charcoal in my grill, which produced way too much heat and dried out the meat. Just make a pyramid in the middle, almost to the underside of the cooking grill. Turn the meat often.
And believe it or not, an electric fan is great for getting a stubborn fire going. Fire needs air and a fan provides forced air.
Enjoy!
