How to make beef taste better? (specifically, ground beef for hamburgers)

[Kaido]

I have a gluten allergy, so I usually don't get to enjoy a bun on a burger when I go out to eat because I do a lettuce wrap instead. Thus, the flavor of the beef becomes more of a focal point. I've been to a few places like BurgerFi where the meat is really good (vs. say Five Guys, where the meat is somewhat bland, but makes up for it with the bun & accessories - which is not great if you're eating a patty wrapped in lettuce & can't eat the bun!). BurgerFi uses natural Angus (a product line of the brand), which tastes awesome; I've also tried their dry-aged beef but I like their regular patties better. Not sure what the other places use. Been looking around the web and reading through articles like this:

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives...ger-blend-profiles-of-eight-cuts-of-beef.html

And discussions like this:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/853189

I like 80/20 the most for burgers, but I haven't found any that match the flavor of places that have good beef. I've tried various types of beef (and bison), as well as different fat contents (80/20, 85/15, 90/10, etc.). I've also tried various spices & flavorings (garlic salt, MSG, etc.) without much luck - doesn't improve the beefiness. I typically do my burgers over a charcoal fire, although I also use a gas grill and pan-fry (either cast iron or Teflon) sometimes. About the only route I haven't gone is leaf lard, but I'll be trying that from a local farm later this month :wub:

I think the next step is to find a good local butcher (my first theory is that fresher = better flavor) or to try something like ground chuck. I have a Kitchenaid mixer and have been considering the grinding attachment for it for awhile, although I'm not convinced it's worth the money because I don't know if the meat flavor will be phenomenally or just marginally better. So I'm not sure if I just need to find a specific brand (like 80/20 natural Angus) or what. Any insights?

TL;DR: Goal = find or make ground beef with more beefy flavor

 

[OCGuy]

How did Bison not help? That would be my #1 answer for improved flavor.

 

[5150Joker]

Salt

 

[Imported]

Salt. I imagine really fresh beef won't produce the beefyness you're looking for? I'd age it a little prior to grinding to get more flavor out of the beef.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Fat and salt. You might give monosodium glutamate a try. Also, eating beef with veggies is good for flavor and texture contrasts. Lettuce doesn't count.

 

[SagaLore]

Mix half bison with half of grassfed beef, the fattiest ratio you can find. Just add a little coarse sea salt while you're mixing it together. When you're grilling, don't press the patty down.

 

[Kaido]

How did Bison not help? That would be my #1 answer for improved flavor.

Bison is fabulous. I love bison. But it's also doubled in price in my area (now $10 a pound) and has a different flavor than beef.

What I'm looking for, specifically, is beef with a more beefy flavor. I suspect that I just need to find a good butcher and get really fresh stuff. I've gotten meat at both my local supermarket & at Whole Foods. They all taste about the same. So I want to keep the bison separate from the beef. I want the same beefy flavor that yummy restaurants have. Maybe they brine their beef in a bouillon, I dunno, but whatever it is, it tastes better than what I make at home!

 

[feralkid]

Grind it yourself using various cuts, like brisket, short ribs, sirloin, etc.


Oops, I guess your link already covered that.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

80/20 mixed 70/30 with ground pork and cooked over charcoal

 

[Kaido]

Fat and salt. You might give monosodium glutamate a try. Also, eating beef with veggies is good for flavor and texture contrasts. Lettuce doesn't count.

Yes, as mentioned in the OP, I have used MSG. Also, the burger meat in the lettuce wraps is quite good, which is the flavor I'm trying to replicate. I usually load it up with veggies regardless though :thumbsup: But the meat is meaty and the beef I get at the supermarket just doesn't compare. I've also tried a variety of salts (tablet salt, Kosher salt, sea salt, garlic salt, etc.).

 

[DigDog]

spices and finely chopped veg. onion, garlic, parsley, peppers, even celery. just don't overdo it.

i like to keep a pepper mill with red, black and green pepper in it, and a 20% of szechuan pepper in it as well.

 

[Kaido]

Grind it yourself using various cuts, like brisket, short ribs, sirloin, etc.

That's what I'm curious about - does grinding it yourself with various cuts result in a far better flavor? Or just kind of a "meh, it's better" flavor? It's $50 to $100 for the Kitchenaid attachment, which is a pretty dang specific tool for how often I'd use it (I'd rather invest in a sous vide device!).

 

[eldorado99]

OP has the answer in his OP. Ground chuck.

Other tips include salt and pepper both sides. You can also put a cube of butter in the middle of the raw patty and when you BBQ it the butter melts out and keeps it moist until it reaches safe eating temp. Make sure you keep your BBQ clean and lubricated using olive oil for extra points because you get nice grill lines on the patty that way.

 

[Kaido]

spices and finely chopped veg. onion, garlic, parsley, peppers, even celery. just don't overdo it.

i like to keep a pepper mill with red, black and green pepper in it, and a 20% of szechuan pepper in it as well.

Yeah I've done a lot of that before too. What's interesting is that there are a lot of little places popping up around Hartford that specialize in "natural" beef - nothing really added to the beef itself. And they are surprisingly good! Same with the nicer restaurants (like our awesome Plan B local chain). So I don't know if I need to find some hippie beef somewhere or what (no hormones, grass fed, etc.).

 

[Imported]

You could try a hand grinder for under $30. I hear oxtail does wonders too.

 

[Kaido]

OP has the answer in his OP. Ground chuck.

That's the one thing I haven't tried. I haven't seen it for sale locally, so I'm not sure if you can ask a supermarket meat guy to grind it for you, or if you need to see a butcher or just grind it yourself.

 

[eldorado99]

Another thing I like to do is BBQ an onion slice for each burger. Everyone can put as much or as little of the slice on as they want. But I always end up putting the whole smokey onion slice on the burger. You gotta skewer them with two skewers to make it easy to flip and hold it together, and brush with olive oil often or it will dry out.

 

[Kaido]

You could try a hand grinder for under $30. I hear oxtail does wonders too.

Anyone here tried grinding beef themselves? Does homemade improve the flavor? Any particular combination? $30 sounds pretty reasonable...a hand-crank wouldn't be all that bad for doing a pound of burgers a week.

 

[nehalem256]

Try a steak or other beef intended to be eaten without a bun.

 

[feralkid]

That's what I'm curious about - does grinding it yourself with various cuts result in a far better flavor? Or just kind of a "meh, it's better" flavor? It's $50 to $100 for the Kitchenaid attachment, which is a pretty dang specific tool for how often I'd use it (I'd rather invest in a sous vide device!).

I've found it to be much more flavorful. Adding bacon is also good if you need to increase the fat ratio.

I have a small hand grinder I found at a thrift store. Easy cleanup.

 

[Kaido]

Found some pretty good reading here:

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/hamburgers/zen_of_hamburgers.html

Sounds like fresh-ground chuck with 20 to 30% fat is the way to go. Nom nom nom :awe:

 

[Kaido]

I've found it to be much more flavorful. Adding bacon is also good if you need to increase the fat ratio.

I have a small hand grinder I found at a thrift store. Easy cleanup.

What cut(s) do you use?

 

[Kaido]

Another thing I like to do is BBQ an onion slice for each burger. Everyone can put as much or as little of the slice on as they want. But I always end up putting the whole smokey onion slice on the burger. You gotta skewer them with two skewers to make it easy to flip and hold it together, and brush with olive oil often or it will dry out.

Ah I go the opposite route - either I do thin-sliced raw onion (like a sweet onion) during final burger assembly, or I go nuts and caramelize the onions in a pan and get all fancy with avocado and stuff :biggrin:

 

[Kaido]

Try a steak or other beef intended to be eaten without a bun.

Filet mignon burgers :wub:

 

[William Gaatjes]

I use a little bit of garlic and oregano to add flavour while baking and then add slightly baked slices of onions.