Home made burgers / Pink or well done?

Pulsedriver · 6 Jun 2019 at 12:52

Hey folks, more of a home made rather than restaurant question, the likes of GBK used to ask (they may still do I haven't been there for ages) how you wanted your burger, and I used to have it medium I believe / pink in the middle.
Now obviously the rules about steak vs mincemeat are different and when you read up, it is often advised to cook the burger to well done, is there a way to make home made burgers that CAN be a little less well done ? For example, a particular mince better than the other? (Steak mince for example?)

Or should I ditch the idea and just create a burger that is properly cooked through...?

Whilst we are at it, anyone have any good ideas for home made burgers? I have a burger press and fancy using it tomorrow for dinner! (and freezing the rest)

Scam · 6 Jun 2019 at 12:54

As much as I like rare steak I've grown to prefer my burgers well done. Or not pink, anyway. I don't see any flavour or texture benefit with eating them pink, in fact I prefer the opposite (easier crumble in the mouth and better searing on the outside).

Raymond Lin · 6 Jun 2019 at 12:56

I make Smashed burgers 9/10 so it's always well done, or JUST under.

Pulsedriver · 6 Jun 2019 at 12:59

Oh my they look amazing!

ttaskmaster · 6 Jun 2019 at 13:41

chroniclard · 6 Jun 2019 at 13:48

+1 for smash burgers, bought a cast iron plate so I can do them on the BBQ.

seabiscuit · 6 Jun 2019 at 14:19

You could always consider sous vide them untill they are cooked rare fully through safely, then sear (or chill and sear maybe for more crust, not sure if that would work) once done.

Avenged7Fold · 6 Jun 2019 at 14:50

Rule of thumb, if its pre-minced, you got to cook it all the way through. Grinding meat exposes it to the potential nasties and having it sit ground up in the fridge/supermarket/butchers is inadvisable.

HazardO · 6 Jun 2019 at 15:58

Avenged7Fold said:
Rule of thumb, if its pre-minced, you got to cook it all the way through. Grinding meat exposes it to the potential nasties and having it sit ground up in the fridge/supermarket/butchers is inadvisable.

As above. If you want to make rare burgers or steak tartare, you need to start with a solid piece of beef, cut off the outside, and then mince and use within a couple of hours. The burger places that do medium rare steaks normally mince the meat that morning.

Avenged7Fold · 6 Jun 2019 at 16:23

HazardO said:
cut off the outside

I was thinking earlier, could you instead seer the outside of a thick cut at super high heat for literately a few seconds and then proceed to grind it up?

Scam · 6 Jun 2019 at 16:37

I'm also starting to think that two thin patties is the way forward which makes it nigh-on impossible to have them rare anyway. But the extra flavour you get from 4 sides of crust (as opposed to 2 on a single patty) is awesome. Bring on the Five Guys, nom nom

ttaskmaster · 6 Jun 2019 at 17:02

PlacidCasual · 6 Jun 2019 at 17:56

I would have thought the high fat content desirable in a beef burger would necessitate well done to get the flavour.

arc@css · 6 Jun 2019 at 18:02

Bought some from Morrisons the other day. Delicious raw or cooked.

https://groceries.morrisons.com/web...2-British-Beef--Bone-Marrow-Burgers/464501011

jpaul · 6 Jun 2019 at 20:40

how do they get away with the pink burgers in the usa then ? eg Chili's

( c4 had a programme this week on chlorinated chicken , or moreover, an expose of a particular usa companies poor chicken processing standards, they acknowledged,
I think 700 people dieing from food poisoning, was it 4 in the UK ... so I'm guessing that's the explanation )

edit: seems in the usa restaurants medium rare at 70C for 15 seconds is minimum, >90% of reatsurant bring in their ground beef too ... so why can't we buy similar patties in the UK
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/ehsnet/docs/jfp-ground-beef-handling.pdf

PlacidCasual · 6 Jun 2019 at 21:15

Certain chemical reactions especially involving salt can leave meat pink though cooked. Like salt beef for instance.

ninezerofive · 6 Jun 2019 at 21:15

Scam said:
As much as I like rare steak I've grown to prefer my burgers well done. Or not pink, anyway. I don't see any flavour or texture benefit with eating them pink, in fact I prefer the opposite (easier crumble in the mouth and better searing on the outside).

Same here

BUDFORCE · 6 Jun 2019 at 21:45

I eat burgers home made from ready ground mince beef pink.

Never done me any harm.

Flibster · 8 Jun 2019 at 16:08

Slightly pink. I cook them to 65°C

BlueMerle · 8 Jun 2019 at 22:07

jpaul said:
how do they get away with the pink burgers in the usa then ? eg Chili's

( c4 had a programme this week on chlorinated chicken , or moreover, an expose of a particular usa companies poor chicken processing standards, they acknowledged,
I think 700 people dieing from food poisoning, was it 4 in the UK ... so I'm guessing that's the explanation )

edit: seems in the usa restaurants medium rare at 70C for 15 seconds is minimum, >90% of reatsurant bring in their ground beef too ... so why can't we buy similar patties in the UK
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/ehsnet/docs/jfp-ground-beef-handling.pdf

Yeah, there are many places in the US that serve pink burgers. Some chains like Chili's and Red Robin and many one off boutique places where you can see, through a window, the butcher cutting and grinding the meat fresh.

That said, I agree with all the advice given here regarding the proper way to consume solid vs. ground meat.... that said, unless you're buying your ground meat from a guy in a pickup truck on the side of the road who clearly speaks english as a second language, you're most likely ok. Most likely.

Most, if not all, TV chefs, here in the States, are now saying it's ok to eat pork that has been cooked medium.

Modern animal husbandry and processing techniques, if followed properly, will prevent any contamination.

There is one exception and I'm reminded of an old saying here in the States. Should you ever find yourself in a room with the Queen of England, always bow/courtesy, never speak unless spoken to, and never ever ask the Queen to pull your finger! (either you get it or you don't.

)

Never ever eat chicken that isn't fully cooked!

FTR, I like my steaks rare, my burgers pink and I'm not sure if I can eat pork cooked to medium.