How should I cook a 1 lb hamburger?

Drez

Long story short, I bought some meat last week via Amazon Fresh and the expiration date is today. I could freeze it, but I don't really like to freeze/defrost meat.

I have 2 lbs left. They are in separate 1 lb containers. I'm going to brown and store 1 lb. The other lb I was thinking of making myself a gigantic burger since it's already kind of in a patty form.

Is this a terrible idea?

Can I actually cook this glob of meat in one fell swoop?

Typically, I use my indoor George Forman grill to cook burgers. Typically, they are pretty thin, so I'm not sure what kind of cooking time would be required for a huge fat meat patty. I also have a frying pan.

Any advice?

Darkewolfe

At that thick, it's going to be nearly impossible to consistently cook it throughout. What about making a meatloaf?

Solomaxwell6

Yeah, I recommend splitting it up and grilling a few normal sized burgs instead. It's going to end up much better than if you try grilling a giant slab-burger.

Drez

I guess.

But I was looking forward to making a giant slab burger.

I Zimbra

If you want to do it all in one go your best bet is probably to sear both sides in a cast iron skillet, and then throw the whole thing in a 375 oven until the center gets up to a safe temp.

But as Darkewolfe said, this is probably going to be suboptimal in terms of actual burger quality.

Enc

Grab your crockpot and make chili. Will keep longer and can be a meal or a condiment!

CelestialBadger

How hard is it to dig your hands in and squish up the meat into normal burgers for your Foreman grill? About as hard as playing with Playdoh.

MichaelLC

I'd make 10 thin burgers and just stack them up. Better meat and I think looks even cooler.
Then you can add cheese in between each meat patty. And/or bacon.

Super Namicchi

If you want to be a badass, you could sear and then sous vide the burger to your preferred doneness.

Drez

Yeah it's not difficult to make this into smaller burgers. And I'm not being lazy. I just want to put a gigantic circle of cooked meat in my mouth.

It sounds like sear + oven like cooking a steak is the best method, if I go through with this.

Maybe I'll just make meatballs.

Different question: The 1 lb I am going to brown...if I want to flavor that, say with worstchestshire sauce or teriaki marinade...do I add seasoning/marinade while I'm browning the meat...or if not, when?

Drez

ArcanisTheImpotent wrote: »

If you want to be a badass, you could sear and then sous vide the burger to your preferred doneness.

That does sound badass but I am too impatient for that

Super Namicchi

Add your worcestershires and soy sauces and what not while you're browning it

It will cook down and the sugars will caramellize

Drez

ArcanisTheImpotent wrote: »

Add your worcestershires and soy sauces and what not while you're browning it

It will cook down and the sugars will caramellize

OK thanks.

see317

Drez wrote: »

Yeah it's not difficult to make this into smaller burgers. And I'm not being lazy. I just want to put a gigantic circle of cooked meat in my mouth.

It sounds like sear + oven like cooking a steak is the best method, if I go through with this.

Maybe I'll just make meatballs.

Different question: The 1 lb I am going to brown...if I want to flavor that, say with worstchestshire sauce or teriaki marinade...do I add seasoning/marinade while I'm browning the meat...or if not, when?

If you do this 1 lb burger thing, I hope you take pictures of the end result.

For seasoning ground beef, I generally toss in the seasoning while it's cooking.
Granted, I tend to use seasoning salt or garlic powder if I'm browning meat then mix in a sauce (or hamburger helper stuff) once it's cooked.
Things may be different with liquid seasonings but with the surface area of the ground beef it's going to pick up a lot of whatever you toss in regardless of when you toss it in. But, you're not going to hurt anything by tossing the meat into a bowl with the seasoning and mixing it in there.

Drez

Maybe I'll add onion and garlic too. And I'll just brown all 2 lbs and make a few meals from it over the next week.

Fuck the giant burger.

Darkewolfe

Worcestershire or teriyaki you'll want to add later, not during the browning process. If you want to season while browning, go to more simple things that'll crust. Some salt, pepper and garlic maybe.

Maguano

Spray an 8- to 9-inch cake pan with cooking oil. Salt and pepper the bottom of the pan. Press the seasoned hamburger into the pan. Salt and pepper the top of the patty.

Place in a 350 F preheated oven. Bake the burger for abut 30 minutes until the center of the burger reaches 160 F.

Let the burger cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Slide a knife around the edges of the burger. Slide a spatula underneath the burger to loosen it away from the pan.

Put a plate on top of the burger. Flip the burger so the pan side is up. Gravity helps the burger come out of the pan on top of the plate.

stolen fromhere

Drez

Darkewolfe wrote: »

Worcestershire or teriyaki you'll want to add later, not during the browning process. If you want to season while browning, go to more simple things that'll crust. Some salt, pepper and garlic maybe.

OK but lets say there is no more cooking process once the meat is browned.

For example: I might brown meat, independently make rice, and then just mix the two together. If I'm not adding the sauces during browning, when/how do I introduce the sauces?

Drez

Maguano wrote: »

Spray an 8- to 9-inch cake pan with cooking oil. Salt and pepper the bottom of the pan. Press the seasoned hamburger into the pan. Salt and pepper the top of the patty.

Place in a 350 F preheated oven. Bake the burger for abut 30 minutes until the center of the burger reaches 160 F.

Let the burger cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Slide a knife around the edges of the burger. Slide a spatula underneath the burger to loosen it away from the pan.

Put a plate on top of the burger. Flip the burger so the pan side is up. Gravity helps the burger come out of the pan on top of the plate.

stolen fromhere

Thanks!

Drez

see317 wrote: »

Drez wrote: »

Yeah it's not difficult to make this into smaller burgers. And I'm not being lazy. I just want to put a gigantic circle of cooked meat in my mouth.

It sounds like sear + oven like cooking a steak is the best method, if I go through with this.

Maybe I'll just make meatballs.

Different question: The 1 lb I am going to brown...if I want to flavor that, say with worstchestshire sauce or teriaki marinade...do I add seasoning/marinade while I'm browning the meat...or if not, when?

If you do this 1 lb burger thing, I hope you take pictures of the end result.

For seasoning ground beef, I generally toss in the seasoning while it's cooking.
Granted, I tend to use seasoning salt or garlic powder if I'm browning meat then mix in a sauce (or hamburger helper stuff) once it's cooked.
Things may be different with liquid seasonings but with the surface area of the ground beef it's going to pick up a lot of whatever you toss in regardless of when you toss it in. But, you're not going to hurt anything by tossing the meat into a bowl with the seasoning and mixing it in there.

Thanks!

zepherin

Is hamburger helper on the table?

Drez

Well...I could go buy some, but I don't have any right now. I was thinking that too.

TNTrooper

If you want to cook a 1lb patty you want to flatten and stretch it out otherwise you get a 1lb meatball that is medium well on the edge and rare on the inside. Start on the grill for that grilled meat texture and flavor then transfer to the oven.

Xaquin

pics when it's done

ED!

You can absolutely cook a one pound burger. If you're worried about being sick, I wouldn't; it's not hard getting a 160 degree internal temperature to kill off bacteria that MAY be there. The only thing to really worry about is a consistent cook throughout the burger and it's rare (pun intended) that you get that anyway.

Super Namicchi

To elaborate on my comment earlier, you want to add your sauces after the meat is cooked but still searing for that sauce caramellization

Drez

I went with hamburger helper.

EclecticGroove

I would have broken it into 2 patties. Way easier to cook exactly as you want it. You still have your 1lb burger, but it's just a double burger (with or without extra middle bun piece as per your liking).

zepherin

Drez wrote: »

I went with hamburger helper.

I won.

And you won because Hamburger Helper is tasty.

Simpsonia

Use the Reverse Sear Method.

Basically cook in a 250F oven on a cooling rack (to keep dry) until the desired temperature (including Med Rare, if you bought good quality meat or ground your own). Pat the patty with a paper towel to dry the surfaces, then sear for 30-45 seconds per side in a rip roaring hot cast iron skillet to get a good browned crust. I've done this method many times for thick burgers (usually half pounders, but you can easily scale up).

darkmayo

id make a few smaller ones cook em, stack em together, put a different cheese between each patty then unhinge your jaw like a snake and pop it in.

Burtletoy

Alternatively;

Food expiration dates are, mostly, nonsense.

Figgy

Drez wrote: »

Maybe I'll add onion and garlic too. And I'll just brown all 2 lbs and make a few meals from it over the next week.

Fuck the giant burger.

Surprised noone caught this.

You shouldn't really be keeping cooked ground beef for a week. 3 or 4 days after you've cooked it, tops.

Drez

Eh.

Peen

Bullshit. You can keep cooked ground beef in the refrigerator for a week and it's fine. If it still looks fine and smells fine, it's fine. Surface mold is pretty obvious to see and smell.

Iruka

Seems like this is resolved.