How To Make The Perfect Hamburger - Weber Kettle Charcoal Grill Cooking - BBQGuys.com

The Ultimate Hamburger: A Step-by-Step Guide by Chef Tony Matassa

Choosing the Right Ground Beef

When it comes to making the ultimate hamburger, you want to start with the right ground beef. Chef Tony Matassa recommends using 80/20 ground chuck, which is made from the chuck cut of the cow. This type of beef has great flavor and a good balance of lean meat and fat. The "80" in 80/20 refers to the percentage of lean meat (80%) and fat (20%). If you use 8020 ground beef, it can be ground up and come from anywhere on the cow, which may affect the flavor.

Preparing the Patties

To prepare the patties, start by breaking up the ground beef into looser pieces. This will make it easier to blend in the seasoning evenly. You can use any seasoning you like, but Chef Tony Matassa prefers a simple combination of coarse salt, red pepper, and black pepper. To pre-blend everything well, sprinkle in about half of the seasoning blend and then add the bacon bits (if using). Give everything a light mix to ensure the flavors are evenly distributed.

Adding Bacon to the Patties

For the ultimate hamburger, Chef Tony Matassa likes to include some par-cooked bacon in the patties. To do this, let the bacon cool and then chop it up into small pieces. Add the chopped bacon to the seasoning blend and mix everything together again. This will give the burgers an extra boost of flavor.

Portioning Out the Patties

To portion out the patties, start by creating loosely packed mounds of meat. This allows you to easily add any remaining meat to the portions if needed, ensuring everyone gets an equally awesome burger. Make each patty by lightly pressing down only a few times, avoiding over-compaction which can lead to a dry, rubbery burger.

Lighting the Charcoal Grill

To light the charcoal grill, Chef Tony Matassa recommends using natural lump charcoal. This type of charcoal creates a rich, smoky flavor that is essential for the ultimate hamburger. To get started, pour some lit coals into the grill and add a second chimney full of unlit charcoal on top. Make a pyramid shape with the coals to ensure even lighting.

Assembling the Grill

Once everything is lit, spread the coals out evenly across the entire grill. This will help distribute the heat evenly and cook the burgers consistently. Now it's time to put on the cooking grid and close the lid to let the grill preheat.

Grilling the Burgers

Chef Tony Matassa likes to grill his burgers with the lid off for the initial sear, which allows them to get a good amount of flame-broiled flavor. As the patties start to develop a gray color on the edges, it's time to flip them. To do this, simply shift the patties to the outer edge of the kettle and place the lid back on, leaving both the bottom and top vents slightly cracked.

Cooking the Burgers to Perfection

After about 2-5 minutes of smoke, the burgers should be ready. Allow the patties to rest for about 5 minutes to redistribute the juices and let them cool slightly. This is a great time to add cheese on top of each burger, allowing it to melt perfectly.

Dressing the Burger

Finally, it's time to dress the burger. Chef Tony Matassa likes to lightly toast the buns with foil while adding condiments and toppings such as lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. The finished burger is now ready to be devoured.

The Ultimate Hamburger: A Close Look

As you take your first bite of the ultimate hamburger, the flavors will explode on your taste buds. The chopped bacon adds a smoky, savory flavor that complements the rich beef perfectly. The cheese melts in harmony with the juices, creating a cohesive and satisfying taste experience. The bun provides a gentle crunch, holding everything together while adding a subtle sweetness.

Conclusion

And so, the ultimate hamburger is complete. Chef Tony Matassa's step-by-step guide has led you through the process of making this mouth-watering dish. With its perfect balance of flavors, textures, and presentation, it's no wonder why the ultimate hamburger is a staple of American cuisine. Whether you're a seasoned chef or a novice cook, this recipe is sure to inspire you to create your own culinary masterpiece.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi I'm Chef Tony Matassa today I'll show you how to make the ultimate hamburger and that begins with choosing the right ground beef you want to get 80/20 ground chuck that way you know it comes from the Chuck it has great flavor 80% lean 20% fat if you get 8020 ground beef they can grind it up and it can come from anywhere on the cow they choose now we'll cover a few tips on how to put together the patties Begin by break up the ground beef into looser pieces this will make it a little easier to blend in the seasoning evenly you can use whatever seasoning you'd like but I like to keep mine simple with just some coarse salt red pepper and black pepper you can get the full recipe of everything we're doing today at bbqguys.com back/on you want to pre- blend everything well so that you don't have to overwork your meat sprinkle in about half of the seasoning blend this next step you don't have to include but for the ultimate hamburger I like to do some par cooked bacon I let it cool and chop it up like this and then we'll blend it in with the seasonings give everything a light mix now add in the second half of your seasoning blend and bacon bits and a second mix today I'm using 2 lbs of ground chuck to form six patties start by portioning out Loosely packed Mounds this allows you to easily go back and add any remaining meat to the portions ensuring everyone gets an equally awesome Burger make the patties by lightly pressing down only a few times overly compacting the patties will lead to a dry rubbery Burger finish each Patty by making an indentation in the middle this will keep them from swelling higher in the center like like a tennis ball when grilled when it comes to lighting your charcoal ditch to lighter fluid all you need is a few wad up paper towels and a Chimney Starter like this by the way I always use natural lump charcoal because I really love the flavor it creates pour the liit coals into your grill and depending on the size of your grill you might need to add a second chimney full of unlit charcoal make a pyramid in the center so that the second batch of unlit coal will get lit evenly as well once everything's lit spread them out evenly across the entire Grill now it's time to put on the cooking grid and close the lid to let the entire Grill get preheated it's Burger time I like to grill the burgers with the lid off for the initial sear so they get a good amount of the flame broiled flavor that I'm after the middle of the kettle will tend to cook a little bit hotter because of the air coming through the center at the bottom so don't worry if you have to shuffle the burgers a little bit when you flip them or you can even give the cooking grid itself a half turn while cooking when you see the sides of the patties begin to turn a little gray it's time to flip just remember where there's fire there's amazing flavor show no fear once Sear shift the patties to the outer edge of the kettle and place the lid on leaving both the bottom and top vents slightly cracked this will dwell down the temperature and finish cooking the burgers through while infusing them with Great Smoky flavor after about 2 to 5 minutes of smoke the burger should be ready these look delicious look at that bacon infused goodness you always want to rest your burgers for about 5 minutes allowing the juices to redistribute this is a great time to put some cheese on top allowing everything to perfectly melt Loosely tint with foil while toasting buns it's time to dress this burger I can't wait to give this a taste now that's the ultimate hamburger here's a closer look at the inside yum mhm the chopped bacon definitely makes that an ultimate hamburger thank you for watching for more recipe videos like you saw today and full printable recipes check us out at bbqguys.com back/on I'm Chef Tony Matassa and remember at BQ guys.com we smoke the competitionhi I'm Chef Tony Matassa today I'll show you how to make the ultimate hamburger and that begins with choosing the right ground beef you want to get 80/20 ground chuck that way you know it comes from the Chuck it has great flavor 80% lean 20% fat if you get 8020 ground beef they can grind it up and it can come from anywhere on the cow they choose now we'll cover a few tips on how to put together the patties Begin by break up the ground beef into looser pieces this will make it a little easier to blend in the seasoning evenly you can use whatever seasoning you'd like but I like to keep mine simple with just some coarse salt red pepper and black pepper you can get the full recipe of everything we're doing today at bbqguys.com back/on you want to pre- blend everything well so that you don't have to overwork your meat sprinkle in about half of the seasoning blend this next step you don't have to include but for the ultimate hamburger I like to do some par cooked bacon I let it cool and chop it up like this and then we'll blend it in with the seasonings give everything a light mix now add in the second half of your seasoning blend and bacon bits and a second mix today I'm using 2 lbs of ground chuck to form six patties start by portioning out Loosely packed Mounds this allows you to easily go back and add any remaining meat to the portions ensuring everyone gets an equally awesome Burger make the patties by lightly pressing down only a few times overly compacting the patties will lead to a dry rubbery Burger finish each Patty by making an indentation in the middle this will keep them from swelling higher in the center like like a tennis ball when grilled when it comes to lighting your charcoal ditch to lighter fluid all you need is a few wad up paper towels and a Chimney Starter like this by the way I always use natural lump charcoal because I really love the flavor it creates pour the liit coals into your grill and depending on the size of your grill you might need to add a second chimney full of unlit charcoal make a pyramid in the center so that the second batch of unlit coal will get lit evenly as well once everything's lit spread them out evenly across the entire Grill now it's time to put on the cooking grid and close the lid to let the entire Grill get preheated it's Burger time I like to grill the burgers with the lid off for the initial sear so they get a good amount of the flame broiled flavor that I'm after the middle of the kettle will tend to cook a little bit hotter because of the air coming through the center at the bottom so don't worry if you have to shuffle the burgers a little bit when you flip them or you can even give the cooking grid itself a half turn while cooking when you see the sides of the patties begin to turn a little gray it's time to flip just remember where there's fire there's amazing flavor show no fear once Sear shift the patties to the outer edge of the kettle and place the lid on leaving both the bottom and top vents slightly cracked this will dwell down the temperature and finish cooking the burgers through while infusing them with Great Smoky flavor after about 2 to 5 minutes of smoke the burger should be ready these look delicious look at that bacon infused goodness you always want to rest your burgers for about 5 minutes allowing the juices to redistribute this is a great time to put some cheese on top allowing everything to perfectly melt Loosely tint with foil while toasting buns it's time to dress this burger I can't wait to give this a taste now that's the ultimate hamburger here's a closer look at the inside yum mhm the chopped bacon definitely makes that an ultimate hamburger thank you for watching for more recipe videos like you saw today and full printable recipes check us out at bbqguys.com back/on I'm Chef Tony Matassa and remember at BQ guys.com we smoke the competition\n"