My simple, clean, super-juicy burger recipe illustrates a fundamental of the science of meat. When I was working at Sofina Foods, two operations vice presidents fancied themselves BBQ experts. I make my burgers with salt, water, and ground beef. That is all. These two vice presidents did not believe that my simple recipe would produce a great burger. So, I challenged them to try my recipe and technique. They took up the challenge. After following my recipe and my process for making burgers, they arrived to work ahead of me the next Monday morning smiling and animated with a sample of their prized burgers. They were excited about how deliciously juicy the burgers were, how they cooked without fire flaring up, or shrinking into small pucks.
This recipe uses the science of meat, heat transfer, and emulsification to manage the water content in the meat. In short, you want your burger to retain water because so much is lost during cooking.
That process starts by breaking down components in the meat and bringing them to the muscle’s surface using a small amount of salt. Doing this lets those components hold water, develop a delectable texture, emulsify the fat in the meat (so it doesn’t just drip away on the grill), and bind the meat together (so it doesn’t fall apart on the grill).
When the salt has brought these meat components to the surface of the muscle, the meat will feel sticky or gluey. That’s when you know the meat proteins are ready to hold water, emulsify fat, and bind to other meat.
In the Sofina Foods Executive Process Mastery training, this burger recipe is now foundational to understanding just one aspect of food science in action.
Makes 4 servings
1 lb (454g) lean or extra-lean ground meat (chicken, turkey, pork, beef), kept cold
1 tsp salt
⅓ cup cold water
Seasonings: Pepper, garlic or garlic powder, finely diced onions or onion powder, chili powder
Put the cold ground meat in a bowl. Add the salt directly to the meat.
Work the meat with a spoon or your hands until it is tacky.
Add the water and work the meat until the water is absorbed.
Make four ¼ lb patties. Hold them overnight for juicier burgers.
Place on a hot grill or griddle.
Flip when the underside is easy to lift off. Flip one more time for the final sear.
Cook burgers completely to 160°F (71°C).
Rule of thumb: Use ice cold water. The meat proteins are best extracted at cold temperatures around 0oC. When you hold the burgers overnight in the fridge they will absorb the water and hold on it more tightly. The burgers will not shrink or flame in the grill.
You can find this recipe and more like it, along with a more thorough introduction to meat science in my cookbook “Like Magic! Use the magic of science to release the chef in you.
For more on making juicy burgers, check out my “How to” video on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dQ13x-QDvg
