best meat for hamburgers?
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I'm in the USA so we likely will be speaking different terminology. Entrecôte is what we call rib eye, I believe. Way too good for hamburgers. Although many restaurants around here like custom blends of meats - brisket, rib, etc - the best is really what we call chuck, shoulder area forward of the ribs. Basse côte. perhaps. 80-20 blend is preferred, 20% being fat... although some insist that 70-30 is better. For me that is just too much fat to watch get melted into oblivion rather than filling my belly. Grind is almost as important as the meat; twice ground is best. Season with salt and pepper only. Cook to desired doneness, anywhere between medium rare and medium-well... not well done!
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Brisket beef in my opinion
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I've experimented with this for years. The best I've come up with is equal parts chuck, brisket, and oxtail.
But oxtail is now expensive, and it's a huge pain to prepare for grinding (mostly bone). So now I use equal parts chuck, brisket, and shin. Shin is much leaner than oxtail, so I add in the marrow from the shin bones.
I also up the fat a bit with 5% butter, but this is optional. I mix in 0.7% salt and some black pepper.
Even more important than the meat selection is that you grind it fresh, shortly before cooking.
This blend works because chuck tastes like what we expect from a burger; brisket brightens and freshens the flavor (especially if it's pastured beef), and the shin adds super intense beefiness.
But oxtail is now expensive, and it's a huge pain to prepare for grinding (mostly bone). So now I use equal parts chuck, brisket, and shin. Shin is much leaner than oxtail, so I add in the marrow from the shin bones.
I also up the fat a bit with 5% butter, but this is optional. I mix in 0.7% salt and some black pepper.
Even more important than the meat selection is that you grind it fresh, shortly before cooking.
This blend works because chuck tastes like what we expect from a burger; brisket brightens and freshens the flavor (especially if it's pastured beef), and the shin adds super intense beefiness.
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This is very interesting. My first thought ... not at all to bust chops ... but is “preferred” the same as “common”?!? 80-20 I believe is the most common; maybe that makes it the most preferred. My choice for everything being made of a ground meat is 85-15. Anyone using 70-30 is either poor or cheap. Anything less than 15% fat comes out too dry and doesn’t show it’s flavor very well. And ... it’s too expensive.
I’m not sure the choice of meat is as important as the seasonings used and the proper cooking of that burger. I think using all those fancy meats just pushes the $$$ too much for a burger. I’m happy eating the brisket and rib for what they are. I’m sure as sure not going to use any rib-eye for a burger. Now on the other hand ... using scrap trim of those fancy meats is just fine. Use’em when you got’em.
I’m not sure the choice of meat is as important as the seasonings used and the proper cooking of that burger. I think using all those fancy meats just pushes the $$$ too much for a burger. I’m happy eating the brisket and rib for what they are. I’m sure as sure not going to use any rib-eye for a burger. Now on the other hand ... using scrap trim of those fancy meats is just fine. Use’em when you got’em.
"We work in kitchens ... It ain'te rocket surgery."
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Including some ground dry-aged beef will give your burgers a concentrated, steak-like flavor.
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I've been interested in ways to use dry-age trim for seasoning. Sometimes for burgers, I add butter (usually if I'm using very lean cuts, like shin). I might try infusing dry-age trim into melted butter, and straining it out, to use for this. And to use for some other things.
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