We are all busy. It’s a fact. Most of us do not have time to make our meals from scratch. In an ideal world, we would all shop only from the outside aisles of the supermarket and buy only the ingredients that we need to craft our meals from the basic building blocks on up. However, in a realistic world, that just does not happen. Work, kids, family and personal responsibilities all get in the way. That means that we need to sometimes make do with what’s already put together for us.
Outdoor cooking is happening all over the country during this time of year. Hamburgers make up a big part of that activity. We’ve previously discussed how to make some great hamburgers on this site. That article talks about how to put together a small set of ingredients to make a tasty hamburger. But what do you do when time prohibits you from making hamburgers from a large pile of ground beef? How about sprucing up your store bought hamburger patties?
Most supermarkets sell pre-made hamburger patties which are ready to be thrown on the grill. These patties are typically presented as a clump of ground beef in roughly a a quarter-pound disk. There’s usually no seasoning, herbs or taste included. These beef patties will suffice, in a pinch, when you’re looking for a quick meal. However, if you spend just a few extra minutes, you can add a nice level of taste to these bland patties. Here’s how to do it:
The first, and most important, step is to allow the patties to come up to room temperature. Letting the patties come to room temperature allows any additional seasoning you add to be pressed into the meat. It also allows for better grilling performance due to the fact that the grill heat is only being used to cook the hamburger patty, not to defrost it first.
The second step is to add herbs and seasoning. A good place to start is with a simple mixture of salt, pepper and chopped parsley. Apply liberal amounts of each seasoning item to each side of the patties and press in. When possible, fresh parsley is best, but the chopped parsley flakes you can buy in your supermarket spice aisle will do in a pinch. Salt, pepper and parsley are trusty standbys, but you can also use many different variations. If you want a bit of a spicy concoction, try our dry rub recipe. You might also want to try placing diced onions and peppers along with small bits of bacon into the patties. The key with the last few items is to make sure they are small amount and that they aren’t overdone. Remember, you are looking to enhance the flavor of the hamburger patty, not overbear it with too much of anything.
Now you’re ready to grill after you’ve persuaded some more flavor out of the patties. Remember to follow the grilling instructions we recommend here. Enjoy!
Like this article or have some more tips on how to spice up your run of the mill hamburger patties? Let us know!
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