The Real Burger

By Mark Bittman

Total Time: 20 minutes
Rating: 4(382)
Notes: Read community notes

Here's one way to know you're using great meat in your burger: Grind it yourself, using chuck roast or well-marbled sirloin steaks. “Grinding” may sound ominous, conjuring visions of a big old hand-cranked piece of steel clamped to the kitchen counter, but in fact it’s not that difficult if you use a food processor, which gets the job done in a couple of minutes or less. The flavor difference between this burger and one made with pre-packaged supermarket ground beef is astonishing, and might change your burger-cooking forever.

Featured in: For the Love of a Good Burger

Learn: How to Grill

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1½ to 2pounds not-too-lean sirloin, cut into 1- to 2-inch chunks
½white onion, peeled and cut in chunks, optional
Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Start a charcoal or wood fire or preheat a gas grill. Or, on stove top, heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat for 3 or 4 minutes.
Step 2
Put meat and onion in a food processor, in batches if necessary, and pulse until coarsely ground: finer than chopped, but not much. Put it in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Taste, then add more seasoning if necessary. (If desired, cook a teaspoon of meat in a pan before tasting.) Handling meat as little as possible to avoid compressing it, shape it lightly into 4 or more burgers.
Step 3
Fire is hot enough when you can barely stand to hold your hand 3 or 4 inches over rack for a few seconds. Grill burgers about 3 minutes a side for very rare, and another minute a side for each increasing stage of doneness, but no more than 10 minutes total unless you like hockey pucks. (Timing on stove top is the same.)
Step 4
Serve on buns, toast or hard rolls, garnished as you like.

Ratings

4 out of 5

382 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Stacy6 years ago

Use a combo of boneless short ribs and sirloin.
Great flavor mix.
Grinder best for large amounts
Food processor OK for smaller amounts
Dont overprocess
Dont overshape

Joe Zahner6 years ago

A couple of things about this recipe. The food processer is not the best tool for this job. For better results you should use the meat grinding attachment for the kitchen aid. Get the blade and all metal attachments very cold in the fridge or freezer.
A much better cut of meat for your burger is boneless chuck. The fat content is idea. Sirloin will be too lean.

Don't cut the meat into cubes but long strips for feeding in to the hopper. Much easier.

Season well ahead. Enjoy!

E G6 years ago

Prefer using grinder attachment on my KitchenAid mixer.

Bob6 years ago

Based on my experience, 100% sirloin would be awfully lean. It does have good flavor though. I use a Chef's Choice grinder attachment on my Kithen Aid. I have experimented with different blends and have now hit on one that I believe is optimized for my taste. My mix is about 10% sirloin/tenderloin; 30% chuck, 30% brisket and 30% short rib. This is just a rough guide. This mix gives you a lot of flavor, tenderness and juiciness. Also tried oxtail. Not worth the labor IMHO.

Walter F5 years ago

The optional onion works but it is even better if slightly caramelized before hand. As an added element some sliced or minced garlic is a great addition for garlic lovers. Last and possibly least some pancetta or bacon adds a less traditional flavor. Start with the core recipe and then have fun

Ulrich Schmitz6 years ago

The best taste ever!

Andy6 years ago

A stand alone meat grinder is $30; just buy one. If you eat meat-- which if you're reading this, I assume you do -- you won't regret it.

Aunt Balloon6 years ago

I opt for a mixed-species burger, beef with some pork, veal, even lamb tossed in. An old universal grinder, the kind your grand- or great-grandmother had, is perfect for grinding the meat, with the onions and other matter added every few chunks. Clean-up is easy.

Peter Wall5 years ago

I really hate to say this but I’m going to say it anyway. Go to McDonalds and try the new (fresh) Quater Pounder with cheese. Then duplicate the recipe at home. Not a lot of extras like lettuce & tomatoe but try it then comment.

Loves_to_cook1 year ago

I’ve been putting onion in my ground beef for years and only started using ground sirloin, and even better ground bison, as the base. The sirloin is not too lean for burgers, but the bison is the best. Bison is virtually fat free, totally lean, flavorful meat. It can’t dry out unless you forget it on the fire.

Sean2 years ago

Put the meat cubes in the freezer for 15-20 min first to firm them up. You’ll get s better grind with the processor.

Jack C.3 years ago

I make a good amount of sausage every year in various flavor profiles. I believe that seasoning the meat before grinding workers better than seasoning after. For burgers you are mainly talking about s & p, but even sliced garlic added before is a good touch.

Robert Lemon3 years ago

James Beard's "cheeseburger" is my go-to version. Lean ground beef is mixed with grated sharp cheddar cheese into the patties; the cheese is the fat you need for a juicy burger. S+P and a bit of Worcestershire sauce and you will have a very delicious burger.