Sometimes, even your favorite foods can seem like a routine. So why not improve on them a little? Take the ever-present burger: if you’ve had enough combos but want to go to the next level, then learn how to make stuffed burgers. We’re telling you how.
The heart wants what the heart wants. And sometimes, even if you’re madly in love with a regular burger, you can’t help but crave something out of your safety zone. Something that looks like a classic on the outside, but it has a gooey cheese surprise on the inside. That’s right, I’m talking about stuffed burgers. And if you’ve pricked up your ears right now, it means that you want to find out more about making them.
I love trying out new burger places, but what I enjoy more than that is making my own burgers, handpicking the ingredients and doing the seasoning myself. When I do that, I sort of always end up with a tower of toppings over that patty – juicy sauteed mushrooms, pickles, way too much bacon, and at least two sauces. Yeah, I sometimes go overboard. So sue me.
5 tips and tricks for excellent stuffed burgers
1. Choose the right meat
Go for something that has a bit of fat too, don’t make the patties too lean, or they will fall apart on the grill if they have nothing to hold them together. 80/20 ground beef is perfect for the task. Feel free to mix different types of meat for different flavors. Pork and lamb are good, but chicken and turkey will probably not work out so well.
2. Make two smaller patties
So a pound of ground meat will yield about three normal patties. Well, what you have to do is divide the meat into six equal portions, because each stuffed patty will be made with two of these thinner and tinier patties.
Form the portion into patties. press them to become thin. But not too much, or you’ll overwork the meat into becoming chewy. And you don’t want that. Please consult these tips for better burgers, too. Press them on a cutting board, so that you don’t have to handle them a lot. And press in the middle, leaving a raised outer rim, to help you stick the two patties later.
For another stuffed burger idea, check this wonderful spicy option!
3. Don’t overdo it on the stuffing
Make sure that the two patties stick together fine and that the stuffing isn’t too much for them to handle. Don’t be greedy! You just want an added touch on the inside, not a whole stew, right? Two tablespoons should be more than enough for this.
You can pick out your fillings. Of course, low moisture cheese is always a favorite, because thanks to the heat, it tends to melt and when you bite into it, you get to enjoy it fully.
But you can also go for fried bacon, onions, and mushrooms. Yeah, you have to cook these first, unlike the cheese, because they won’t have time to be cooked through once you put them on the grill. Things that have a lot of moisture in them should be drained of liquid before being used as stuffing.
4. How to seal?
Add the tablespoons of stuffing on half of the thin patties, then place the ones without stuffing on top of the other ones. if you have trouble doing this, use a spatula, so that they don’t fall apart. Use the outer rim of the patties to stick them together. Make sure you seal them. You don’t want the filling to end up burned in the pan or on the grill.
5. Grill away
Use very high temperatures for this. But your stuffed burgers will be thicker than other patties and will need to stay on the grill more than usual. Just be gentle with them while they’re grilling, you don’t want them to fall apart and take your culinary dreams with them. Yeah, I’m being hyperbolic for dramatic effect! Only flip them once, for safety. And once one side browns, make sure that it’s actually done.
