Have been battling....

dougcrann · May 2016

...burgers falling apart in the Egg. Have tried a few different binders. Bread crumbs...just don't care for what they turn the burgers into. Perhaps the best way to describe it....to stiff. Cheese...still fell apart. Eggs...eh. Somebody on here mentioned adding a bit of water to the meat. 2 tablespoons per pound of meat...works like a charm. Wish I could remember who suggested it...but a sincere thanks to whomever you are.

dogoffo · May 2016

Do you use a patty press? I use the following and haven't had any problems with burgers falling apart:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/adjustable-nonstick-burger-press-sale/?pkey=e%7Cburger%2Bpatty%2Bpress%7C65%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C4&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH

THEBuckeye · May 2016

I "roll, round and pack" burgers. Never had an issue. No fillers, nothing. Round, chuck or sirloin.

Miked125 · May 2016

I hand form, use cheese or bread crumbs, sometimes nothing.... I find the key is to put them in the fridge or freezer for a bit to keep the form.

MCRyan · May 2016

Cook them on a Lodge Griddle and use a press, or the back of a stiff spatula to smash the round meatball (a little smaller that a tennis ball) into a patty. Best damn burger you will ever eat. I simply season with worschteshire sauce, S&P. That's it! Awesomeness.

gabriegger · May 2016

I use the flat side of a cast iron grill to solve that issue

dougcrann · May 2016

dogoffo said:

Do you use a patty press? I use the following and haven't had any problems with burgers falling apart:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/adjustable-nonstick-burger-press-sale/?pkey=e%7Cburger%2Bpatty%2Bpress%7C65%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C4&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH

Have tried a press....still fell apart. Meat has enough fat in it that I have very little arm hair from flipping burgers. I have talked about this on 3 different bbq forums...probably have 5 or 6 threads going. Have tried everything....except going "smash mouth". Reason we decided to use water...bought a pack of Tri Tip roasts (5) to cut into steaks. Took the scraps, ground them up. Divided it into pound packs and froze. When making burger patties Ernie couldn't help but notice how "wet" they came out. In the past if I wasn't very gentle placing the patties in the Egg, didn't wait til a very heavy crust formed prior to flipping the patty just came unglued. With the trip tip meat I was able to drop the patties on the grate...and move them prior to the crust forming...
Sorry for rambling..

DaveRichardson · May 2016

I stick with good ole 80/20 and haven't had a problem with them falling apart. I've done indirect "beer-can burgers" and direct regular and raised-direct without a problem.

I'm a simpleton. I like bread, meat, and cheese and another piece of bread. Sometimes some catsup, caramelized onions, and mustard/mayo blend. I don't do all the other stuff that people do to burgers.

Theophan · May 2016

I'm fascinated! I've always had the opposite problem! I've never in my life had a burger fall apart, but I've way too often felt like my burgers were too dense, and I'd packed them too hard. All of the experts talk about very lightly forming the patties. Seems to me like it has to be that you and I are simply on opposite sides of the spectrum on this, that I'm forming them too hard, and you're forming them too loosely. (And I'm talking about pure beef, no bread, no eggs, no nothing -- just 80/20 chuck, usually.)

Hmm... or maybe too thin. I recently made some Balkan-style burgers (see my "Pljeskavica" post), and they're usually way big around (practically fill a plate) but very thin, and I pressed them thinner than 1/4", and they looked fine when I put them on, but as they cooked they developed holes in them, and started to fall apart. Are you making super thin burgers?

blasting · May 2016

No disrespect to the poster recommending the patti press, but unless you are trying to replicate a burger from McDonalds, this isn't what I'd do

Burgers should be loosly formed, not compressed. If the meat has warmed up, I put in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · May 2016

MCRyan said:

Cook them on a Lodge Griddle and use a press, or the back of a stiff spatula to smash the round meatball (a little smaller that a tennis ball) into a patty. Best damn burger you will ever eat. I simply season with worschteshire sauce, S&P. That's it! Awesomeness.

did that last night with SRF beef. It's the only way I cook burgers now.

ChokeOnSmoke · May 2016

blasting said:

Burgers should be loosly formed, not compressed.

Totally agree.
I assume they're falling apart when you're flipping them. The key is to not flip until they are half way done. If you flip before the meat naturally releases from the grid, it will fall apart. Burgers should only be flipped once and only after they've firmed up half way through the cook. That's my technique for loosely formed burgers.

NPHuskerFL · May 2016

I use about the size of a cue ball or slightly smaller and form out inform into a patty. And then place between precut parchment and continue on layering each onto a cutting board, cookie sheet or whatever. Place into the freezer on flash freeze while the egg is preheating. By the time the egg has preheated it's time to cook some burgers. The lack of binder has no effect and the burgers come out nice. I believe in not overworking the beef in making the burger. I don't like compacting it. If I wanted compact I'll make Smashburgers. This works well cooking direct on the grid but, even better on CI IMHO.
*edited to correct what google voice mistyped

JRWhitee · May 2016

ChokeOnSmoke said:

blasting said:

Burgers should be loosly formed, not compressed.

Totally agree.
I assume they're falling apart when you're flipping them. The key is to not flip until they are half way done. If you flip before the meat naturally releases from the grid, it will fall apart. Burgers should only be flipped once and only after they've firmed up half way through the cook. That's my technique for loosely formed burgers.

You hit the nail on the head! I have cooked burgers this way for years and they never fall apart.

bhedges1987 · May 2016

In my opinion you are not forming them enough.

Skiddymarker · May 2016

blasting said:

No disrespect to the poster recommending the patti press, but unless you are trying to replicate a burger from McDonalds, this isn't what I'd do

Burgers should be loosly formed, not compressed. If the meat has warmed up, I put in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up.

Agree on loose pack and not compressing too much. Some folks use of a press and literally stand on the handle, not a good burger at all. We have an old 3 piece Tupperware press that works like a charm, a light touch is all that is required. It is very easy to over-process using a burger press, unless as @blasting notes you are Radioactive Ronnie or the King.
Key to getting the looser pack burgers to stay together is to make sure they are at least 1/2 cooked before you flip them - IMO best burgers are still done on the flat-top.

hondabbq · May 2016

I was taught to work the fat when forming burgers.
I have one hand above and below, palms up and toss to each hand slightly squishing and 1/4 turning when tossing back to The other hand. I do this 20-30 times. Burgers flatten and don't crack.
I only add seasoning. No fillers, binders of any kind.

DaveRichardson · May 2016

Also, I have found that meat that has been frozen to a brick and then thawed makes a pretty crappy burger. Those have gotten a little loose on me before...

Have been battling....

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