Ground Beef Burgers on a Tight Budget.

Let's face it, most of us cannot afford beef these days.  Hamburger is outrageously priced.  So, here is what I do with it, when I can afford it.

I prefer a leaner hamburger, but 73/27 and 80/20 are going to be cheaper, YET, if you cook them in a pan, all you have left behind is water and fat.  Believe it or not, I have seen the same out of 90/10 hamburger as well.  I think most chain grocery stores probably label the hamburger all the same, sometimes.  The only way you will know what you really have is if you grind it yourself or actually see your butcher grind it.  But this is for those of us who have to depend on chain grocery stores.

This is for a pound of 80/20.

In the pictures I used one clean plate, plastic wrap, cooking spray and seasonings.

Limit the amount of time you use "working" the hamburger.  The more you work it, the more tough it can get.  My amount was perfect in the package so I made it into a log very quickly and pinched off a little more than golf ball sized balls.

Place your hamburger ball on a sheet of plastic wrap.  You should be able to fold it over the hamburger, leave space in the fold for expanding and shaping.  Now you will press out the hamburger, moving it around as you go, to make a circle.  Spread it out as thin as you would like, trying to keep its shape.  (I am making mine for "loaf bread" LOL).

Now that you have done this, place this onto your plate that you have put plastic wrap on and sprayed the wrap with just a little cooking spray so it will not pull apart your hamburger when you go to take it off.  Then, you will sprinkle your seasonings (I used celery salt, onion powder and ground black pepper) onto ONE side of the patty.

I take the edges of the plastic wrap and cover my first layer.  Then, I will put another layer, if I have one on top, adding a piece of plastic wrap to cover it all, and place this in the fridge to get to know the seasonings for a little bit before grilling.

So, after you let this chill out for a bit, perhaps 30 minutes to overnight if you want to, place your patty SEASONED side up, if there is one and cook it to your desired level of done.

Please keep in mind you can do these patties to your desired thickness.  The way I have shown here is less mess and everything can be tossed and the plate can be used for the done ones being the raw meat did not touch the plate.  Also, you can use whatever seasonings you like, even mix them up into the meat prior to making them into the balls.

You can also put the whole pound into a gallon sized zip bag, flatten it out to your desired thickness..... cut the bag down the seems then make your patties square.  I love that trick.  Great way to make quick sliders!

I hope that this helps someone out there!