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 This month marks the start of the summer grilling season and National Hamburger Month. What a better way to kick off the summer grilling season than with America’s favorite sandwich – the hamburger, so fire up your grill and put on some delicious and nutritious beef!
The hamburger has a rich history, and even though the exact date and place of origin is somewhat contested, its place on Americans’ grills is undeniable. The fact that Americans consumed more than 13 billion hamburgers in 2003 tells it all! According to research by the NPD Group, hamburger is the most popular food for the grill. One out of every five times Americans fire up the grill it’s to cook a hamburger.
To ensure a winning hamburger, here are some great tips from purchase to plate:
Purchasing Ground Beef
- Ground beef packages are labeled according to USDA standards and by supermarket preferences. Lean to fat ratios vary. The information on the label will be expressed % lean, % fat. However if a package is labeled ground beef, it must be no more than 30% fat.
- Look for fresh ground beef with a bright, cherry-red color. A darker, purplish-red color is typical of vacuum-packaged ground beef or the interior of packaged ground beef. Once exposed to air, it will turn bright red.
- Purchase meat last when shopping to ensure that ground beef (and other meats) stay as cold as possible. Choose packages that are cold and tightly wrapped without tears or punctures. Ground beef is more perishable than roast or steaks. During grinding, any bacteria that are on the surface are mixed throughout, resulting in a shorter shelf life.
At-Home Storage
- Most labels have a “sell by” date. Ground beef should be purchased on or before that date. Store it in the coldest part of the refrigerator (36° to 40°F); use or freeze within 2 days.
- Ground beef can be frozen in its original transparent packaging for up to 2 weeks. To freeze ground beef up to 4 months, wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil or place in a food-safe plastic freezer bag. Press out as much air as possible before freezing. Label with the date and weight.
Cooking and Food Safety
- Defrost frozen ground beef in the refrigerator (never at room temperature) to prevent bacterial growth. Allowing about 24 hours to defrost a 1-to 1-1/2-inch thick package.
- Wash hands with hot soapy water before and after handling raw meat. Also, wash any surface or utensils that raw meat has touched.
- One pound of ground beef makes four (3-ounce) cooked servings.
- For best results when preparing patties, mix ingredients lightly but thoroughly; overmixing can cause a firm, compact texture instead of the desired moist, juicy results.
- For food safety reasons, it’s important to cook all ground beef thoroughly, including irradiated ground beef. Never eat raw or rare ground beef. Cook ground beef patties to an internal temperature of 160°F (medium) by using an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature. Cook until the centers are no longer pink and the juices show no pink.
 How to Use an Instant-Read Thermometer – Using an instant read thermometer is the most accurate way to determine the doneness of beef. Instant-read thermometers are readily available in supermarkets and cookware stores. They are available as a dial face or digital, both of which register the temperature in seconds. These thermometers are NOT heatproof and cannot be left in the meat while it cooks on the grill.
- To check the doneness of burgers:
- Insert the stem of the instant-read thermometer horizontally in the center of the patty, without touching the grill.
- Allow 10 to 15 seconds for the thermometer to register the internal temperature, which should be at least 160°F.
- Brush brown sauces such as teriyaki, Worcestershire or soy sauce on the cooked surface of the patties. When these types of sauces are mixed into the uncooked ground beef, it may be difficult to determine doneness.
- Turn ground beef patties with a spatula, without pressing down. Pressing causes loss of flavorful juices and results in dry burgers.
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