I am making burgers on the grill and having trouble keeping them together without breaking into pieces.?

Question

This burger meister is having problems trying to keep them together on the grill. What am I doing wrong? I am trying not to squeeze them and leave them on one side for a long time but it seems like they still come apart. We put in oats, egg, onion, and worchester sauce. What's the big secret on making hamburgers on the grill and keeping their form? Thanks

Answer 1

I'm thinking that maybe you are working the meat too much after adding all the ingredients.
Once you add the ingredients, mix it a few good times then for them into patties.
Instead of oats, I use an egg or 2, depending how many burgers I'm making. Also make sure your grill is ready and HOT.
Hope this helps!

Answer 2

I will tell ya - I do not like eggs and all that stuff in my burgers! (If I did, I would make meatloaf!) and I never have a problem with my burgers staying together!
Make sure you are using beef that is not too lean - I find ground chuck works the best! (80/20).
Also, I try not to handle the meat a lot - form a ball, press flat on a pan, and then using one hand to press down, and the other hand to go around the edge and press it together.
Flip the burger over once or twice on the pan- you will see if it has any weak spots, and if so, fix them then.
You may be making them too big or too thin, also - that can make a big difference.
I put some freshly ground pepper on before I grill em, and make sure the grill is nice and hot before they go on...You want them to sear quickly to seal the proteins and lock the burger together!
Definitely let them sear for a few minutes before flipping - It sounds like you're doing that, so make sure you aren't getting too anxious to flip em!
I hope this helps! Happy Grilling!

Answer 3

lean ground beef
diced onion
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
garlic powder
salt/pepper
squirt ketchup
3 dashes worchestershire sauce
mix well and form into patties not too big and not too small. also not too thick* (size of your palm-width)
take a cloth and wipe grill with veg.oil....before firing up the grill. Let the grill get heated before putting burgers on. When you put the burgers on you'll hear them sizzle and sear in the juices...DO NOT flip or touch the burger until cooked on the one side (check by lightly lifting a bit of the burger 5-8min depending on thickness of burger,) then flip..it will not split or fall apart and the juices are intact inside the burger no need to push burgers down...then let cook the other side. GoodLuck*

Answer 4

Too much liquid like the worchester sauce inside the meat causes them to split up like that. And the eggs too. Try putting less of the sauce inside and focus on making the patties then spreading some sauce as they cook.

Answer 5

French Fries Corn Green Beans Potatoes Bread

Answer 6

I've never heard of putting oats in burgers--that could be your problem. I use cracker crumbs, egg, milk & lawry's seasoned salt. to form them I wet my hands with cold water(meat won't stick to wet hands) roll a ball & put it on a piece of tin foil then flatten & shape into a circle. I have found in the past if I skip shaping them into a circle, they will break as they shrink while grilling

Answer 7

You are doing everything right. What you need is a hamburger rack. You can pick them up at wal-mart very inexpensive. They hold four patties (we have two of them) and they never ever fall apart. You just turn the rack for even grilling. Yummy.

Answer 8

You may be mushing them too much. I always get a little water in my hands while Im kneeding them into burgers. This gets them moist and they stick together better....plus they turn out juicy. I use ground round....ground chuck falls apart more.

Answer 9

I've never used oats in mine.

Maybe they are too thin or there is not enough oil on the hotplate?

Are you using an egglifter?

Don't squash them while cooking, you'll dry them out.

Good luck!

Answer 10

You might be adding too much oats because that will dry it out and then it will fall apart.