A new trick for grilling the perfect burger

Is there some way of getting ground sirloin in Japan? Because if not, though I would love to see JT offer a more frequent recipe section (especially for recipes that replicate food popular outside of Japan but where the Japanese version often doesn't quite match), a recipe we can't follow because the supermarkets don't stock the ingredients is kind of a waste of everyone's time.

I considered a cast-iron grill platter, a thick, flat sheet of cast iron. Bingo! We could grill the bite-sized burgers on the sizzle platter!

Blasphemy !! The author obviously is missing the whole point of grilling -to be done over hot coals, direct heat.

For burgers, I use 80/20 ratio and sear / grill the patties on a grill (not flat cast iron). When the grease falls onto the hot coals, the smoke it releases shoots up into the patties, infusing them that great outdoor grilled taste.

A new trick for grilling the perfect burger

Don't put American cheese on it. If you want cheese, use a cheddar and put some bacon on there.

because the supermarkets don't stock the ingredients

Agree Katsu. I buy the COSTCO Chuck roasts, eye it to 25-30% fat, and grind them. The COSTCO ground beef is too dry for a good "anything" IMO.

Expect to pay $350-450 for a good stainless steel one, I got one from China and it's very decent and fast. It's a waste to pay $200-300 for one with plastic gears (most important). I also make my own sausage.

Blasphemy !!

Yep

There's a difference between grilling and hot iron plate frying... Both are good for what they are...

Grill (bars) vs Griddle (Iron plate) both have there advantages and disadvantages. Then then we can argue the gas vs charcoal conflict. Grinding the meat 'removes' some of the toughness. Overcooking brings back the toughness. Fat keeps the cooked meat moist, so buy meat with a good percentage of fat, or mix in some like a fatter piece of beef, or something like pork belly. Adding lamb to the mix is enjoyed by some people. As for cheese, add some that has taste such as sharp cheddar (good with bacon and little BBQ sauce), but for sauteed mushrooms or avocado, I like Swiss cheese. Fresh ground (with your spices) is best, but the equipment cleanup for a 'simple' meal for a couple is difficult. Ok for a larger group. Also, fresh ground (at home) is safer from a food safety point of view! Mix it up and enjoy good cooking!

We buy the Costco chuck roast too and it's very good in stews and Japanese curries. It's very tasty and there is hardly any sinew in it, so there is no waste. The "top plate" cut they sell is very sinewy. I agree that Costco's minced beef is too lean, but it is cheap. With decent buns and add ons, you can still get very close to most diner-style restaurant/posh burger places in Japan that will set you back 1200-1500 yen a head for a burger and a few fries. That hurts when you're paying for five.

Could you tell us the model number of your grinder Fizzbit? Another advantage of grinding your own meat is that you can safely cook it low temp. With store-bought meat, you could be getting meat from many animals in one burger, only one of which has to be contaminated for you to get sick. I do most of our chicken and pork sous-vide. With some cuts of meat, it makes a huge difference.

On the subject of kitchen tools, we smoke our own bacon, and slicing that with a meat slicer really helps. I just got the best selling one off Amazon US back when it was 80 yen to the dollar. Bacon of even thickness crisps up much better and looks much better too. Even bread machine bread is better when you can slice it consistently.

Sure kohakuebisu

It's a Minato Works PMM-250ST. If you want a smaller 3mil grind you need to buy it as well. And be careful, there's a copy-cat company that goes by Minato "something". Can't remember.

sous-vide-never heard of that, thanks. I'll look into it.

A sliver and a smoker is next on the list.