I think since being a young kid, the thought of having burgers in the oven has scarred me. My Mother was one of those types of parents that thought she could make everything better than a restaurant; the truth was, she couldn’t! In fact, I distinctly remember crying out for a Friday night McDonalds as a kid many times. I was always greeted with the same compromise – “I’ll make you Mummy Burgers”. My brothers and I would be slyly happy we were not about to endure another night of tripe or sheep hearts, but Mummy Burgers were no walk in the park.
What is Wrong with Burgers in The Oven?
To be fair, I am sure some home chefs have perfected making burgers in the oven as best as can be perfected. But, for most of us, the oven dries out the meat something chronic. I have spent many a creative evening throwing burgers in the hot zone to one of two results: Burnt, black and shriveled, like something out of a scene of Hellraiser. Or pale, dense, and soggy. Neither two of these outcomes has ever satisfied my evergrowing expectations of a good burger. I am certainly proud of being a mix raced young man, but the English side of me is the side that threw everything but the kitchen sink in the oven. As I have gotten older I have realized certain things about oven-cooked food. One of my most important learns is how helpful the oven can be when you are cooking for a number of kids at home. When it comes to burger night at our home, no burgers are in the oven. It’s either in the hottest pan possible without setting our hood on fire, or outside on the grill. Perhaps that smidgen of pride is overlooked by our kids, that wouldn’t care too much as long as there is a ton of cheese and sauce, but nonetheless, I try!
Burgers on the Grill vs Burgers in The Oven
Whether you are using a gas grill or a charcoal BBQ, the searing heat is able to create something a little more special than the oven. Charcoal BBQs can execute on a great-tasting chargrilled burger if you can manage the flame and temperature. The gas grill is faster, and more manageable unless you are a throwback caveman with fire intuition. I have to admit that I am not, which is why I am still in debt for an all-singing, all-dancing gas grill. The previous charcoal BBQ not only managed to go full internal combustion on me in front of my friends, but I lost some hair from my face, and almost a section of my garden. But, either one of these cooking methods still knocks the socks off burgers in the oven. There is one keen little trick that someone that is a lot better cook than I am taught me: When you see the blood starting to bubble up on the side facing up of the patty, you are 75% of the way there in the cook. That little piece of advice has given me a healthy 70% success rate in good-tasting patties outside on the elements, id say.
Do it right…. Or cook something else!
I hope nobody has taken offense to my short, sweet, and subjective rant! I know, many of us have things to do and cooking may well be further down the list than watching football. But, some things in life need to have complete attention: Our wives, our kids, our jobs, and our burgers. There are some foods you can mess around with, throw it in a pan and get a respectable outcome (point at Italian pasta for one). But burgers, no no. It is an art to create a good burger. Have you seen our hit list? Some of the burgers in our reviews would put some of the best chefs in the country to shame. This burger journey started a few years back with Cheeseburgerme. Since, I have found it difficult to stomach any laziness when it comes to eating burgers. I expect that things should, at least try to be done right. And burgers in the oven, well, that’s just not right!
