Great Burgers...and other BBQ Questions

[thegazelle]

Hi, Everyone.

Since the summer is coming (I realize today is the first day of spring, but my mind is thinking ahead here), I was telling my wife and son that my favourite time of year is almost upon us...BBQ season!!! Truth be told, I have historically barbecued in the winter time as well, but ran of propane this year in the middle of BBQing chicken wings in December. It was too cold (and I was too lazy) to get it refilled, and thought, "oh well, may as well wait for March/April).

So, now that I have a food forum off which to bounce my questions, here are a couple for everyone.

1) Great burger recommendations. When I was a kid, my Mom and Dad got the Schneiders/Maple Leaf 12-pack of really thin, easy to burn burgers that shrink quite a bit. I haven't had those in years and don't plan to. I know those aren't "real" burgers. I have recently got the CostCo 1/4 pound burgers, which are quite good and even better are the Kirkland Sirloin burgers. I also have had the Schneiders Steakettes, which are OK. I did have some of the PC brand burgers, which are tasty, but surely there must be more out there, and brands that you may recommend. I am looking for juicyness first and foremost, and also something pretty thick (which I guess contributes to the juicyness). Any thoughts?

2) Similar question relates to hot dogs. Essentially you can take my first question and replace hamburger with hot dog. This is a trickier once, since I've probably eaten more not-so-tasty hot dogs than tasty hot dogs. I've also found in some brand of hot dogs some bone fragments (or cartlidge fragments) - I'd rather avoid that if possible, though I do realize that hot dogs are mixed up bits from a grinder. Years ago, I went downtown Toronto and bought some sausages from a European deli that had these delicious wiener links...I had no idea what they were called, but the skin was really crunchy when cooked (almost like it was being punctured when you bit into it). Quite tasty. I think for a while (maybe still) Costco carries something similar. in a 12-16 count bag with a green label. All the wieners are connected together, but it's the crunchy skin that keeps the juices in. Also, they are quite long.

3) I never thought I would have this problem, but I did last summer. My wife runs a home daycare and we had a parent appreciation BBQ. I had all sorts of food on the grill, and was happy cooking away for everyone. Sadly, though, I ran out of propane only 10 minutes in and had to leave the food half-cooked and cooling on the grill while I got more propane. Very embarrassing. I'm wondering if there is any gadget or device that you can attach that tells you your propane levels?

Sorry for the long-winded message. I thank you in advance for your response.

[anom]

2) Similar question relates to hot dogs. Essentially you can take my first question and replace hamburger with hot dog. This is a trickier once, since I've probably eaten more not-so-tasty hot dogs than tasty hot dogs. I've also found in some brand of hot dogs some bone fragments (or cartlidge fragments) - I'd rather avoid that if possible, though I do realize that hot dogs are mixed up bits from a grinder. Years ago, I went downtown Toronto and bought some sausages from a European deli that had these delicious wiener links...I had no idea what they were called, but the skin was really crunchy when cooked (almost like it was being punctured when you bit into it). Quite tasty. I think for a while (maybe still) Costco carries something similar. in a 12-16 count bag with a green label. All the wieners are connected together, but it's the crunchy skin that keeps the juices in. Also, they are quite long.

I can't directly answer "where to get the best" but I can add a comment about this "crunchy skin". Sausages and hot dogs are different, so which ones you looking for? Sausages use pigs intestines as a casing...and that's the "skin" you're talking about. The Costco "wieners" you speak of are actually sausages.

[thegazelle]

I can't directly answer "where to get the best" but I can add a comment about this "crunchy skin". Sausages and hot dogs are different, so which ones you looking for? Sausages use pigs intestines as a casing...and that's the "skin" you're talking about. The Costco "wieners" you speak of are actually sausages.

Yes, I should clarify. It is not a sausage - it is not the thick stuff. It is more of a "European wiener" - the inside looks more like a hot dog than sausage, but it's packed pretty tightly in that puncturable crunch skin - even uncooked the outside skin is crunchy.

In terms of my question, I am asking about "best" wieners.

[duckdown]

Best sausages are the ones you can buy from that shop that sells to all the street vendors in Toronto .. Love or hate street meat, you gotta admit those sausages are damn good. I believe the place they buy from is called EUROPEAN MEATS but I forget if thats for certain

Best hamburgers are the ones I usually buy at Highland Farms.. Anyone whos been to a HIghland Farms know they have the ULTIMATE meat counter & butcher shop area, and they've got some delicious fresh-ground & seasoned burgers.. I buy 'em and grill 'em the same day and they're absolutely delicious, and never have that nasty grey/freezerburned appearance of frozen patties that could have been sitting around since the stone age.

If I _HAD_ to pick a favorite brand of frozen burgers though, it would hands down be the Sirloin or Angus burgers by either PC or Our Compliments (Sobeys brand).. Oh, or the frozen LICKS burgers are always delicious too, of course, but I've gotten some badly freezerburned ones before

Good luck!

[Jono]

3) I never thought I would have this problem, but I did last summer. My wife runs a home daycare and we had a parent appreciation BBQ. I had all sorts of food on the grill, and was happy cooking away for everyone. Sadly, though, I ran out of propane only 10 minutes in and had to leave the food half-cooked and cooling on the grill while I got more propane. Very embarrassing. I'm wondering if there is any gadget or device that you can attach that tells you your propane levels?

There are various types of gadgets etc. that will attempt to tell you how much propane is left based on the temperature of the tank, but the best strategy is to get yourself a second tank and keep it full. If you ever run out, you have a full tank to swap it with, and then you can take your time getting the original tank refilled. Some Costco's tire centres sell propane, and you can get a brand new tank filled for around $50.

[thegazelle]

Best sausages are the ones you can buy from that shop that sells to all the street vendors in Toronto .. Love or hate street meat, you gotta admit those sausages are damn good. I believe the place they buy from is called EUROPEAN MEATS but I forget if thats for certain

Best hamburgers are the ones I usually buy at Highland Farms.. Anyone whos been to a HIghland Farms know they have the ULTIMATE meat counter & butcher shop area, and they've got some delicious fresh-ground & seasoned burgers.. I buy 'em and grill 'em the same day and they're absolutely delicious, and never have that nasty grey/freezerburned appearance of frozen patties that could have been sitting around since the stone age.

If I _HAD_ to pick a favorite brand of frozen burgers though, it would hands down be the Sirloin or Angus burgers by either PC or Our Compliments (Sobeys brand).. Oh, or the frozen LICKS burgers are always delicious too, of course, but I've gotten some badly freezerburned ones before

Good luck!

Thanks. I have never been to Highland Farms, but have heard good things about it through listening to CFRB. I will have to check out the meat section when I go there. Good to know they have burgers ready to go there. I guess I've only made burgers from frozen, that that's all I know. My wife tried to make burgers from a recipe but they ended up very short (width wise) and high...almost clam shaped. And they fell apart on the grill, even though I left them on there for ages. It's like BBQing a veggie burger - I actually get so frustrated BBQing those since they always seem to flake apart when you go to flip them.

[thegazelle]

There are various types of gadgets etc. that will attempt to tell you how much propane is left based on the temperature of the tank, but the best strategy is to get yourself a second tank and keep it full. If you ever run out, you have a full tank to swap it with, and then you can take your time getting the original tank refilled. Some Costco's tire centres sell propane, and you can get a brand new tank filled for around $50.

That's very true - I am hesitant to leave a full tank anywhere around the house, since we run a daycare at home - at leas the BBQ's tank is fully fastened and the BBQ is stowed away in a corner. I also heard about that propane explosion in Innisfil recently that makes me nervous as well - it levelled an entire house - thankfully no one was hurt.

[Dr Butcher]

I'd have to agree with Duckdown on the European Quality Meats comment. I believe they have a couple of locations in the city. One is in Kensington market at 176 Baldwin St and the other is farther west at 16 Jutland Rd in Etobicoke.

They have some amazing weiners and sausages. I usually stop there once a week in the summer time and I live in Scarborough. I recommend the knockwurst and the European wieners, the Debrizini (sp?) are great too. They have a variety of sausages and even have a lunch counter where you can buy a sausage on a bun to test them out first.

I like their pepperettes, and usually have a look at their NY strip steaks if they happen to be on sale.

Their price on ground beef is usually pretty decent, make your own patties. Your heart will thank you. Most store bought patties have like 20g of fat in them.

If I buy a store patty I usually go for one of the store's own brand of fresh made patties. They are usually just made of ground beef but I like the simplicity of ground beef straight up.

I hated having to fill up propane tanks, so I went with Natural gas. I don't believe it burns as hot but I love the ease of use. Buy a second tank and keep one filled, then you're no more than a tank change away from having a constant heat source. We have 2 or three tanks at the cottage. Just don't do like my dad, let them all run dry and then have to run to town to get one filled.

[Exas]

2) Similar question relates to hot dogs. Essentially you can take my first question and replace hamburger with hot dog. This is a trickier once, since I've probably eaten more not-so-tasty hot dogs than tasty hot dogs. I've also found in some brand of hot dogs some bone fragments (or cartlidge fragments) - I'd rather avoid that if possible, though I do realize that hot dogs are mixed up bits from a grinder. Years ago, I went downtown Toronto and bought some sausages from a European deli that had these delicious wiener links...I had no idea what they were called, but the skin was really crunchy when cooked (almost like it was being punctured when you bit into it). Quite tasty. I think for a while (maybe still) Costco carries something similar. in a 12-16 count bag with a green label. All the wieners are connected together, but it's the crunchy skin that keeps the juices in. Also, they are quite long.

These hot dogs/sausages are called DEBREZINER sausages. Sorta like a clash of a sausage and hot dog. They sell em at Sobeys, and I'm sure they sell them at other places as well. Hope that helped =)

[Keelie]

boil some water and then pour it down the side of the propane tank.. propane is very cold, in a matter of seconds you should see the level of propane.

i like the angus beef burgers at costco, not sure what the brand name is, but they are really big and juicy!

[Smoke]

i've heard that the healthy butcher sells some great burgers, as well as hot dogs and sausages (although they might be on the expensive end)

can anyone verify this?

[vtachy]

boil some water and then pour it down the side of the propane tank.. propane is very cold, in a matter of seconds you should see the level of propane.

i like the angus beef burgers at costco, not sure what the brand name is, but they are really big and juicy!

Keelie is right. If you want an actual gadget I think Lee Valley has a stick on indicator. goes along the side of the tank (vertically). You then poor some hot water down the side. the indicator strip lights up but due to the cold propane the level shows up.

Another option is to go buy the Weber grill. It has a spring mechanism that estimates how much of the tank is left based on the weight of the tank and propane left.

In regards to burgers - I make all of mine from scratch. The trick is to put all the ingredients together and then lightly form the burger. I usually make the burger 50% bigger in diameter than what the bun size is (to compensate for shrinkage). The other thing I do is I make the centre slightly thinner than the sides. It seems to keep the burger flat instead of ending up like a ball due to shrinkage.

For cooking the key is to have a nicely heated up grill. Place the burgers on and let it cook on one side for a good while. I generally turn down the heat within 30-60 seconds of placing the meat on. I let the patties cook up for quite a while then flip only once. The second side should only need a short cooking compared to the first side. With minimal maniulation the burger will be amazingly juicy.

I usually use costco's ground beef and some worchestershire sauce in my mix (the rest is up to you).

Sausages - a previous poster mentioned debreziner - awesome. I presently use harvest sausages that I get from Costco out west. I don't know if they have them out east. Other options would be to pass by your local polish deli and take your pick of any of the sausages. Anything cooked properly on the grill will be nice and crisp. Just don't over cook any sausage, it gets all wrinkley and dry and tough.

Have fun.

[plymouthhater]

Here's a link to European Meats web site:

http://www.europeanmeats.com/home.htm

They have excellent sausages (as others have posted) and great ready made burgers by the case. Their Jutland Rd location is also a spot for an inexpensive lunch

[thegazelle]

These hot dogs/sausages are called DEBREZINER sausages. Sorta like a clash of a sausage and hot dog. They sell em at Sobeys, and I'm sure they sell them at other places as well. Hope that helped =)

Yes, I checked out photos of debreziner, and yes, that's exactly what they are. Thanks!

[thegazelle]

Best sausages are the ones you can buy from that shop that sells to all the street vendors in Toronto .. Love or hate street meat, you gotta admit those sausages are damn good. I believe the place they buy from is called EUROPEAN MEATS but I forget if thats for certain

Best hamburgers are the ones I usually buy at Highland Farms.. Anyone whos been to a HIghland Farms know they have the ULTIMATE meat counter & butcher shop area, and they've got some delicious fresh-ground & seasoned burgers.. I buy 'em and grill 'em the same day and they're absolutely delicious, and never have that nasty grey/freezerburned appearance of frozen patties that could have been sitting around since the stone age.

If I _HAD_ to pick a favorite brand of frozen burgers though, it would hands down be the Sirloin or Angus burgers by either PC or Our Compliments (Sobeys brand).. Oh, or the frozen LICKS burgers are always delicious too, of course, but I've gotten some badly freezerburned ones before

Good luck!

Hi, I went to Highland Farms last night and yes, long and huge meat counter - whoa! But I didn't see any burgers behind the glass. Maybe it's not BBQ season officially yet...